Four Levels of Feedback

Feedback about the task, the processing of the task, and self-regulation can all have powerful positive impacts on learning.

Feedback about the self as a person is least effective as “it usually contains little task-related information and is rarely converted into more engagement, commitment to the learning goals, enhanced self-efficacy, or understanding about the task.”


Quick Overview of the Four Levels of Feedback

Steps to Feedback Success

Adapted from David Perkins (2003) The Ladder of Feedback and John Hattie (2014) The Power of Feedback | Get Your Own Copy

Task or Product

How well the tasks are understood/performed

“Your learning goal was to structure your recount in a way that the first thing you write is the first thing you did. Then write about the other things you did in the same order that they happened. You have written the first thing first, but after that it becomes muddled. You need to go through what you have written, number the order in which things happened, and re-write them in that order.”

Processing of the Task

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

“Remember that the thing we are working on is the sequencing. Hmm, there’s something not quite right here. Why don’t you have another look and identify what you think needs fixing up? Then come and have a chat about this before you do your next draft.”

Self Regulation

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

“You checked your answer with the resource book and found you got it wrong. Any ideas of why you got it wrong. What strategy did you use? Can you think of another strategy to try and how else you could work it out if you are correct?”

Self

Directed to personal characteristics unrelated to the performance of the task

“That’s an intelligent response. Well done.”