Key points:
In education, the quality and type of feedback students receive can significantly influence their academic success. Typically, information presented to students is either qualitative or too broad, such as during parent-teacher conferences or through course grades. These forms of feedback often focus on assignments and homework prior to college, where feedback becomes scarce. In contrast, medical school can overwhelm students with detailed information, like longitudinal reports on multiple-choice question performance throughout the year. This raises an essential question: What kind of feedback information is genuinely useful for students?
Effective feedback is vital for several reasons, allowing for students to adopt new study strategies, identify weaknesses, and chart development over time. However, there is a delicate balance to strike; too much information can be as detrimental as too little. For example, understanding why a concept is misunderstood can direct remediation efforts effectively. A pupil has difficulty implementing a concept but not understanding it, in this case it is not prudent to have the student review or be retaught the topic; rather it is more beneficial to run through practice problems in the application. In contrast, listing the student’s deficiencies can seem overwhelming and not give the student a road to success.
Let’s take an example of a middle school student struggling with systems of equations. While the concept is understood–solve for one equation and substitute to solve for the missing variable–the deficiency is application, not knowledge. The student would be much better off with a list of 20 or so practice problems than they would remediation on all the applicable topics. The student doesn’t have to know that they missed a question because they forgot to multiply through the parentheses; they just need practice on the application. This idea is well understood in grading, but not as so in feedback to students. For example, a student will get partial credit on a math problem when steps are correct, but they make an arithmetic mistake because arithmetic is not the topic being examined. This balance becomes harder to strike as more topics are presented. It is easier to tell a 6th grader that he has a hard time with systems of equations than tell a high school student he doesn’t understand the second World War.
Feedback that is specific to the student is the best type a student can receive. Identifying gaps in understanding can be addressed by targeted remediation. For instance, knowing that a student struggles with the concept of ATP in mitochondria allows for focused study on that topic. Students might understand a topic broadly but miss finer details required for higher-level questions. Detailed analysis and practice on these aspects can enhance their understanding. Students often know historical facts but fail to connect them, like the link between Franz Ferdinand’s assassination and the onset of WWI. Concept mapping can be particularly beneficial in subjects like history and science.
Students seek comprehensive understanding and application of knowledge. They want to know what they don’t know and prefer to review tests thoroughly, identifying trends in their mistakes. Implementing systems like ExamSoft or Canvas for online exams can facilitate this. For instance, identifying consistent issues with higher-level Bloom’s questions can guide deeper study.
At lower educational levels, specific and actionable plans are crucial. Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals helps students focus on achievable steps. Say a student is having difficulty pulling themes from different eras in a history class. The student understands all the important topics about the Gilded Age, WWI, and WWII, but is unable to write a cohesive paper about overarching themes. Beneficial feedback for this student would be to explain the difficulty with synthesis, not to review each topic by individually. A SMART goal for the student would be as follows: By the next argumentative paper, ensure you can tie each era to the theme of your project. After providing the student with some example papers that achieve this goal, all parts of the goal should be attainable. They have a timeline, it is measurable by teacher evaluation and comparison to provided resources, it is achievable because there is only one deficiency being addressed, and it is relevant to the coursework. While challenging, this approach pays dividends by fostering a mindset geared towards lifelong learning. High school educators should prepare students for college by building these habits.
Effective student-teacher conferences and feedback systems are crucial for student success. By providing actionable information, setting specific goals, and encouraging deeper learning, educators can significantly enhance students’ educational experiences and prepare them for lifelong learning.
