Feedback

An article we had to read this week was entitled Feedback that Fits, by Susan M. Brookhart. The discussion was on how to improve feedback to students so that learning for that child is paramount. Often times teachers can get into a routine of one type of feedback, immediate. This isn't always the best way and usually is not an efficient way to teach the student anything at all.

Feedback can be constructive but also demonstrate to the student the need for a possible other solution. The arts is a great way to help students develop this level of thinking. Often time, students in the arts are motivated to continue working on particular task but in order to complete the task, there might be a series of alternate options.

Teachers should learn that to truly get students to learn what it is we're teaching them, we have to empower the students and help with motivation and praise. Praise is not simply given outright, but used in a manner than motivates the student to discover another possible way of completing the assignment. Relating the feedback to the goal of the assignment is necessary for the student to understand where s/he must improve. We may be surprised at the outcome when a student understands what it means to fix something but not have the teacher point out the solution.