Providing constructive and beneficial feedback for students

Providing constructive and beneficial feedback for students can be tricky. It is important to maintain a balance between providing positive feedback and constructive criticism. But how?

According to studies, negative feedback can discourage students and therefore be demotivating (Hattie & Timperley, 2007.)

Here are some ways to help with providing feedback for students:

Remain truthful, yet sincere

There’s no point being indirect, as this won’t benefit students. Yet, it’s hard to avoid being too harsh when providing criticism. Instead of just focusing on the negatives, why not try providing helpful tips and comments on how to improve.

Be specific and thorough

Pinpoint why the student has received the criticism, and help them to improve for future assignments.

Use positive words and phrases

Instead of using negative words to describe how students can improve their work, using positive language can encourage the student in the right direction.

Provide justification

It’s one thing to point out what the student could have done better. So, why not try explaining thoroughly how they could have improved their work and why this would be more effective. This way, they can take onboard this feedback and implement it in their future work.

Remember that providing constructive and beneficial feedback for students goes a long way.

It can be the defining factor that motivates them to do well and excel in their studies.

So, by considering why you’ve provided criticism, and positive feedback, they can use this to constantly improve throughout their education.