Giving feedback

Giving feedback is another integral part of teaching delivery which has a compelling influence on learner achievement. Generally speaking, feedback is any response regarding students’ performance, behaviour or attitude in class and it can take many forms (verbal, written or gestural). At Vinschool, the importance of effective feedback in every lesson is emphasized as it is stated in the classroom observation rubric that teachers are expected to offer “effective feedback to different groups of students, motivating them while at the same time making it possible for them to identify the areas they could improve on.” Besides teachers’ feedback, students are also encouraged and empowered to provide feedback on their friends’ and their own performance. Peer feedback and self-assessment are common practices to be observed in ESL classes at Vinschool.

Importance of effective feedback Effective feedback is crucial to both students and teachers. It determines a learner's level of understanding and skill development to plan the next steps towards achieving the learning intentions or goals. It assists students to reflect on their learning and their learning strategies so they can make adjustments to make better progress in their learning. In any sense, effective feedback helps enhance students’ learning and improve achievement.

Principles of effective feedback Feedback must be tied to learning objectives and assessment intentions. The process of giving feedback begins with a clarification of the learning objectives for the activities they are undertaking and the success criteria by which they will assess the level of achievement. This enables students to measure their performance regarding both the level of mastery and the processes. It also helps them to be clear about future goals. Feedback must be constructive and provide meaningful information to students about their learning. Constructive feedback provides evidence of existing good practice and it motivates students to continue what they have been doing well. It also signposts where and how to improve, and thus students are more oriented in their future learning. Feedback must be specific in order to help students recognize their strengths as well as areas for development. A general comment such as “Great job” cannot help students to identify such things. Specific information on what students have done right or wrong and what they are doing differently than before is expected. Feedback must be timely. Immediate feedback will help students to respond and remember the experience about what is being learned more positively. Delaying feedback for too long may discourage students and hardly help them connect the feedback with the learning moment. Feedback should encourage reflection. Teachers should never be the only provider of feedback; students should be actively involved in this process. Also, effective feedback does not solely focus on error correction, but rather encourages students to reconsider their work, think about where and why errors persist and what can be done to remove the errors.

Forms of feedback Feedback can take a variety of forms. It can be oral, written or gestural. It can be teacher’s feedback, peer feedback, whole-class discussion or self-assessment. For an insight into different forms of feedback, teachers can read here.

References:

• https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/Pages/insight-feedback.aspx
• https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger
• https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/assessment/effective-feedback
• https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/teaching_resources/grading_assessment_toolbox/providing_meaningful_student_feedback/index.php