Watch: ~4 min · Reflect: ~20 min applying the decision spine to one assignment with mixed student needs
Companion video: Differentiating Feedback in the Template Builder (4.3) — embedded above
Differentiating Feedback in the Template Builder
Video coming soon.
What this video covers
This is a Layer 4 product video — for teachers who want to adapt feedback templates for different student needs without turning differentiation into a profile-by-profile checklist. The video is built around a five-decision spine, not a tour of learner categories.
What you'll see in the walkthrough
Differentiating feedback doesn't mean creating a separate template for every student. It means making deliberate choices about what kind of feedback this group of students or this individual student needs — and then deciding whether the choice belongs in the template (before generation) or in the review step (after).
The five decisions, in order:
- Reduce cognitive load — when the feedback would otherwise overwhelm. Fewer next steps, clearer section headings, more direct language.
- Adjust the emotional entry point — when the student needs a way into the critique. Anchor in something real that worked before naming the gap.
- Increase challenge — when the basic expectation has been met. Shift from "fix this" to "make the thinking more precise."
- Separate language support from the assessed skill — for multilingual learners or any case where surface accuracy isn't the assessment goal. Prioritize the skill being assessed unless language accuracy is the target.
- Decide template vs. review adaptation — separate template when a group of students consistently needs different feedback; review adaptation when the need is individual, temporary, or based on context outside the assignment.
The closing principle: differentiate the feedback purpose, not the student's label.
Where this fits in your practice
Pair this video with Hard Cases: Where Teacher Judgment Matters Most. The article covers the situations where teacher judgment matters most; this video covers the template-side moves you can make to support those judgments more efficiently.
Use the video the next time you find yourself adapting feedback the same way for multiple students. That recurring adaptation is usually a signal that a template variant would do the work the review step is currently doing.
Continue
← Previous in this group: Advanced Rubric and Template Techniques
What to read or watch next
If you're starting to think about quality across an entire department or school — calibration sessions, peer support, light evidence — Leading TA39 Implementation (Layer 5) is where that work begins.