Using Feedback Frames in the classroom is a great way to add student voice to your lessons without using screens. If you enjoy seeing your students engaged, giving individual responses, and the excitement of revealing the results but feel frustrated by the challenges of managing technology in the classroom, check out Feedback Frames.
I worked with Kristina Togneri from Feedback Frames on this blog post to share a wide variety of ideas on how this tool could be used with your students. This blog post is sponsored by Feedback Frames. Although I received compensation for writing this blog, the opinions shared are my own. I only promote things that I feel would benefit educators and make the classroom a more enjoyable place. Thank you to Feedback Frames for sharing this resource with me and for creating this educational tool.
This blog post contains affiliate links that are of no cost to the reader. If you make a purchase through the provided links, this blog will receive a small commission to help with the financial costs of maintaining the site.
Here’s How It Works
- Teachers prepare multiple-choice questions (with up to six possible answers) on or next to Feedback Frames stationed around the classroom. Set out tokens in cups or hand them out to students.
- Students circulate around the stations, dropping one token per frame to record their secret responses. You can optionally ask them to also write their name on a sheet each time to track participation. You can even invite written comments for more depth if time permits.
- When everyone is done, pull away the covers to reveal the results as charts of stacked tokens. Kids often get very excited to see everyone’s answers all at once.
These instant visual results can then inform you of class status, and can also be used as references for reflective class discussions. This low-tech solution is an alternative to chart paper and tally marks, offering a way to get anonymous, individual and honest feedback from students, without any peer pressure.
Check out this video that shares “What do teachers think of Feedback Frames?”
- Student Voice
- Student Collaboration
- Entrance and Exit Tickets
- Quick Check-Ins
- Status of the Class
- Attendance Questions
- Voting
- Rating Levels of Agreement
Benefits of Using Feedback Frames in the Classroom
- Provides A Kinesthetic Learning Experience: Students are engaged in physical activity up on their feet, walking around, and dropping tokens, which adds variety and energy to lessons.
- Student Voice: Feedback Frames give students a chance to share their thinking without having to explain it to the whole class, which some students might find challenging. It gives every student a chance to participate in the learning process.
- Paper Alternative: With many schools limiting paper use, using Feedback Frames is a great way to get the status of the class without photocopying.
- Anonymous: When teachers use the frame cover, students do not know the results until teachers want to share the results.
- Instant Results: Teachers get a quick snapshot of overall class responses, not having to review individual sheets and tally answers.
- Inquiry-Based Learning: Before a science demonstration or lab, students can vote on the possible outcomes. It would be like an interactive hypothesis.
- Promotes Critical Thinking Skills: Students get time to think about the content before they place their token under the section they agree with.
- Supports a Tech-Free Environment: Students do not need to access technology to engage with Feedback Frames. With cellphone bans occurring in different school districts, teachers have been looking for ways to maintain engagement without 1:1 technology. Students can share their ideas with other students using Feedback Frames.
- Avoid Screen Distractions: Empowers teachers with polling without depending on internet-connected phones, tablets, or computers.
- Ready-To-Go: Teachers set up the frame, select the template they wish to use, write the question students need to give their opinion on, and then provide students with the token they will vote with.
- Independent Thinking: Students place their tokens in secret without their peers providing input. This helps teachers get a more accurate representation of what the class is thinking.
Templates
Feedback Frames has many templates that teachers can use and customize. Teachers can use templates such as ABCDEF Multiple-Choice or the Five Star Scale. There are other templates that can be used in professional settings, such as staff meetings and professional development sessions.
Classroom Examples
Teachers in a variety of subject areas could use Feedback Frames with their students. When using Feedback Frames, teachers can take photos of completed Feedback Frames for assessment purposes if they are being formally evaluated by their school administration. This is a great example of assessment variety.
Here is a sample list of how this tool can be used across subject areas.
- Anticipation Guide: Students can vote before an activity, sharing their thoughts, and then again after the activity to see how their thinking has changed about the topic.
- Class Check-In or Status of the Class: Teachers can assess students’ understanding of a curriculum concept or students’ emotions at the beginning or end of the day.
- Entrance and Exit Tickets: Instead of using paper, students can use Feedback Frames to answer the questions.
- Vote on Class Rewards: If you use class rewards with your students, they can anonymously vote on which whole class reward they want. For example, teachers could provide options like digital escape rooms, board games, movies, outside breaks, STEM Activities or extra gym time.
- Controversial Questions: If teachers want to get students thinking about controversial topics without having students share their thinking in a class discussion format, they could set up a few Feedback Frames around the classroom and students could vote on each question during class time. Students can sign the signature tracking sheets for accountability.
- Self Evaluation: Students can vote on their understanding of lesson material shared in class using Feedback Frames. This anonymous method allows students to provide feedback to the teacher on how well they understood the lesson. Teachers could keep this template set up and use it regularly when challenging content is taught.
- Peer Feedback: If the assignment requires peer feedback, students can use Feedback Frames to give that feedback. For example, if students are working on their oral presentation skills after each student presents, their classmates can provide them with feedback on one area they did well in and one area for improvement. The teacher can have two Feedback Frames set up, and students can vote while the next student is getting set up. The teacher can write down the two pieces of feedback for the student.
- Growth Mindset Check-Ins: Ask students to evaluate their current mindset.
Subject Specific Examples
- French: Students can practice verb conjugation or vocabulary words.
- Math: Students could use Feedback Frames to conduct research for the Data Strand in math. Then present their findings to the class.
- Language Arts: Students could brainstorm predictions about the class novel and thenvote on what is most likely to happen. Students could extend their learning by writing a reflection paragraph supporting their prediction choice. I know this is not an anonymous use, but depending on the task, students could share their thinking when using Feedback Frames.
- Science: Students can vote on a current lab hypothesis. If teaching conductors and insulators, different stations could be set up with various materials. Students could vote on whether they felt the item was a conductor or insulator. Similarly, if teaching about the four forces of flight, students could develop paper airplane designs and test them. The top six planes that flew the farthest distance could go to the finals. Students could vote on the design they think will fly the farthest.
- Social Studies: After teaching a unit of study, have students vote on which topic they found the most interesting. This can help guide future lessons.
- Geography: Students could be asked questions that review content taught in class. For example, they could be asked to vote on which name is not a real continent or what climate zone they live in.
Staff Meetings and Professional Development Sessions
Feedback Frames can be used by school administrators to get feedback from their staff. It can also be used as a feedback and learning tool during professional development sessions.
Check out this short video on how Feedback Frames can be used as a group discussion and decision-making tool.
Ready To Buy?
Feedback Frames come in boxes of 8, making them an ideal tool to recommend to your school administration for a potential school-wide purchase. Alternatively, you could partner with a fellow teacher to share the cost of a box, giving each of you four frames.
When you use my affiliate link, you get a 30% discount off the cost of a box of Feedback Frames. My discount code is automatically embedded in this link. Use the code 2PEASANDADOG to get the discount if the discount does not automatically show up. Feedback Frames is a Canadian company.
Want More Information?
Check out these blog posts for more ideas and inspiration about how to use Feedback Frames with your students.
Remember to use the code 2PEASANDADOG to get a 30% discount on your purchase.
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