Feedback and Correctives

[lostinidlewonder]

When we are giving a lesson to a student and assessing their work we need to take care as to how we provide the students feedback and corrective measures to improve their knowledge/capability. I would like to briefly discuss a number of inappropriate examples that should be avoided.

- Negligent supporter:
Simply these teachers neglect to give students feedback and correctives. They are usually satisfied that they are able to explain subjects the first time and the students will absorb it all. After explaining or demonstrating they fail to check that the student has really understood the lesson. They do not allow much room if at all for questioning from the student during the lesson so there is little feedback and correctives being used.

- Negative contributor:
These kind of teachers provide a lot of feedback but it is always of the negative kind. They often say things like "students need to know where they make mistakes" and spend a great deal of time telling them what errors they have made. The subject matter they present is often too difficult for the student and/or their explanations and demonstrations are inadequate (eg: not communicate at the level of the students comprehension), and so they have to spend a great deal of time giving negative feedback.

- Dilatory grader:
These teachers are so slow in assessing and returning results to students that the results and comments are of little help as feedback. Routine work tasks are rarely marked on time and the students have to wait for knowledge of results on their learning process. Feedback is always so late that the students are unable to take advantage of the information when it is provided .

- Feckless diagnostician and poor provider of correctives:
Unable to give appropriate correctives because of inadequate knowledge of the students learning problems. They do not attend to the details of the students responses and often fail to diagnose gaps in the students understanding of the subject matter. They are thus unable to provide the required correctives that will help students overcome their problems, or they are reluctant to modify their teaching methods so their corrective instruction can become effective.


[Feedback and Correctives from "Teaching Principles and Practice" Peter G. Cole + Lorna K.S Chan]

[jpahmad]

Here's a thought.  It seems there are many ways you can approach getting a kid to improve or internalize a concept.  I'm sure there are many things I havent tried or that have not occured to me.  But, I usually like to start with this: 

After someone is able to get through a piece from beginning to end, playing correct rhythms and notes etc... I then ask them to tell me "what do you like about this song?" Or, "what is your favorite part?"  Then we talk about what they like about it.  And then, I tell them to play it like they really like it.  This could mean playing more delicately, or softer in the left hand, or bringing certian notes out, whatever.  The overall goal is to improve their technique and musicality.  This usually gets something accomplished.  And then, I have specific grounds to give feedback on.  I can critique their ability to convey to me what they were trying to convey.  I can tell them that I was "unable to hear" that certain emotion that they  wanted to express.  So, it's kind of like turning the tables on the students and critisizing them for not accomplishing what they wanted to accomplish in the first place, or affirming that they did convey that emotion to the listener.  After all, they were the ones that wanted to communicate those feelings.  Of course the trick is then to get them to like every part of the song