Characteristics of Effective Learning Feedback

The importance of feedback is known to all.

Students work on the feedback provided to them to bring the best out in their performance. However, there can be a possibility that students are getting the right feedback which hinders their growth. Without having the correct feedback it is impossible for students to work on their weak areas. As educators, the feedback provided needs to be of sort that can direct students towards better results.

The following points define the characteristics of effective learning feedback. Educators will find them useful as to keep a quality check on the feedback that they give to students.

1. Goal Aligned

The reason we give feedbacks to students is to make their goals reachable for them. Based on the feedbacks, students take actions to reach their goals. Another aspect to this is the long term goal set by the educator which is not clear to students. So it is imperative that teaches regularly remind students of the things that need to be achieved and not just give feedback. “Better student achievement may thus depend not on more “teaching” or feedback only but constant reminders by teachers of the goal against which feedback is given”.    

2. Constructive

The feedback must be of value to students and presented in a way that helps them work on the parts that needs their attention. There is a fine line between being critical and presenting constructive feedback. So make sure you are giving the right type to the students. The motto is to make them believe that they can do it and then help them coming up with ways things can be done in better ways.

3. User Friendly

This is one important point that needs to be taken in account. The feedback provided must be given in user friendly manner.  Feedback is not of much value if the user cannot understand it. Highly-technical feedback to a novice will seem odd, confusing, and hard to decipher. So, it is important that to make sure that the feedback provided is being understood by the person the other other end else you just get off-track from the purpose of the whole thing.

4. Well Timed & Expected

It is most effective when given as soon as possible, depending upon the receiver’s readiness to hear comments on performance. A lot of time gap may end up student feeling off track and similarly, immediate feedback helps on correction as well as retention of the knowledge.  

5. Consistent

For feedback to be useful it has to be consistent. In education this has a clear consequence: teachers have to be on the same page about what quality work is and what to say when the work is and is not up to standard. That can only come from teachers constantly looking at student work together, becoming more consistent over time.

Your next read is characteristics of feedback defined by TeachThought. This post explains the top features along with examples that will help you get a better understanding of the importance and aspects to accurate feedback.

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