Running head: FEEDBACK LOOPS

Feedback Loops in the K12 Educational Setting:

Updated for 21st Century Learning
Julie K. Marsh
College of William and Mary

FEEDBACK LOOPS

Feedback Loops in the K12 Educational Setting:

Updated for 21st Century Learning
In many traditional learning environments the instructor is considered the
expert and the learner an empty vessel that the instructor will fill. The learner is a
novice with very little experience who must receive knowledge from the instructor.
Learners are expected to find the right answer, but are often not taught to ask
questions or embrace ambiguity. Most academic experiences focus on mastering the
high, hard ground: learners have a well-defined problem, and they use theories or
formulas that give the answer. There is a need to expand learning using feedback
loops in order to allow learners and instructors to expand the communication of
knowledge and learning. In turn, feedback loops can help administrators foster a
positive school culture and climate.
The K12 school system is a living system of networked learning. Living
systems have many important features and connected elements, but one very
important feature is that of the feedback loop. A feedback loop is a circular
arrangement of causally connected elements, in which an initial cause propagates
around the links of the loop, so that each element has an effect on the next, until the
last feeds back the effect into the first element of the cycle (Capra, 1997, p. 4). As
you can see below in Figure 1., a feedback loop consists of causes and effects that
require planning, action, assessment, and modification.

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Figure 1. Example of a feedback loop

The feedback loop in the K12 educational environment assists and supports a
classroom community of learners, helps a classroom community increase its own
learning capacity, and helps the community organize itself around learning (Capra,
1997).
When a feedback loop is introduced in the K12 learning environment, it can
create a network of on-going conversations that nurture and facilitate discussion
around learning. Feedback loops have been found to support mutual respect among
students and teachers, allow important reflection inside and outside the classroom
environment, support students abilities to listen to one another, encourage students to

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share and celebrate their differences, and increase learning exploration beyond rote
memorization (Capra, 1997; Walvoord, Bardes, & Denton, 2007).
Feedback loops are critical to expanding student knowledge and allowing
more room for student creativity. When students explore and share their learning
through a feedback loop, they push the boundaries of their own thinking by
considering others thinking as well. The network of conversations shared by
students is impacted by two elements: emergent and designed structures (Capra,
1997). The living system of networked learning in the K12 environment always has
both structures. The designed structures are the formal structures of the K12
environment, including the mission and vision of the school as well as formal policies
and administrative procedures (Capra, 1997). The emergent structures are the
informal structures of the K12 environment, including the student-teacher
relationship, informal modes of communication, and the skills and knowledge gained
from exploration and practice (Capra, 1997). The formal, designed structures of the
K12 environment are set; whereas, the informal, emergent structures of the K12
environment are adaptive and can evolve (Capra, 1997).
Connecting Feedback Loops to 21st Century Learning
There are many ways to connect the K12 learning environment with muchneeded 21st century learning skills by using feedback loops. There are a number of
different tools that can assist in creating feedback loops that can be used in the K12
learning environment. This paper will focus on five tools in particular: blogs, Twitter,
Google+, wikis, and Edmodo.

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Blogs.
What is a blog? A blog (Figure 2.) is an online, digital space where an author
can write and share information with readers. Traditional blogs were considered a
form of personal communication where writers and readers could interact and
comment on a particular topic (Poling, 2005). Using a blog in the K12 learning
environment affords a different type of user as well as different type of format
(Poling, 2005). Blogging assists and supports classroom communication and deepens
learning comprehension as students communicate across a specific curriculum
(Lampinen, 2013; Poling, 2005).

Figure 2. Example of a blog format

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Blogging can be used inside and outside the learning environment to engage
students and increase student motivation (Lampinen, 2013; Poling, 2005). Blogging
also can be used to improve students writing skills and help increase their selfefficacy as writers (Lampinen, 2013).
How blogs can help create a feedback loop. Using blogs as a classroom tool
in the K12 learning environment can create a community within the classroom and
help students connect to one another in meaningful and authentic ways (Lampinen,
2013). Blogging can help push students thinking beyond rote memorization and
reinforce the effort needed to tackle more challenging thinking and tasks (Lampinen,
2013). Students are able to use blogs in order to continue the conversations
happening inside the classroom when they are out in the world (Olwell, 2008).
Students are able to make better connections to their learning as well as make
connections to their own interests outside of the K12 learning environment (Olwell,
2008).
Twitter.
What is Twitter? Twitter (Figure 3.) is a digital social networking service,
sometimes called a microblogging platform (Fox, 2013) that allows users to share
information and resources using a maximum of 140 characters called tweets.

