How to Give Students Corrective Feedback
By Christina Quarelli, Senior Curriculum Specialist
Research confirms what teachers have known for a long time: the feedback we provide students MATTERS! In fact, it’s one of the top influences on student achievement, which makes it a non-negotiable.
The Challenges of Giving and Receiving Feedback
Let’s first talk about the ugly truth when it comes to the word “feedback” in general. It’s no secret that most adults are uncomfortable providing and receiving feedback. We simply don’t live in a feedback-friendly society! Why? Because feedback is often inconsistent, procedural rather than goal-oriented, and, most importantly, it’s rarely designed for action or refinement.
When it comes to putting feedback into practice in the classroom, intervening in the moment and correcting students’ thinking can be quite a challenge with limited time. This often contributes to rote or generic feedback that’s too late in the learning process to be effective. In some cases, the delivery of feedback can even be counter-productive to student growth.
The Research Behind Effective Feedback
Dr. John Hattie’s popular education philosophy, visible learning, states that teaching and learning should be just that — visible. In other words, teachers should be aware of their practices and reflect on them, and students should be aware of expectations and clear on what they’re learning. Feedback is a central part of visible learning. Feedback makes progress clear to students and teachers.
According to John Hattie, feedback should be consistent and paired with practice — or any instance where students showcase their learning (1).
How can teachers provide students with consistent, timely, and goal-oriented corrective feedback?
Here are three things to keep in mind so that your classroom is not only feedback-friendly, but keeps learning on track:
Keep it simple, specific, and timely.
Focus on the current task, not the learner, and keep it simple. Analyze the student work: What did they do well? What still needs improvement? The closer to the learning moment you can do this, the better. It can even happen during a lesson when you observe their collaborative work. Help students avoid forming bad habits by intervening early in the learning process. The longer students are inaccurate, the harder misconceptions and mistakes are to fix down the road.
Keep it targeted.
For a student who isn’t grasping the concept, revisit the skill and model it. These students might require more explicit instruction or explanation. Do it together, and always give them another opportunity to apply their new learning. When students know there is another opportunity to try something out, they’ll be more willing to take risks in the future. For a student showing growth, instead of saying “not there yet,” which doesn’t really tell them anything, focus on their progress thus far with something like, “Here’s where you were then vs. now.” Remind them what the learning outcome is and what they’re working toward.
Prioritize partnership.
Involve the student and avoid being strict or punitive. This should be an ongoing and open conversation shifting from compliance to reflection. Students should know what they’re working on and where they are in the process, which develops self-awareness. Self-awareness is key if we want students to start recognizing and internalizing their mistakes on their own.
Feedback in Writing Instruction
Nowhere is feedback more important for student growth — or more challenging to provide! — than in writing instruction. Here are a few tips for providing corrective feedback to students for their writing:
Be specific (and positive!) Specificity helps make abstract concepts about writing more tangible for students to grasp. However, it’s also important to balance being explicit with being prescriptive — students should still do the intellectual work to act on your specific feedback in their revision. Additionally, be sure to work in feedback that isn’t just corrective, but is positive. Positive feedback should also be specific.
For example: “Great job” in reference to a line or a paragraph doesn’t tell the student what they did well or give them any indication of how to replicate and build on their skill in the future. “I like how you painted a picture in my mind with your vivid word choices” might give them a clearer sense of their strengths.
Provide guidance to achieve goals. All writing goals should be set within a student’s Zone of Proximal Development. Provide feedback that returns to those goals and provides detailed guidance on how to achieve them.
For example, if your student is working on being more concise in their writing, reiterate that goal and identify specific areas where they could say more with less. You can individualize writing goals while boosting self-efficacy in students by simply making them more achievable. With visible writing goals that are more digestible and tangible, students can solidify new habits quickly and move on to the next goal. For more on those, watch:
Instead of (or in addition to) feedback, give “feedforward.” Feedback focuses on a person’s performance in the past, whereas feedforward focuses on their opportunities for growth in the future.
For a deeper dive into these writing feedback strategies and the research behind them, read:
What did we miss? How do you ensure the corrective feedback you provide students is effective, meaningful, and timely? And remember…
Take best practice and make it your practice, today!
Find more tips from Christina on translating education research to practice in this video series:
Christina Quarelli is a K-5 Curriculum Specialist at McGraw Hill. Christina, a former K–8 teacher of 18 years, holds a Master of Education degree in Educational Counseling and has worked as both a teacher mentor and instructional coach focusing on best practices for engagement and maximizing learner potential. Christina resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
References
(1) Hattie, J., & Clarke, S. (2019). Visible Learning: Feedback (p. 49). Routledge.
