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Classroom Inquiry of Canberra Secondary School Teachers

Explore how Canberra Secondary School teachers used GenAI feedback and peer feedback to improve student writing. Enrol in a course, collaborate with specialists, or join a Special Interest Group to start your own inquiry.

Last updated 8 September 2026

In 2024, two EL professional learning teams (PLTs) inquired into assessment feedback, supported by Dr Rachel Goh (SS/EL).

Spotlight 1: Empowering Students with GenAI Feedback

The team led by Ms Wong Sooh Yee (HOD/EL) and Mr Ghazali B Abdul Wahab (LT/EL) explored how GenAI feedback could help students become more self-regulated during the writing process.

Inquiry focus

The team developed two chatbots — Captain Hook (opens in new tab) and Captain PEEL (opens in new tab) — to guide students in obtaining feedback on their introductory paragraph and body paragraphs respectively.

Key insights

The teachers realised the importance of equipping learners to use GenAI tools effectively. This preparation would include guiding students to craft effective prompts that generate targeted feedback, helping them to interpret and understand GenAI feedback, and teaching them to prioritise which feedback suggestions to implement when revising their writing.

Informed by their inquiry, Mr Ghazali, Ms Victoria Teo, Mr Mohamed Nor Ariffin Ismail and Ms Sumaya Jahan designed and conducted a Teacher-led Workshop (TLW) on Empowering Students: AI-generated Feedback as A Catalyst for Developing Students’ Self-regulation Skills at the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) on 25 February 2025.

Ms Ghazali (first from left) in discussion with his PLT
Victoria, Ghazli, Ariffin and Sumaya (from left to right) presenting at the AST TLW

Spotlight 2: Success Criteria and Peer Feedback in Situational Writing

Led by Ms Vishnu Preyei, the team comprising Mr Benjamin Chong Wai Jian, Ms Joann David and Ms Nur Fatin Nordin, with advice from Ms Diyanah Binte Mohamad Yunos (LH/EL), focused on co-constructing success criteria and peer feedback to help students develop content for situational writing.

The inquiry focus

  • Pre-Writing: Teachers and students analysed exemplars together to co-construct clear success criteria.

  • Post-Writing: Students offered and received peer feedback guided by a structured checklist.

Key insights

The teachers realised that lower-readiness students benefited from 'clarification loops' – opportunities to seek clarification from peers and/or teachers before revising their work. The inquiry highlighted the value of giving students space to articulate their thinking processes and reflect on specific feedback, enabling them to make more purposeful revisions to their writing.

Ms Vishunu Preyei (centre) in discussion with Ms Diyanah and Mr Benjamin Chong
Dr Rachel Goh (second from left) supporting the teachers in their inquiry

Ready to lead your own inquiry? Take the next steps:

1. Enrol: Join our Classroom Inquiry for English Language and Literature Teachers course.

2. Collaborate: Partner with ELIS Specialists to carry out your inquiry plan.

3. Contribute: Engage with like-minded teachers in our Classroom Inquiry Special Interest Group.