Feedback is the guidance system a teacher uses to help students both with practical application of the language and with motivation.
Providing feedback to students is one of the most important task for teachers. It is through the use of feedback that sudents can be made aware of their progress, as well as areas that may need improvement.
Why Do We Provide Feedback?
- Lets the students know how well they have performed.
- Indicates areas that need improvement.
- Increases student motivation.
- Builds a supportive class environment built on trust and understanding.
On What Do We Provide Feedback?
- Content: focus is on exactly what the student has said.
- Form: focus is on the accuracy in how the student says it.
How Do We Provide Feedback On Content?
- Acknowledging a correct answer:
Example: ”That’s correct”.
“Yes”.
“Good”.
“Uh-huh”.
- Showing that the answer is incorrect:
Example: ”Well, try again”.
“No, that’s not quite right”.
“Mmmm”.
- Expanding or modifying an aswer:
Example: T:”How many provinces does Canada have?”.
S:“10”.
T:”Yes, that’s correct, 10 provinces and 3 territories”.
- Praising/Complementing:
Example: ”Good for you, I can see that you understand”.
“Bravo!”.
- Teacher criticises the student:
Example: ”How can that be, that’s not what I told youat the previuos lesson”.
“I suppose you are not paying attention, the correct answer is…”.
- Teacher summarises what the student has said:
- Teacher repeats student’s answer.
How Do We Provide Feedback on Form?
- Identifying the error and having student correct it.
- Providing a comment on the error, and giving an explanation as to why it was wrong.
- Asking another student to provide the correct answer.
- Using body language/gesture to show that an errror has been made.
- Asking the student to repeat what he/she said.
