QR codes have become a common, if slightly annoying, feature of everyday life as we check in to venues for tracking and tracing during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But how about using them in schools? Not for track and trace, but for transforming how students engage with feedback.

That’s what staff at one alternative provision school, River Tyne Academy Gateshead, have done. Headteacher Adele Brown explains how they’ve implemented this new approach and the impact it is having on students.

Teacher feedback using video and QR codes

Tes: What first inspired you to take a new approach to feedback?

Adele Brown: We found that our students were not actively engaging with feedback in class. Often, they would only read it superficially rather than really connecting with the points raised and acting to improve them. And some students were reluctant to read feedback altogether owing to low self-esteem and a fear of getting things wrong.

I’d already seen the impact of using QR codes for resources and video tutorials, and I thought this would be easy to replicate for feedback - and it was! I tried it out with my Year 11 class and they took really well to it. Now this is used in all subjects and all key stages. It’s taken a year to properly embed but it has been completely worth it.

So, how does it work exactly?

It’s a way of delivering video feedback for key pieces of work. All our teachers and teaching assistants have MacBooks and iPads, and these enable them to record themselves easily, giving praise and action points for improvement. We use video conferencing software to do this, so that our faces can be in the corner of the screen while we showcase resources or the student’s book on the main part of the screen.

The videos are then sent to our feedback champions - members of staff who upload them to our school’s private YouTube site and create a QR code, which is sent back to the staff, who size it down and print it out to stick in books. It sounds complicated and time consuming but we have 10 students in each class on average and, now that we’re into the swing of things, it takes about five minutes from sitting down to do it to having it ready to print.

The students can then use their iPads to scan the code in lessons, listen to their personal feedback and act on it. And the great thing is that those videos remain accessible so that students can return to them as many times as they need to.

What has the student response been like?

Overwhelmingly positive. Because the video feedback is “face to face” in a sense, it enables children to respond to our facial expressions and tone (which we found could be misinterpreted in written form). For children who struggle with the idea of failure or making mistakes, this is a wonderful way to ensure we can support them and start a dialogue about it in a truly relational way.

We’re finding that their first response to the feedback is often to start a conversation with us, which is great as it really develops a learning discourse. The students then work independently or alongside a teaching assistant, where necessary, to improve, correct or enhance their work. They really appreciate that we have invested our time in creating special, meaningful and personalised feedback for them.

And you’re using QR codes for more than student feedback now?

We use them in as many ways as possible. We have also used them to create “talking certificates” for achievement in our three focus areas of our curriculum: currency, character and community. Learners can earn curriculum awards for developing in these areas and we give the certificates regularly as motivational tools.

Staff record themselves explaining why the certificate is being awarded, and this can be accessed by students and families again and again through the QR code. The certificates have become sought-after prizes as a result - the students are very keen to show the videos to their families. It’s incredible to see the pride in their learning and in themselves, which is something our learners don’t always find easy. It is just wonderful to witness.

We have also used QR codes on letters and communications via text to parents, which have been received positively as it increases accessibility. The QR code is simply attached to the top of the letter, and then parents and carers can choose to either read the letter themselves, or scan it and listen to a recorded version while they go about their day.

Have you had any issues with the implementation?

It was a completely new approach, so we piloted it first to test the technology and train staff. I am very lucky to have such a creative and enthusiastic team, so there was engagement with the idea right from the start. And because the success and impact was evident from the pilot group, the drive was there to get this right for everyone.

We found that the use of model examples - which included clear signposting around how to structure praise, how to signpost key elements of learner work or link to resources within feedback - ensured that the videos were of high quality. The students also gave us plenty of feedback, too, on what they found helpful.

What advice would you give to people looking to implement something similar?

We only have 117 students on roll but I think the approach could be scaled up. I appreciate this would be more challenging in a mainstream context but you could pick key pieces of work to do this for rather than as regular feedback.

I’d say explore with a small pilot team first so you can build the expertise and iron out any glitches that come. Invest in training for staff so they feel empowered, and have the confidence to get creative and to experiment.

Adele Brown is headteacher at River Tyne Academy Gateshead

This article originally appeared in the 9 July 2021 issue under the headline “How I...Give feedback via a QR code”