Effective Feedback

 Feedback is a critical component of the learning process. However, its success depends largely on how students engage with it to enhance their learning. While feedback in education seems simple—where a teacher reviews a student's work, provides comments or grades, and the student reviews them—it is much more complex than it appears. Despite its widespread use, studies show that feedback can sometimes hinder rather than help learning (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). The key to effective feedback lies not in the teacher’s comments, but in how students respond to and use those comments to improve.

The Purpose of Feedback

In educational contexts, feedback is typically defined as the information provided by an external source regarding an individual’s performance. This feedback can be as simple as stating whether a student's work meets a set standard or as complex as offering detailed strategies for improvement. For example, feedback in a typing class might inform a student that their typing speed is 45 words per minute, and more helpful feedback could include a goal of 50 words per minute along with a suggestion to use only their thumbs to press the space bar.

In fields like sports or arts, feedback is generally more straightforward—coaches and teachers give advice that directly informs how a student can improve a skill. However, in many educational settings, the real challenge with feedback arises when it focuses solely on improving the existing work instead of supporting future performance. A math teacher, for instance, might correct errors on a student’s homework, but the student learns little because they simply note the errors without understanding how to avoid them in the future.

The true purpose of feedback should often focus not just on fixing the current work, but on fostering the student’s ability to perform better next time. When feedback merely corrects errors without offering strategies for improvement, it fails to engage the student in the learning process. If feedback doesn’t help the student change or improve in some way, then it is unlikely to contribute meaningfully to their learning.

Feedback That Students Can Use

Effective feedback should start from the student’s current understanding and abilities, rather than where the teacher wants the student to be. This is aligned with David Ausubel’s (1968) observation that the most important factor in learning is what the learner already knows. Understanding the student’s starting point allows the teacher to tailor feedback that is constructive and enables improvement. For example, asking a student to revise an essay without guiding them to improve specific areas will not likely result in much learning. By focusing on where the student is and how to help them progress, feedback becomes a tool for growth.

Designing Tasks to Reveal Students' Thinking

One of the most effective ways to give useful feedback is to design tasks that provide insights into the student’s thinking process. This allows teachers to identify areas where students need improvement and provide feedback that can help them develop. In subjects like language arts or social studies, tasks are often open-ended, which makes it easier to learn about a student's thought process. For instance, a history question like "Why did the Union army want to capture Atlanta?" can reveal how deeply a student understands historical concepts like logistics. In contrast, subjects like math and science sometimes require more carefully designed tasks to reveal a student’s understanding. Asking students to consider not just the answer, but also their reasoning, helps identify gaps in knowledge and areas for growth.

Making Feedback Interactive

To ensure that students actively engage with feedback, it can be useful to transform the process into a collaborative and analytical task. Teachers can encourage students to "work backward" from the feedback, such as by identifying which specific comments apply to their work or determining which problems in an assignment need correction. This approach encourages students to carefully examine their feedback, think critically about their work, and make the changes needed to improve. For example, a teacher might tell a student that five equations are incorrect and challenge them to find and fix the errors, instead of simply providing the corrected answers.

Such methods turn feedback into an interactive process where students are actively involved in identifying what needs to be improved and why. This collaborative approach encourages self-reflection and deeper learning, rather than simply making corrections.

Building Self-Assessment Skills

Ultimately, the goal of feedback should be to help students develop the ability to assess their own work. The more a student can critique their own performance, the less dependent they become on external feedback. For example, in music education, teachers often work with students to help them develop self-assessment skills, knowing that most progress happens outside the classroom through independent practice. By developing a student's ability to self-assess, teachers can ensure that students continue to improve even when they are not directly guided by the teacher.

An effective way to develop these skills is to ask students to reflect on what went well, what was challenging, and what they found interesting about their work. By identifying areas of strength and areas for improvement, students can gain clarity on how to improve in the future. Over time, this process fosters independent learning and critical thinking skills.

Conclusion

Effective feedback is not just about correcting mistakes or providing grades; it is about engaging students in the learning process and helping them use feedback to make improvements. By designing tasks that reveal a student’s thinking, making feedback interactive, and building students' capacity for self-assessment, teachers can foster a learning environment where feedback becomes a tool for ongoing improvement. Ultimately, the best feedback is the kind that empowers students to take ownership of their learning and continue growing long after the feedback is given.

References

Ausubel, D. P. (1968). Educational psychology: A cognitive view. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 254–284.

Wiliam, D. (2012). Embedded formative assessment. Solution Tree Press.