Feedback is a powerful way to build knowledge in students, by having them reflect upon their own work, while increasing their self-motivation t o improve. However at times the feedback teachers provide is ineffectual or counterproductive. As teachers we need to ensure that we give feedback that makes a difference. This article highlights some best practices in giving feedback, while outlining some traps to avoid.
For feedback to work, teachers must have a good understanding of what the student is currently achieving, and what the target for
the individual student is. This way, the teacher can provide constructive feedback to assist the student to achieve their goals.
Evaluative feedback, which either praises or criticises students work, is not effective. It devalues the student work, and impacts the students by imposing a negative selfworth. Evaluative feedback is unhealthy as it a performance-oriented judgment, that is conditional on what the student does or achieves. It consists of evaluating character traits or actions, which often creates anxiety and defensiveness in the student. An example of, “You’re a great student” is a performance-oriented remark which is vague, and does not provide any guidance for student improvement.
It is much more effective to be specific about what the student is doing right and how they have improved. Called “descriptive feedback”, it is useful in stating the event and what occurred. Descriptive feedback is healthy as it provides the scaffolding for improvement. This type of feedback is unconditional, as it is not reliant on what the student has achieved, but rather reflects on it, to allow improvement to occur.
Appreciative feedback tells the student how they reacted to what was being done. It is a response to the event, rather than describing the event itself. It gives the student external and internal value, improving their selfworth. As a self-esteem tool it is powerful. Appreciative acknowledgements are healthy and unconditional.
Feedback should be given frequently and early in a unit of work. Giving prompt and quick feedback allows the student to learn while the material is still fresh in their minds. Return tests and papers promptly, and reward success publicly and immediately. This empowers students by giving them access to information about their own performance and teaching them how to use it.
The feedback that you provide should be focused around a goal. It should measure progress against a goal and directly address the learner’s advancement toward a goal. It should outline what needs to be accomplished next.
Effective feedback will create awareness in the student about their performance, thereby creating opportunities for students to recognise their mistakes and determine solutions. It assists them to monitor their own motivation and engagement. When learners sense that their performance is being too closely monitored they may disengage from learning out of feelings of nervousness or self-consciousness. To avoid this, students need to be involved in collecting and analysing data on their own performance, reducing the need for oversight by others. Through the use of reflective questions, students can review their performance or progress in a non-threatening manner. It teaches self-reflection by the student considering the issue or goal.
Reward success. Both positive and negative comments influence motivation, but research consistently indicates that students are more affected by positive feedback and success. Rewards can be as simple as saying a student’s response was good, with an indication of why it was good, or mentioning the names of high achievers and students with improvement.
Introduce students to the good work done by their peers. Share the ideas, knowledge, and accomplishments of individual students with the class as a whole. Negative feedback is a powerful and often effective method for improving student performance. However, it also has the potential to be very dangerous. Be specific and make it clear that your comments relate to a particular task or performance, not to the student as a person. Try to cushion negative comments with a compliment about aspects of the task in which the student succeeded.
Teachers should never use demeaning comments. It creates anxiety in students and when students are anxious about their performance and abilities, it lowers their self-esteem. Be sensitive to how you phrase your comments and avoid offhand remarks that might prick a student’s feelings of inadequacy. Praise builds students’ self-confidence, competence, and self-esteem. Recognise sincere efforts even if the product is less than stellar. If a student’s performance is weak, let the student know that you believe he or she can improve and succeed over time.
The ultimate goal of feedback should be to teach learners how to give feedback to themselves. It should be positive so that it supports students’ beliefs that they can do well. Feedback should encourage and show the way for students to excel. It should give them an indication of how well they have done and how to improve.