Learn how to use technology tools in your science lessons to help deliver effective, accessible in the moment feedback, with Mark Anderson.
The real work of learning happens in the feedback loop – the cycle of practice, response and adjustment that allows pupils to refine their understanding.
Cognitive science and evidence from educational research make it clear that feedback is one of the highest-impact strategies we have. John Hattie, whose Visible Learning for Teachers inspired many of our discussions, stresses that feedback ought to be “just in time, just for me, just for where I am in my learning process and just what I need to move forward”. When I work with schools, I often paraphrase this as a reminder that effective feedback is purposeful and personal.
Living and breathing this is important, not just for us, so we sustain our pedagogy and practice, but for our learners too. I’ll always remember a lesson I once observed at the Grammar School at Leeds, where, using a classroom management solution the teacher was able to easily share a pupil’s work to the class, garnering ‘in-the-moment’ peer feedback. Pupils talked openly and supportively about each other’s work in this way, helping improve their responses; it was just part and parcel of standard learning in that classroom and was a joy to see.
Technology can help us achieve this ideal, but only when it is used deliberately. This third article in our series explores what makes feedback effective, why accessibility matters and how science teachers can use technology to close the feedback loop in ways that respect individual learners.
Why feedback must be accessible
Feedback is only as good as a pupil’s ability to receive and act upon it. Studies of accessible teaching emphasise that feedback is most constructive when it is “relevant, accessible, consequential and timely”. 1 The Accessible Campus guidance notes that the most useful feedback is “frequent, timely and specific”, and that providing feedback electronically, in clearly legible formats, helps most pupils. It also recommends offering multiple channels such as email, face-to-face conversations or audio notes (such as you can by using Mote or OneNote Class Notebook) so that pupils can seek clarification. Ensuring privacy and providing clear explanations of both strengths and areas for improvement are part of inclusive practice.1
For science teachers, accessibility has an additional dimension. Charts, diagrams and equations should ideally be explained in ways that all learners can access. Screen readers need alt text, videos benefit from captions and digital resources should work with assistive technologies – PDFs are great for this.
Accessible feedback also means giving pupils the time and opportunity to respond; they need space in lessons or homework routines to revisit their work, talk through misunderstandings and try again. 2 Without this, even the most insightful comment becomes a dead end.
4 ways to use technology to give effective feedback in science lessons
Interactive simulations
Science lends itself to exploration, and computer simulations can provide embedded scaffolding and feedback that would be hard to replicate with physical equipment.
Simulations can meet this need by giving pupils cues, hints and explanations as they manipulate variables. In PhET simulations, for instance, moving a slider to change the concentration of a solution immediately adjusts the representation and may highlight when a saturation point is reached, guiding learners towards scientific reasoning. This form of visual feedback that happens when using a simulation tool such as PhET can be easily capitalised upon by asking key questions about what happens when you change the simulation, facilitating a conversation around cause and effect to aid pupils’ learning.
Screen recording, audio and video feedback
Sometimes the most effective feedback is a conversation. Instead of writing pages of comments, I often record short screencasts or audio messages explaining what a pupil has done well and where they could improve. Tools such as Loom, Screencastify and Explain Everything allow us to capture our screen, annotate work and talk through misconceptions.
This approach can combine product feedback (pointing out an error in a calculation) with process feedback (demonstrating how to set up the equation) and regulation feedback (suggesting a strategy for checking work). For pupils who struggle with long paragraphs of written feedback, hearing their teacher’s voice and seeing their work highlighted in real time can be more engaging and accessible.
Peer and collaborative feedback
Technology can amplify pupils’ voices. Many collaborative whiteboarding tools can be used to help pupils comment on each other’s work and collectively refine their understanding. In an NSTA case study on composting, a teacher used a hyperdoc with embedded prompts so that every pupil could post an idea and respond to classmates. 3 This format ensured that even introverted pupils participated and allowed the teacher to monitor discussions, stepping in with guidance as needed.
For example, if you were covering a topic such as evaporation rates with a Year 6 class, adding results onto a shared whiteboard (such as Figjam, Padlet, Google Drawing or the Whiteboard feature in Teams), pupils can comment on each other’s data tables using sentence stems like “I like how…” or “Next time you could…” This promotes scientific dialogue and language whilst encouraging metacognitive reflection and active listening within the feedback culture of your classroom.
The important thing to remember is that peer feedback promotes metacognition. By articulating why a classmate’s explanation is effective, pupils deepen their own understanding, which, as we’ve learned over the years, can have a big impact on outcomes.
Digital quizzes and retrieval practice
Online quizzing platforms (such as Google/Microsoft Forms or Socrative) support retrieval practice and deliver instant feedback to pupils. When designed thoughtfully, these quizzes can space practice and interleave topics. Cognitive science research advises leaving a gap of at least a few days between initial learning and retrieval practice, spacing that makes recall more challenging, and therefore more beneficial. 4 Immediate feedback within these platforms helps pupils correct errors quickly and prevents misconceptions from being encoded. Teachers can use the data to identify patterns of misunderstanding and plan subsequent instruction.
A good example here might be using a quizzing tool such as Socrative, whereby after each question, you engage in a class discussion about any incorrect options chosen, guided by you with a brief explanation or from pupils who have got the question correct. This promotes a shift from digital recall into verbal reasoning and reinforces immediate feedback and strengthens long-term memory through retrieval and elaboration.
Moving forward
Digital tools give us the chance to do things that wouldn’t be possible without the technology – and AI tools can make this even easier. The truth is, using digital can help open up a wide variety of modalities for feedback, adapting it for every learner.
Despite this, technology is only as effective as the pedagogy that underpins it, and so cognisance of what works is, as always, key.
Making sure that feedback is accessible, inclusive and aligned with learning goals should always be something we consider and give a laser-like focus in every subject.
Author
Mark is a global speaker, EdTech expert, trainer, blogger, author and key note speaker, known as the ICT Evangelist. He has over 20 years of experience in the classroom. Mark is the head of education at NetSupport, an Independent Thinking associate, an MIE Expert and fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. His latest book can be found at edtechplaybook.com.
