Providing Feedback
Feedback always should be first—not proofreading or revisions. Feedback should focus on what is good about the writing and the writer’s strengths first.
If proofreading or revisions comes first, it may kill a writer’s confidence because their thoughts and way of expressing themselves doesn’t come first—mechanics does.
How
Tips and demonstrations for providing specific positive feedback
Read and watch this page and the two that come after it for a good model of providing feedback:
- Learners read their work
- The practitioner gives specific positive feedback
- Kate comments on the writing
1. Look at the piece of writing, ignore the mistakes, and find something that the learner did well.
2. Read the good part out loud.
3. Say it’s good, for instance, “You have a really strong beginning here.”
4. Say what effect it had on you as you read it, for instance:
- It made me want to read more.
- It made me see a picture in my head.
- It made me laugh (cry, think, wonder …).
- It cleared up something I was confused about.
- It made me feel good (bad, sorry for, angry…).
- It reminded me of something from my own life.
See it in Action!
Practice
Kate Nonesuch: The Art of Giving Feedback
This document will give you things to look for and what to say when providing feedback:
- Vivid details
- Clear organization
- Strong beginning
- Strong ending
- Suitable title
- Correct punctuation
- Humour
- Repetition
- Variation of sentence length
- Use of conversation
- Appeals to the heart
- Questions
- Smooth transitions
- Quotations from an authority
- Appeals to the head
Learn More
Providing constructive feedback
Reference a skill or specific knowledge
Concentrate on one skill at a time – for example, word choice or paragraph organization
Be specific in praise or critique
Don’t write on the learner’s text
Sentence stems for feedback:
- I noticed …
- I wondered …
- I wasn’t sure about … because …
- I enjoyed … because …
- I’m curious about …
- I really liked how …