Ways To Provide Effective Feedback For Learning

We all know that providing feedback throughout lessons is very important.
Feedback for learning can transform a student’s learning.

When feedback is predominately negative, it can discourage student effort and achievement. That´s why when correcting, we don´t have to mention only the errors the learner has made; she must also comment on the things they have done well.
Most of the time it is easy to give encouraging, positive feedback. However, it is in the other times that we have to dig deep to find an appropriate feedback response that will not discourage a student’s learning. In this article we’ll take a look at how teachers can use these different methods to provide feedback in the EFL classroom.


Ways to provide Feedback

• Verbal Feedback Strategies 

During lessons, teachers use a lot of verbal feedback to let students know how they are doing and also to transition from one section to another. Short expressions such as “Great!” or “Good job!” can be used to praise students for correct answers. Rather than tell students directly they are incorrect, it is better to ask them to try again or reconsider their answers. The goal is to elicit the correct answer from the class and students should not be afraid of being wrong s jo keep your reactions positive. You can summarize how students did and introduce the next topic for transitions by saying “Alright! You did so well talking about food. Now let’s move on to ~.” This will reinforce the fact that students should keep up the good work. If student responses are a little lackluster, you can point that out in your comments too. By saying “I know it’s Friday but I need a bit more energy in this next section, OK? *wait for student response* OK! Great, now we’re going to talk about ~.” you show that you empathize with students while still pushing them to do their best. It is easy to include verbal feedback in every stage of your lesson.

• Visual Feedback 

Visual feedback can come in two forms. The first is any expression or gesture you use with or without verbal feedback that indicates how students are doing in class. A smile or thumbs up would be one form of visual feedback. When using visual feedback, it is not always necessary to add verbal feedback and could save you time when working through an activity quickly. You can also prompt students to reconsider their answers and self correct using visual feedback. If you use the same expression each time students say the incorrect answer, they will pick up on that. This visual feedback allows you to give students another chance without verbally telling them they are wrong. Another form of visual feedback can accompany written evaluations. This may take the form of stickers, stamps, or even charts that reflect student accomplishments. You may choose to have a display in the classroom that visually represents how well the class is doing in reaching their goals so that students can see how much progress they have made and stay motivated.

• Written Feedback 
• Teachers often have the opportunity to give students written feedback on homework assignments, on exams, and at the end of each term. These are great opportunities to point out what students did well and what areas they still need to work on. You should provide students with some suggestions of what they could do to improve and offer to assist them by meeting with them for tutorials or providing them with extra study material. You can also allow students to provide feedback for each other. Categories could include pronunciation, creativity, and performance so that the presenting students are marked on how well they were understood, the quality of their script, and the quality of their acting. 

adapted from http://busyteacher.org/4272-how-to-provide-quality-feedback-in-the-esl.html