September 1, What Is Feedback, Anyway? Feedback Essentials. Progress Toward a Goal. Advice, evaluation, grades—none of these provide the descriptive information that students need to reach their goals. What is true feedback—and how can it improve learning?
Who would dispute the idea that feedback is a good thing? Both common sense and research make it clear: Formative assessment, consisting of lots of feedback and opportunities to use that feedback, enhances performance and achievement. Yet even John Hattie , whose decades of research revealed that feedback was among the most powerful influences on achievement, acknowledges that he has "struggled to understand the concept" p.
And many writings on the subject don't even attempt to define the term. To improve formative assessment practices among both teachers and assessment designers, we need to look more closely at just what feedback is—and isn't.
The term feedback is often used to describe all kinds of comments made after the fact, including advice, praise, and evaluation. But none of these are feedback, strictly speaking. Basically, feedback is information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal. I hit a tennis ball with the goal of keeping it in the court, and I see where it lands—in or out. I tell a joke with the goal of making people laugh, and I observe the audience's reaction—they laugh loudly or barely snicker.
I teach a lesson with the goal of engaging students, and I see that some students have their eyes riveted on me while others are nodding off. Here are some other examples of feedback:. A friend tells me, "You know, when you put it that way and speak in that softer tone of voice, it makes me feel better. A reader comments on my short story, "The first few paragraphs kept my full attention.
The scene painted was vivid and interesting. But then the dialogue became hard to follow; as a reader, I was confused about who was talking, and the sequence of actions was puzzling, so I became less engaged. A baseball coach tells me, "Each time you swung and missed, you raised your head as you swung so you didn't really have your eye on the ball. On the one you hit hard, you kept your head down and saw the ball. Note the difference between these three examples and the first three I cited—the tennis stroke, the joke, and the student responses to teaching.
In the first group, I only had to take note of the tangible effect of my actions, keeping my goals in mind. No one volunteered feedback, but there was still plenty of feedback to get and use. The second group of examples all involved the deliberate, explicit giving of feedback by other people.
Whether the feedback was in the observable effects or from other people, in every case the information received was not advice, nor was the performance evaluated.
No one told me as a performer what to do differently or how "good" or "bad" my results were. You might think that the reader of my writing was judging my work, but look at the words used again: She simply played back the effect my writing had on her as a reader.
Nor did any of the three people tell me what to do which is what many people erroneously think feedback is—advice. Guidance would be premature; I first need to receive feedback on what I did or didn't do that would warrant such advice.
In all six cases, information was conveyed about the effects of my actions as related to a goal. The information did not include value judgments or recommendations on how to improve. For examples of information that is often falsely viewed as feedback, see "Feedback vs.
Advice" above and "Feedback vs. Evaluation and Grades" on p. Compare the typical lecture-driven course, which often produces less-than-optimal learning, with the peer instruction model developed by Eric Mazur at Harvard.
He hardly lectures at all to his introductory physics students; instead, he gives them problems to think about individually and then discuss in small groups. This system, he writes, "provides frequent and continuous feedback to both the students and the instructor about the level of understanding of the subject being discussed" p. Less "teaching," more feedback equals better results. Whether feedback is just there to be grasped or is provided by another person, helpful feedback is goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly specific and personalized ; timely; ongoing; and consistent.
Effective feedback requires that a person has a goal, takes action to achieve the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions. I told a joke—why? To make people laugh. I wrote a story to engage the reader with vivid language and believable dialogue that captures the characters' feelings.
I went up to bat to get a hit. If I am not clear on my goals or if I fail to pay attention to them, I cannot get helpful feedback nor am I likely to achieve my goals. Information becomes feedback if, and only if, I am trying to cause something and the information tells me whether I am on track or need to change course. If some joke or aspect of my writing isn't working —a revealing, nonjudgmental phrase—I need to know. Note that in everyday situations, goals are often implicit, although fairly obvious to everyone.
I don't need to announce when telling the joke that my aim is to make you laugh. But in school, learners are often unclear about the specific goal of a task or lesson, so it is crucial to remind them about the goal and the criteria by which they should self-assess.
For example, a teacher might say,. The point of this writing task is for you to make readers laugh. So, when rereading your draft or getting feedback from peers, ask, How funny is this?
Where might it be funnier? As you prepare a table poster to display the findings of your science project, remember that the aim is to interest people in your work as well as to describe the facts you discovered through your experiment. Self-assess your work against those two criteria using these rubrics. The science fair judges will do likewise. Any useful feedback system involves not only a clear goal, but also tangible results related to the goal.
People laugh, chuckle, or don't laugh at each joke; students are highly attentive, somewhat attentive, or inattentive to my teaching. Even as little children, we learn from such tangible feedback. That's how we learn to walk; to hold a spoon; and to understand that certain words magically yield food, drink, or a change of clothes from big people.
You were a little hard to hear at the back of the room, but with some practice you can overcome this. Keep up the good work!
However, the presentation went well. Avoid general comments that may be of limited use to the receiver. Try to include examples to illustrate your statement. As well, offering alternatives rather than just giving advice allows the receiver to decide what to do with your feedback.
Be realistic. Feedback should focus on what can be changed. It is useless and frustrating for recipients to get comments on something over which they have no control. Own the feedback. Remember that feedback is merely your opinion. Be timely. Seek an appropriate time to communicate your feedback. Being prompt is key since feedback loses its impact if delayed too long. Delayed feedback can also cause feelings of guilt and resentment in the recipient if the opportunity for improvement has passed.
As well, if your feedback is primarily negative, take time to prepare what you will say or write. Offer continuing support. Feedback should be a continuous process, not a one-time event. After offering feedback, make a conscious effort to follow up. Let recipients know you are available if they have questions, and, if appropriate, ask for another opportunity to provide more feedback in the future.
Resources Dempsey, J. Sales Eds. Educational Technology Publication. Beaty Action Learning. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Feedback requested!
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Containing any of the words. Containing the phrase. Containing none of the words. Teaching tip categories Teaching during campus closures. Inclusive Instructional Practices. Educational Technologies. Did you know that children who read with their families at least three times a week are twice as likely to achieve high reading scores. Halloween season is here! What better way to get in the spirit of things than reading spine-tingling tales and spooky stories with your own little. December 5, Share on facebook.
Share on twitter. Share on pinterest. Provide Formative Feedback to Promote Student Growth At its simplest, the goal of formative feedback is to help students progress from where they are to where they should be. To do this more effectively, follow these two basic steps every time you give feedback: Talk to your students about their current state of performance. Give them detailed and specific direction on how they can improve. Give Timely and Frequent Feedback Giving timely feedback to students is critical to their growth, so deliver your feedback in a timely manner or in any teachable moment.
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