Education

3 Types of Feedback

Be supportive, unambiguous and specific

Feedback is crucial to a student’s improvement if done well and in a timely manner. It can be done through three forms:

• Verbal
• Written
• Electronic

The most common forms are through comments or a grade or mark, or a mixture of both. Becoming increasingly more common is via email or an online learning platform, however, this method is less personal and not always easy to decipher for the student. Feedback is an important ‘cog’ in the learning cycle and will normally come after assessment and before evaluation. (Reece and Walker, 2007, 368–369)

Feedback can be given on a personal one-to-one basis or as part of a group and therefore requires consideration in to the suitability for different occasions. If giving general feedback as a group then of course this can be done in the classroom as part of a discussion. However there are instances when private discussion will be used, for example a tutorial or parent consultation where the environment should also be personal.

Feedback should be timely and where possible immediate, feedback is advantageous as the work is still at the forefront of the students mind. It should be given in an articulate way which is individual to the student. It should empower the student and provide them with a manageable target or set of targets to enhance their development.

Therefore feedback should be delivered with a supportive, unambiguous and specific approach. It should be conducted in an environment appropriate to its type, with the teacher trying not to make a barrier between themselves and student and importantly the teacher should make sure the feedback is understood by the student for development to take place.

Article written by Drama Llama | Educator | Writer | Academic | Consultant