A Compendium of
Learning and Teaching Strategies for College
Tutor Pathway
Providing Feedback
Positive feedback ( or praise ) should be legitimate. That is, you should not provide praise when it is not deserved. When providing positive feedback, praise specific behaviors, not the student themselves. Avoid saying "I can see that your are smart." This can trigger anxiety in some students. Instead, you might say something like, "I liked the way you used commas throughout your essay. This conforms to standard usage in English and will likely improve your grade on this paper."
When providing corrective feedback, show students the difference between their current behavior and the way that you recommend. Provide a rational for doing things your way. For example, you might say, "When you survey or preview a textbook chapter before reading it, you more likely to remember what you have read."
​
Obrien et al. provide a deeper look into the processes of providing feedback. They provide examples of feedback that leads students to become more self directed learners. Obrien et. al can be found in Chapter 22 of the the McLeskey et al. book that can be found in Resources.