Effective Feedback

Researches found that when teachers effectively employ feedback procedures, they positively and often powerfully impact the achievement of their students. According to Bellon, Bellon and Blank, “Academic feedback is more strongly and consistently related to achievement then any other teaching behavior.” Therefore, as a teacher or future teacher, it is extremely important to know how to used feedback and where to use feedback effectively.

So what is the components of effective feedback? Researches showed that feedback is an instructional dialogue between teacher and student. Black and William suggested three essential elements: recognition of the desired goal, evidence about present position, and some understanding of a way to close the gap between the two. I think that it is not where to use feedback, it is how the teacher use feedback to interact with the students and hence improve the relationship between the two and the student’s understanding of the class.

Feedback can be given verbally, or in written form. First, written feedback is when the teacher write comments on the student’s homework, or assignment, or even exam to tell the student when the teacher wants from the student. This form of feedback is widely used especially in university since there are so many students in a class and the prof probably wouldn’t have time explaining to each of the student. I think written feedback is more effective when the students are older. That’s because student can choose to ignore the comment and therefore would not know what the teacher thinks about his/her work.

Second, verbal feedback is when the teacher comment on the student’s performance face to face. I personally think that verbal feedback is more effective than written ones simply because you talk to the student face to face. You know exactly how the student is reacting to the feedback you give out and therefore you can always change the feedback in ways that would not hurt the student’s feelings (when it is a feedback for the student to work harder or something like that.) When a teacher is actually talking to the student face to face, it also gives them a chance to actually discuss about the problem, whereas written feedback would not work in this way. Therefore, I do think that in young children, especially in kindergarden and elementary school, verbal feedback would be more effective than written feedback.