Table of Contents
Personal Experience
I was there
I will start with a personal story, as in any good self-help book. Some time ago, I was taking Catalan. I had a really good teacher, or so it seemed in the beginning. His lessons were creative, engaging, and well-structured. I always felt like I was learning and improving a lot.
I am a very responsible learner, so I wasn’t missing any lessons, doing my homework, and actively participating in class.
The course is planned in a way that every learner is supposed to get two feedback sessions. Oh yes, here we go; I didn’t forget what it is all about.
The first session was a written feedback session, where we got an evaluation of our reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. My results were rather good, as I expected, so it motivated me even more.
The second session, however, was one on one with the teacher. I came to my session, and the teacher started asking me about my progress: how I felt about the course, what I thought my strong and weak points were, etc.
I was rather honest with him: my weak spot is writing, it is rather hard for me, but I am confident in speaking. “Speaking?”, – he said, raising his eyebrows, “You are making so many mistakes that I am not sure you will feel comfortable next year; you need to work hard on your speaking skills.”
- Did I like this feedback? – No
- Did it motivate me? – No
- Did he give me any practical tips on how to improve my speaking? – also No!
- Am I taking the next course? – definitely not!
What did I learn?
I don’t want to say, that I am a perfect student. I don’t want to say I wasn’t making those mistakes. What I want to pay attention to here, and what, I think, is an important lesson to learn is
Feedback is an excellent tool for you and your students if it is done correctly. Feedback can help your students progress, remain motivated, learn, and improve.
So, hang on, we’re getting there!
I did some research
According to Lee, et al (2016), good feedback makes it clear for you and your students what your goals are and makes it easy for students to reflect on their learning journey. Additionally, students receive information about their learning and are encouraged to talk about their progress with the teacher and their peers.
When the feedback is done correctly, students are motivated to continue learning. They are also provided with all the necessary means for improving their results.
Feedback is helpful for teachers too. When we know we are to give feedback, we pay more attention to our students’ progress, and can help them more effectively.
I really like the idea of three types of feedback (Hattie and Timperley, 2007)
- feed up – you set goals together with your student
- feedback – you evaluate how the student is progressing
- feed forward – you direct your student to their next steps
The type of feedback you want to provide your students with depends on their personality, level of L2, and other factors. But remember, it is done for the good and promotes learning.
7 tips: how to give feedback
Have at least two feedback sessions in an academic year – in the middle and the end. This way, you will be seeing progress.
1. Try to do it face-to-face rather than on paper. The tone of your voice and the context matters.
2. Be honest but kind. Make sure you give feedback after some time when you’ve already had time to get to know your students and build rapport with them.
3. Make sure you notice something good the student is doing. Such as coming to every session, participating in lessons, being kind to other students, whatever it is, show that you are seeing them.
4. Phrase the negative feedback as advice with concrete instructions. For example:
- I recommend you read more to improve your writing, here is the list of books that are your level, you can find them in the library.
- Have you thought about looking for a conversation buddy, maybe you can find someone who would like to do a language exchange to improve your speaking skills
- Have you heard of a TV show “XYZ”, it will really help you to improve your listening skills
5. Remember to follow up. Ask your students if they followed your advice and ensure you notice their progress.
6. Remember the purpose of the feedback session. You don’t want to discourage and demotivate your students. Your job is to show them the way and give them the resources they need to succeed.
7. Don’t underestimate your role in your students’ learning journey.
Share your thoughts!
I will be happy to hear about your ideas! Let’s chat in the comment section.