Professional Practice at MLC School

Delving into the research on feedback with Visual Arts

In the recent professional learning workshop, staff began with a heartfelt reflection: What is the most significant piece of feedback you’ve ever received, and how has it shaped who you are today? This simple yet profound question opened the door to rich conversations about growth, resilience and the transformative power of feedback in our lives and our work.

Together, we explored the current research that underpins effective feedback, drawing on key practitioners that continue to shape contemporary educational practice:

• The Power of Feedback Revisited (Wisniewski, Zierer & Hattie, 2020)
• Visible Learning: Feedback (Hattie & Clarke, 2018)
• Dylan Wiliam’s Formative Feedback Framework

These works remind us that feedback is not just about correction, it’s about connection. It’s about helping learners see where they’re going (feed-up), understand how they’re progressing (feedback), and envision their next steps (feed-forward).

We unpacked the characteristics of feedback that truly moves learning forward and resonated with Dylan Wiliam’s research and thinking that:

• ‘Feedback should cause thinking. It should be focused; it should relate to the learning goals that have been shared with the students; and it should be more work for the recipient than the donor.’
• ‘The only important thing about feedback is what students do with it… If our feedback doesn’t change the student in some way, it has probably been a waste of time.’

To bring theory into practice, we analysed examples and non-examples of targeted feedback in Stage 6 Visual Arts which was created by Co-Pilot. This feedback sparked deep and thoughtful discussion of what teaching and learning might have occurred.

We then co-constructed a practical resource that maps out the metalanguage of artistic forms and includes ‘reach statements’: actionable, student–friendly prompts that guide learners toward deeper engagement and growth.

It was a session filled with insight and momentum, where theory met practice, and every voice contributed to shaping feedback that truly moves learning forward.

– Amy Murphy
Director or Professional Practice

– Sally Marks
Head of Department – Visual Arts

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