Providing Effective Feedback

When does feedback start?

Feedback starts when the teacher shares specific learning goals and success criteria with students.

Providing Effective and Meaningful Feedback

Want to craft effective feedback? ask Yourself the question...

“What’s the most effective thing that comes out of my mouth that can help a student get from one level to the next and be successful?”

Feedback is NOT:

Grades
Comments like "Nice job!"
Praise about good behavior
Advice like "Wouldn't it be better if you..."

Evaluation, Grades, or Advice

Good work!

This is a weak paper.

Feedback

Good work! Your use of words was more precise in this paper than in the last one, and I saw the scenes clearly in my mind's eye.

This is a weak paper. Almost from the first sentence, I was confused as to your initial thesis and the evidence you provide for it. In the second paragraph, you propose a different thesis, and in the third paragraph, you don't offer evidence, just beliefs.

Each paragraph should have one main idea, and that idea goes in the topic sentence.

Your details strongly support your claim that we should recycle news papers. That’s great. Where did you find all those facts?

This report probably wouldn’t convince a reader who didn’t already agree we should recycle. What else could you do to make a more convincing argument?

This report probably wouldn’t convince a reader who didn’t already agree we should recycle. I would want to know more about the effects on the environment and the cost of recycling.

Student response is the criterion against which you can evaluate your own feedback. Your feedback is good if it gets the following results:

Your students do learn—their work does improve.
Your students become more motivated—they believe they can learn, they want to learn, and they take more control over their own learning.
Your classroom becomes a place where feedback, including constructive criticism, is valued and viewed as productive.

Source: How To Give Effective Feedback to Your Students

Is This Feedback?

You made some errors on your graph. Go back and check the names of your title, x-axis, and y-axis.
You solved the equation. What might you add to it to make it clearer to others who look at it?
89%! Good work! I am proud of you. You should be thrilled with your progress.
You maintained eye contact throughout your entire speech. How do you think your audience would have received this speech? What might you have done to better grab their attention?

Two Feedback Analogies

“Computer video game:” Level it up. Make it not too hard, not too easy.
“GPS device:” You know where you want to go, but lack specific knowledge about how to get there.