3 ways to deliver good feedback

Dear Parents and Educators,

When we are giving feedback to our children about their written work, it is important that we carefully word our feedback so as to boost children’s confidence, but also to guide them in addressing their areas of improvement.

Feedback has to be balanced and objective. Here are 3 ways to deliver good feedback:

1. Start with the good. Acknowledge what the child has done right in the piece of writing. For example, has the child used appropriate vocabulary in the piece of writing? Or are the child’s ideas original and inventive?

2. Be specific whether you are pointing out what is good or what needs to be improved. Avoid general comments like, “This is too long-winded.” Instead, identify specific sentences that might be too long or that can be broken down into shorter sentences.

3. When identifying areas of improvement, be sure to also add HOW the child can improve through the use of examples. For instance, if you are telling children that they should link their sentences or paragraphs together, show them an example of how this could be done with the simple use of conjunctions and linking words.

Notice how I have constantly used the term “areas of improvement” instead of terming them “weaknesses”? The language we use has the power to make or break a child’s confidence. “Areas of improvement” suggests that the child can still work on his or her writing while the term “weaknesses” has a far more negative connotation.

Also, to ensure that your child or student has understood the feedback given, do a short recap exercise by asking him or her to explain the feedback to you using his or her own words. Once this is done, you may want to ask the child to do a second draft or to rewrite certain aspects of the written piece.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Yours sincerely,

Claudine Fernandez

Founder and Principal Instructor of Artistic Strategies Academy