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Figure 3. Example of Twitter

How Twitter can help create a feedback loop. Twitter is an excellent form of
a feedback loop that allows students to interact with experts outside of the classroom.
Dhir, Buragga, and Boreqqa (2013) found that Twitter had a positive impact on
informal learning and increased student motivation. Their research also found that
using Twitter increased the academic and psychological development of students
(Dhir, Buragga, & Boreqqa, 2013).
Twitter is a very effective discussion format where students are more likely to
participate due to the social media aspect of the tool (Abe & Jordan, 2013). It is
important to keep students focused on the educational foci of using Twitter as a

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feedback loop in order to keep students connected with alternative ways to participate
in the network of conversations (Abe & Jordan, 2013). The ways students can
connect using Twitter offer unique opportunities to connect with real world, real-time
information through the lens of many diverse perspectives (Journell, Ayers, &
Beeson, 2014).
Google+.
What is Google+? Google+ (Figure 4.) is a social media platform that supports
interactive learning communities inside and outside the classroom while globally
connecting students (Taylor, Schugar, & Penny, 2014). Google+ can be used to
support student collaboration, classroom discussion, and community engagement
(Taylor, Schugar, & Penny, 2014).
Google+ is similar to Twitter in that users can follow others posts (Yee &
Hargis, 2011). Users can sort resources and other shared information into various
lists or circles for better monitoring and flow of information (Yee & Hargis, 2011).
Users are also able to use Google+ in order to chat or video conference (Yee &
Hargis, 2011).

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Figure 4. Example of Google+

How Google+ can help create a feedback loop. Educators could use Google+
as a feedback loop in many ways. Google+ can be used to make class-related
announcements, provide a platform for backchannel conversations during lectures,
and even allow students to create their own lists or circles about a particular learning
focus (Yee & Hargis, 2011). Google+ also connects to the entire suite of Google
applications such as Google Docs and Google Sites that could grow the feedback loop
even further inside and outside the classroom while connecting to 21st century
learning skills.
Wikis.
What is a wiki? A wiki (Figure 5.) is a communication and collaboration tool
that is web-based (Parker & Chao, 2007). Wikis can be used to enhance the learning
process and engage students (Parker & Chao, 2007). Wikis offer the unique platform

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to involve learners in their own knowledge construction inside and outside of the
classroom (Parker & Chao, 2007). A wiki is a collaborative website where content
can be edited by all users, creating a collaborative product (Parker & Chao, 2007).
Wikis are much easier to use than HTML webpages because students do not need to
learn or understand coding (Parker & Chao, 2007).

Figure 5. Example of a class wiki

How a wiki can help create a feedback loop. Since any and all users can edit
wikis, it can be used as a source of information as well as a collaborative tool for
communication (Parker & Chao, 2007). Wikis engage students in an on-going
dialogue that requires their contributions, further enhancing and deepening knowledge
by using it as a feedback loop (Parker & Chao, 2007).

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Edmodo.
What is Edmodo? Edmodo (Figure 6.) is a Facebook-like networking platform
specifically designed for education (Sanders, 1999). Similar to other social media
networks, students are able to use Edmodo to communicate and share resources with
one another by creating new posts (Sanders, 1999). Sanders (1999) found using
Edmodo as a teaching strategy increased student engagement and responsible learning
inside and outside the classroom. Further, Sanders found using Edmodo encouraged
more student-centered learning where students were more motivated to learn.

Figure 6. Example of Edmodo home page

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How Edmodo can help create a feedback loop. Educators could use Edmodo
as a feedback loop in a variety of ways. Edmodo can be used for class
announcements as well as for class assignments (Holzweiss, 2013). There is a builtin grade book for teachers to assign work and provide materials for students to
complete assignments (Holzweiss, 2013). Students can post to the class wall during
class discussions or outside of class in order to share resources with one another and
make connections to their own interests (Holzweiss, 2013). Students can also be
assigned to small groups in order to focus on a particular learning area (Holzweiss,
2013). Educators can also communicate with families at home using the parent portal
feature on Edmodo (Hozweiss, 2013).
Discussion
Implications
Administrators need to understand the difference between designed and
emergent feedback loops that impact the classroom and the school as a whole.
Administrators should continue to support the designed elements of their K12
environment, but it will also be important for administrators to support emergent
structures as well. Supporting emergent structures and feedback loops will include
the distribution of leadership and the sharing of responsibility by all stakeholders in
the K12 learning environment (Capra, 1997). Facilitating emergence leads to creating
a learning culture by encouraging questioning and innovation (Capra, 1997). Using
feedback loops to nurture a network of conversations may mean taking a step toward
loosening designed structures in the K12 learning environment (Capra, 1997).

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Administrators can also assist by supporting and encouraging a learning environment

that focuses on mutual respect and trust (Capra, 1997).
Recommendations for Administrators
Administrators must understand the power of feedback loops in the classroom
while also recognizing the opportunities feedback loops may offer for both K12
leadership and community involvement. School leadership teams can use feedback
loops in a variety of ways to communicate and collaborate. Feedback loops can
connect leadership teams to professional development initiatives in the school district
or across the globe. Feedback loops can also assist with data collection at the school
level or division level; in fact, the feedback loop, especially using one of the tools
mentioned above, could support visual displays of data across a school or school
division. Finally, feedback loops can support more community involvement by
providing an outlet for community members to participate in the on-going network of
conversations within and outside the K12 learning environment.

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References

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