Feedback and Feedforward

Feedback is information about how a student doing in their efforts to complete a task. Helpful feedback is task-referenced; it must be tangible and transparent to be effective. The feedback must require action and be user-friendly, specific, and personalized. It must be timely, ongoing and consistent.

When using feedback, think about it as twofold - teacher and peer. It is important that students seek and use feedback from teachers and others to guide performance in student driven tasks. In order for it to be effective though, it must have immediacy - the longer the gap, the less effective the feedback is. It is also good to give feedback when they show improvement to show them where they were as well as where they are heading.

Feedforward is a term that is making rounds in educational technology that focuses on the future more than the past. It offers ideas for improvement, allows for actionable goals, and reinforces the idea that feedback must be reflected on to establish growth. A student can start with previous feedback, writing a summary of feedback of a completed assignment as a visual reminder of where they can improve. As a teacher, you can look at the feedback you are giving through those summaries and determine the areas in which students are struggling. This will allow you to tailor your implicit feedback.