I just found this forum, and I think it's great!
I have been looking for information about feedback and its importance. I think this the best way to gather real and reliable information.
What kind of feedback teachers give after tests, if they give any¿? Is it worthy to spend time doing it? What do you think is the opinion of stiudents about your feedback?
well I really appreciate your opinions.
PD: if you have any kind of information: links, papers, articles, books, author names, your opinion, etc. about this topic please let me know!!!
What kind of feedback do you give after tests? Does it work?
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Hi all
Delfina says giving feedback is useless and it doesn't work. This is possibly correct in terms of improving the student's English language proficiency; however, there are several other things you must consider. Firstly, cultural expectations are important. If it is culturally unacceptable to avoid doing it; then make sure you do it. This is especially true in the private sector where if the students do not resign your boss may regard you as a bad teacher, and hence you will soon be looking for work. Likewise if your students parents adopt a similar position. Secondly, we have to consider learner training within this. If students are performing badly in reading for instance, this presents a good opportunity to drum into them the importance of beneficial study habits such as extensive reading thorough, for example, the use of graded readers. This is obviously a more pertinent point where tests are skills rather than knowledge based. But if they are not, then one must really question the value of the test in the first place. Thirdly, with reference to higher level students where an integrated skills approach is not necessicarily the best way of approaching students' future studies, then feedback allows you the opportunity to discuss what students should study in the future to achieve their goals. It is worth noting that most students outside of the school system are studying English for a reason.
Hope this is of some assistance
Stephen
Delfina says giving feedback is useless and it doesn't work. This is possibly correct in terms of improving the student's English language proficiency; however, there are several other things you must consider. Firstly, cultural expectations are important. If it is culturally unacceptable to avoid doing it; then make sure you do it. This is especially true in the private sector where if the students do not resign your boss may regard you as a bad teacher, and hence you will soon be looking for work. Likewise if your students parents adopt a similar position. Secondly, we have to consider learner training within this. If students are performing badly in reading for instance, this presents a good opportunity to drum into them the importance of beneficial study habits such as extensive reading thorough, for example, the use of graded readers. This is obviously a more pertinent point where tests are skills rather than knowledge based. But if they are not, then one must really question the value of the test in the first place. Thirdly, with reference to higher level students where an integrated skills approach is not necessicarily the best way of approaching students' future studies, then feedback allows you the opportunity to discuss what students should study in the future to achieve their goals. It is worth noting that most students outside of the school system are studying English for a reason.
Hope this is of some assistance
Stephen
stephen wrote: if the students do not resign your boss may regard you as a bad teacher, and hence you will soon be looking for work.
"resign" or "re-sign"? (I just happen to be teaching punctuation right now; if you meant "re-sign", this was a great example of punctuation to clarify meaning that I took to my class.)
thanxs
Thank you very much Delfina and Stephen for your answer.
I would like to know why is it that you think that feedback is useless in terms of improving students' proficiency? Why is it that the feedback that we give is fruitless?
What is your opinion?
I would like to know why is it that you think that feedback is useless in terms of improving students' proficiency? Why is it that the feedback that we give is fruitless?
What is your opinion?
It depends on what you mean by "feedback." I would assume that that does not include just pointing out to the students what the right answers are. To me, "feedback" would imply some kind of advice. That would include the "cultural points" that Stephen referred to, but would include other things such as test-taking strategies. That is mainly what I talk about when I give feedback on tests. I advise students about how they could use a different strategy for answering certain types of questions so that they will do better on future tests. I have to admit that all the tests that I do in my university courses have the same format, and that this advice about strategy won't be as useful for students in courses where the tests have a wide variety of different formats. However, I feel that this is still the key to giving good feedback: giving the students advice so that they can do better on future tests.
Selena
Why I feel that feedback is useless in improving proficiency, can I think, be illustrated by John's comments. Feedback offers a good platform for refining test taking strategies. This, of course, assumes that taking and passing tests is student's primary goal. In John's case, as he mentions he works at a university, this seems reasonable. I would not have wanted to fail tests when I was at university!! But test performance and English ability should not be directly equated. Factors like familiarity with format and the requirements of the test as well as certain strategies can have a significant effect on performance with a negliable if any improvement in linguistic ability. I should have added to my origional post that in test preparation courses that test strategies are something that can be refined at feedback stage to increase future performance. Still, you can't remember everything.
However, it is worth noting that this can only increase performance to a limited degree assuming the tests are effective tests. Afterall, the most important thing is how well students perform in the language, and the benefits from strategies and familiarity will rapidly reach a plateau. Furthermore, if the students test perfromance is not a key consideration, this approach in feedback has zero milage. Hence, if test performance is not the key, look at how they should plan their future studies with a view to their linguistic needs. Remember if you or I as the teacher couldn't teach them beyond where they are now in a full course, how far can we help them do the work necessary to solve all their problems in one lesson? A sticky plaster approach to everything they will need in their next course will not work.Telling them what they are getting wrong is not the same as helping them improve
Stephen
Why I feel that feedback is useless in improving proficiency, can I think, be illustrated by John's comments. Feedback offers a good platform for refining test taking strategies. This, of course, assumes that taking and passing tests is student's primary goal. In John's case, as he mentions he works at a university, this seems reasonable. I would not have wanted to fail tests when I was at university!! But test performance and English ability should not be directly equated. Factors like familiarity with format and the requirements of the test as well as certain strategies can have a significant effect on performance with a negliable if any improvement in linguistic ability. I should have added to my origional post that in test preparation courses that test strategies are something that can be refined at feedback stage to increase future performance. Still, you can't remember everything.
However, it is worth noting that this can only increase performance to a limited degree assuming the tests are effective tests. Afterall, the most important thing is how well students perform in the language, and the benefits from strategies and familiarity will rapidly reach a plateau. Furthermore, if the students test perfromance is not a key consideration, this approach in feedback has zero milage. Hence, if test performance is not the key, look at how they should plan their future studies with a view to their linguistic needs. Remember if you or I as the teacher couldn't teach them beyond where they are now in a full course, how far can we help them do the work necessary to solve all their problems in one lesson? A sticky plaster approach to everything they will need in their next course will not work.Telling them what they are getting wrong is not the same as helping them improve
Stephen