How well has the task been understood and performed? Is it correct or incorrect?

The first level of feedback is more information focused (incorrect or correct), leads to acquiring more or different information, and builds more surface knowledge. This type of feedback is most common and most students see feedback in these terms. Having correct information is a pedestal on which processing and self-regulation can be effectively built.

What are the processes needed to perform the task? Are there alternative processes that can be used?

The second feedback level is aimed at the processes used to create the product or complete the task. Feedback at this process level appears to be more effective than at the task level for enhancing deeper learning. Process level feedback can have a powerful interactive effect between feedback aimed at improving the strategies and processes and feedback aimed at the more surface task information.

Self-monitoring, directing, monitoring the processes and task. What is the conditional knowledge and understanding needed to know what you are doing?

The third level, self-regulation, focuses on students monitoring their own learning processes. Feedback at this level can enhance students’ skills in self-evaluation, provide greater confidence to engage further on the task, can assist in the student seeking and accepting feedback, and can enhance the willingness to invest effort into seeking and dealing with feedback information. When students can monitor and self-regulate their learning, they can more effectively use feedback to reduce discrepancies between where they are in their learning and the desired outcomes or successes of their learning.

Ever present and almost useless.

Instead, the praise should be directed to the effort, self-regulation, engagement, or processes relating to task/performance.