What feedback is and isn’t

Good Feedback is essential to our work with students and teachers. I truly believe this notion (and have always believed it) because I’ve seen what good feedback can do. Good feedback can inspire, motivate, support, empower, and encourage. However, like Grant, I believe good feedback should provide “insight that produces outcomes or “effects.” I appreciate Grant’s thoughtful insight because feedback matters – especially really good feedback. tlb

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Granted, and...

The research is clear: good feedback is essential to learning at high levels. Alas, too few people understand what feedback is and isn’t.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a true/false quiz: which of the following 4 statements is feedback?

“Nice job on the project, Sheshona!”

“Next time, Sam, you’ll want to make your thesis clearer to the reader”

“The lesson would be more effective, Shana, if your visuals were more polished and supportive of the teaching.”

“You taught about ants, Stefan? I LOVE ants!”

This was a bit of a trick question. None of these statements is feedback. The first and fourth merely express a personal liking for something, separate from a performance goal. They are not feedback since there is no descriptive information about the performance nor is the implied goal of pleasing the person the right goal.

The middle two are not feedback; they are advice (which is different). Yet, I am…

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