Dishing the Dirt on Feedback
DIRT feedback, or DIRT tasks, have been around in UK schools for a little while now, and there are mixed views about their use and value. Is it useful or is it there just to be visible? (Did someone say box-ticking exercise?)
What does DIRT stand for in Education?
There are differing views on this, too. In some places, you read it’s ‘Dedicated Improvement and Reflection Time’ and in others ‘Directed Improvement and Reflection Time’.
Have you ever spent hours marking student work and then not given them time to read it? This might be because you dive into the next activity, acutely aware that you need students to take advantage of every moment in the art room.
However, we want students to become independent learners, and to take responsibility for their own progress. DIRT can help with this.
The aim of’ DIRT’ in the context of art lessons is to foster student growth and improve artistic skills.
Dedicated: Allocate specific periods during the art class where students focus solely on reflecting upon and/or improving their artwork. This could be after the completion of a project or during the creation process.
Improvement: Students use this time to make specific improvements to their artwork based on the feedback they’ve received from their teacher or peers. This might involve refining techniques, adjusting composition, experimenting with different mediums, or enhancing details.
Reflection: Encourage students to reflect on their artistic choices and the feedback provided. This reflection can be guided by questions such as:
- What aspects of my work were successful?
- What areas need improvement?
- How can I apply the feedback to enhance my artwork?
Time: Ok, this needs no explanation other than to say, you have to plan to allocate some time to ‘get dirty’!
Like most educational trends, if done well, they can have value. Who wouldn’t want their students to carefully reflect on their work and consider how they could improve?
DIRT Feedback for the Art Room
Below is a DIRT reflection task for drawing. I have more DIRT tasks planned, so do sign up for my newsletter to be kept informed.
