Assessment for learning plays a critical role in how children learn and in the choice of teaching methods. One of the main principles of this approach is the importance of feedback for student learning. This approach is often considered the most powerful factor in student success.
What is feedback?
Feedback is the verbal or written assessment of a person’s skills. When giving effective feedback, the teacher explains to the student:
- What they did and the result achieved
- The result to be achieved
- What needs to be done to achieve the expected result.
Sometimes, the third point isn’t mentioned to the student. A study by Carreiro Da Costa et al. shows students better retain feedback when it’s descriptive and given orally. This type of feedback allows students to choose what they want to focus their efforts on, giving them independence in their learning. However, other researchers note that feedback can only have an impact on students and guide them effectively if the progress to be made is explicitly stated. Of course, the student themselves and their ability to self-evaluate will significantly influence the teacher’s choice of method.
The foundations of good feedback
- Provide feedback during learning and before assessments.
- Avoid vague comments such as “Well done,” “Good,” or “You’re awesome!” which are about the person and not their actions.
- Make sure to limit the feedback to a small number of elements, namely the most important ones in the situation.
- The feedback’s prescriptive elements need to be within the child’s zone of proximal development, meaning the child will be able to make the necessary corrections.
- Give feedback immediately. In physical education, it is recommended to give feedback 5 to 30 seconds after the movement.
There are three types of feedback:
- Basic: The teacher only indicates whether the answer or action is right or wrong. This type of feedback should be used sparingly and with advanced learners, since the “correction” will require reflection afterward.
- Instructive: The teacher provides descriptive and prescriptive comments to the student. They may even reteach a concept if necessary.
- Guidance: The teacher acts as a guide and asks the learner questions so they can critique and improve their own performance.
Students must draw on the cognitive and affective dimensions of the feedback to fully understand it. Both student and teacher need to be open-minded. Feedback will only be useful if the student understands and accepts it. This may require further discussion. Even if the teacher gives a lot of feedback, only the parts that make sense to the student will help them improve.
Lastly, feedback is considered one of the fundamental behaviors of active supervision. Pay close attention to your students and keep the criteria for good feedback in mind to support them. Your work as a guide is invaluable to your students.
