With a new school year around the corner, it’s a great time for us to rethink the words we use in our classrooms. I know we all want to start the year off strong, and part of that is how we give feedback to our young learners. We've all been there, falling into the habit of saying "great job," "excellent," or "nice work" repeatedly. While these phrases are well-meaning, they don't really help our students understand what they did well.
What You Will Learn
In this article, you will discover:
The Importance of Timely Feedback: Learn why giving feedback in real-time is crucial for student understanding and growth.
How to Be Specific with Your Praise: Understand the difference between vague and specific praise, and how the latter can positively impact student behavior and learning.
The Value of Authentic Feedback: Discover why authenticity matters and how to provide genuine feedback that resonates with your students.
Encouraging Student Reflection: Explore techniques to promote self-assessment and reflection among students, helping them take ownership of their learning.
Using Feedback to Guide Future Learning: Learn how to provide actionable feedback that not only addresses current tasks but also guides future learning efforts.
Monitoring Student Reactions: Understand the importance of observing student reactions to feedback and adjusting your approach to ensure it is effective and well-received.
Balancing Praise for Ability and Effort: Recognize the potential negative impacts of vague praise and learn strategies to balance praising students' abilities and efforts effectively.
By the end of this article, you will be equipped with practical tips and strategies to make your feedback more meaningful and purposeful, fostering a supportive and empowering classroom environment.
Today, I want to share five tips with you to help make your praise more meaningful and purposeful. Let’s get get started!
Tip #1: Feedback Should Be Timely
I know you’ve heard this before—whether during your education training or in best practice guidelines—but it’s worth a reminder. Even though I’ve heard these tips many times, I still quickly fall into the habit of giving constant praise without much actual feedback. Sound familiar?
Why Timely Feedback Matters
Timely feedback is crucial because it helps our students understand what they need to continue doing or change. Whether it's classroom behavior or academic progress, real-time feedback is essential. For example, when you're walking around observing students during formative assessments, if you see them doing something incorrectly, give immediate feedback. This helps them correct their mistakes right away.
Summative Assessments
For summative assessments, like end-of-unit or end-of-week quizzes, try to turn over grades as quickly as possible. If you notice a student making significant errors, call them up and talk to them one-on-one. The key is to provide feedback promptly. If a student takes a quiz on Monday and doesn't receive feedback until the following week, it's a big disconnect for them. They need timely feedback to make meaningful connections and improvements.
Tip #2: Be Specific with Your Praise
It can be easy to fall into the trap of giving vague praise like "good job" or "nice work." While positive, these phrases don’t tell students what they did well. Instead, let’s be specific.
Example Scenario
Imagine this during art class: a student draws a detailed picture.
Vague Praise: "Nice drawing!"
Specific Praise: "I love how you used different colors to show the sunset. The blending is beautiful!"
Tip #3: Be Specific and Authentic
This tip combines two important ideas: being specific and being authentic. Providing feedback to our students should avoid those vague phrases because students don’t really know exactly what warranted the praise. We want to be as specific as possible and ensure that our feedback is genuine.
Example Scenario
Picture a student sharing their toys during playtime.
Vague Praise: "Good job!"
Specific and Authentic Praise: "I noticed you shared your toys with your friends. That was very kind of you and showed great teamwork."
Tip #4: Encourage Reflection
Encouraging our students to reflect on their work is key. Ask them questions like, "Can you tell me more about how you did this?" or "What was the most challenging part of this task?" This promotes self-assessment and helps students take ownership of their learning.
Example Scenario
Imagine a student building a block tower, and then it falls down.
Specific and Authentic Feedback: "Wow, I really love how when your block tower fell, you took a moment to yourself and then you kept on building. That shows great perseverance. Now they know they did the right thing by collecting themselves and trying again."
Tip #5: Use Feedback to Guide Future Learning
Feedback should not only address the present task but also guide future learning. Provide actionable steps that students can take to improve.
Example Scenario
A student goes back and checks their work, even though they had the right answer.
Guiding Feedback: "I really like how you went back and checked your work. You had the right answer and still double-checked your process to make sure it was correct. That is a really great strategy to keep using."
The Importance of Monitoring Student Reactions to Feedback
Number five is crucial and often overlooked: paying attention to how students react to your feedback. The goal of giving feedback is to guide students to either continue positive behaviors or correct those that need improvement. Here are some key points and strategies to ensure your feedback is effective:
Observe Student Reactions
Goal: Encourage students to continue positive behaviors or correct and improve upon those that are less effective.
