What are some feedback strategies that we can employ in the classroom?
Quite often students to make mistakes, during the course of a teaching/learning activity. As teachers, we feel that our job is to correct them so that they don’t repeat the same errors again. There are two issues that we need to consider before we make any corrections. The first is that mistakes are a part of the normal learning process. Mistakes indicate the learning process is going on. We see this in very young children learning their mother tongues(s). With continued exposure and practice these mistakes naturally, it is part of the ongoing development of language skills. Secondly, we want our students to understand why we are trying to correct them. Offering feedback is tricky business. We want to ensure they understand, but we don’t want them to feel discouraged or overwhelmed. So, how do we give our students feedback that is useful and effective?
The aim of feedback is to give learners information that they can use to improve their language skills. Such constructive feedback can be achieved through either teacher-led or student-led feedback strategies. When accuracy is the focus, teacher-led feedback should be preferred. Simply put, the teacher takes more control and provides the answers. Informal oral question-answer sessions in the class, answers to grammar exercises written on the blackboard or announced aloud, and answers given at the end of an exercise while the teacher explains the grammatical concept are all examples of feedback processes where the teacher takes control.Student-led feedback allows the students to think about language in use. For example, peer feedback can be introduced in the classroom. Students can provide feedback to their classmates for a writing task. In another example, students can lead the discussion after the correct answers to an exercise are provided. In multilevel classes, some students can be chosen to provide feedback to their peers. When adopting student-led feedback, especially peer feedback, it is important to teach students feedback language so that they are comfortable in giving and receiving feedback from each other. For this, we can also give them a checklist according to which they can give feedback to each other.
Formative assessment:
Language games:
Useful web links