Strategy: Watch how students respond to your feedback. Are they motivated and making changes, or are they confused and discouraged? Your observations can guide your next steps.
Timely and Authentic Feedback
Example: If a student struggles with a math problem but shows improvement after applying a new strategy, praise their effort: "I saw how you used a different method to solve that problem today. That was a smart approach!"
Benefit: Authentic and timely feedback helps students understand exactly what they did well or what needs adjustment.
Adjust Based on Reactions
Issue: If students are not correcting their behavior or continuing positive actions, or if they have adverse reactions to your praise, it might be time to reassess your approach.
Solution: Engage in a brief follow-up conversation. For example, "I noticed you seemed frustrated after our last feedback session. Let's talk about how you can approach this differently."
Feedback with Purpose
Purpose: The primary purpose of feedback is to guide students toward their goals. Empty praise or criticism without context can be detrimental.
Strategy: Make sure your feedback is specific, actionable, and aligned with the student's goals. For example, "You've made great progress in organizing your thoughts before writing. Next, let's focus on developing your arguments more clearly."
Praising Students’ Abilities in a Vague Way
Praising students' abilities in a vague way can lead to negative outcomes over time. Here are some key points to understand the impact and a balanced approach to praising students:
The Negative Impact of Vague Praise
Reduced Resilience
Issue: When students frequently hear praise like "You're so smart," they may develop a fixed mindset, believing their success is due to inherent intelligence rather than effort.
Consequence: When these students encounter challenges or make mistakes, they may struggle to cope because their self-worth is tied to being "smart." They may avoid difficult tasks to maintain this image.
Study Habits and Effort
Issue: Students who receive vague praise may not develop effective study habits or the persistence needed to tackle challenging problems.
Consequence: Without targeted effort praise, students might believe they don't need to work hard because they are already "smart." This can hinder their growth and ability to overcome obstacles.
Balancing Praise for Ability and Effort
Importance of Specific Praise
Example: Instead of saying "You're good at math," try "I noticed how you worked through that difficult problem by breaking it down into smaller steps. That strategy was very effective!"
Benefit: Specific praise helps students understand what actions lead to success and encourages them to repeat those behaviors.
Encouraging a Growth Mindset
Strategy: Emphasize the importance of effort and persistence alongside ability. For example, "You have a natural talent for writing, and your dedication to revising your drafts is making your work even stronger."
Benefit: This balanced approach fosters a growth mindset, helping students see that their abilities can be developed through hard work and learning from mistakes.
Practical Application
Consistency and Follow-Up: After providing feedback, consistently follow up to see if the student has made the necessary adjustments. This shows that you are invested in their progress.
Student Involvement: Involve students in the feedback process. Ask them how they felt about the feedback and if they need further clarification or support. This empowers them and makes the feedback process more collaborative.
Giving effective feedback takes practice, but the benefits are well worth the effort. By being timely, specific, and focusing on effort and reflection, we can help our students develop a deeper understanding of their learning processes and take control of their educational journey. Let’s aim to make our praise more meaningful and purposeful this school year.
Stay tuned for more tips and strategies, and don’t forget to share your experiences in the comments below. How do you give effective feedback in your classroom?
Do you find it challenging to gauge student reactions to your feedback? How do you ensure your feedback is effective and well-received? Share your thoughts and strategies in the comments below. Let’s learn from each other’s experiences!
Do you find it challenging to gauge student reactions to your feedback?
0%Yes, frequently
0%Sometimes
0%Rarely
0%No, never
You can vote for more than one answer.
How do you ensure your feedback is effective and well-received? (Select all that apply)
0%Observing student reactions and making adjustments
0%Providing timely feedback
0%Being specific and authentic in my praise
0%Encouraging student reflection
You can vote for more than one answer.
As we embark on this new school year, let’s remember that our words have a powerful impact on our students. The feedback we provide can shape their attitudes towards learning, build their resilience, and encourage a growth mindset. By being intentional with our praise and feedback, we not only acknowledge our students' efforts but also guide them towards continued growth and success.
Remember, the goal is not just to recognize achievements but to help our students understand the value of perseverance, effort, and reflection. Each piece of feedback we give is an opportunity to teach and inspire. Let’s commit to making our classrooms places where students feel supported and empowered to take charge of their learning journeys.
I’m excited to hear your thoughts and experiences with these strategies. Let’s create a vibrant community of educators dedicated to fostering meaningful learning experiences. Happy teaching, and here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
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