Feedback in the language lesson is information you get, or give, about what you or someone did. People--teachers and students--use feedback to do better next time, or, if there is no problem, to continue speaking, reading, writing, and listening without change. But practically what does this mean?
Take this example. Someone asks you this question: "Where do you live?" You answer: "I am living in London."
Is the question correctly stated? Yes. Is the answer? No.* The answer should be, "I live in London." We use the present tense to talk about something that is true in the present, something that happens again and again in the present, and something that is always true.
The corrected statement and explanation are two pieces of information to use so you can construct the answer correctly next time.
Your teacher (or tutor) can correct you in many ways, but by giving you feedback, this helps you with information you need so you can correct yourself.
When you use English, especially when learning the language, you can be correct or incorrect, right or wrong. You can make an error or a mistake. You can nail it or mess it up.
Beware. Not all of these words or expressions say the same thing. What are the differences among these? Here is a little scheme to go by,
- correct/incorrect, positive and slightly negative
- ---/error, negative or slightly negative
- good/---, positive
- informative statement(s), neutral
- ---/mistake, slightly negative
- nail it/mess it up, very positive and (said with a smile) encouraging
- nothing said aloud or shown, positive
- right/wrong, positive and negative
These are just some of the words and expressions to talk about performance, how you are doing. You can think of each one as information you get.
You will notice that each of these words or expressions has a feeling to it. Of course, how someone says something also carries a feeling. However, when someone says, "You made an error. You are wrong." This negative feedback feels negative. You can feel bad about your performance when you hear feedback like this.
In the first example above, the feedback is neutral leaving you with the ability to answer correctly next time. You have the information and reasons for answering in the correct way.
On the other hand, if you get positive feedback like, "That's correct. Good job," you can feel good and do the same next time. We--most students--like positive feedback. It feels good and we want to feel positive about our performance.
Giving feedback so that the other person performs almost always correctly is an art and a science. A teacher's silence is effective with some students. Other students need the explanation repeated, and they need to feel good. They need encouragement (reinforcement). Either way, when learning a language, we need to know we are becoming good, getting better, and achieving the best.
Are teachers the only ones to give feedback and reinforce progress? Not at all. Students often tell teachers how to work with them in better ways. For example, I do not perform well when someone is always watching me, or explaining things. I get nervous and make mistakes, but I am able to correct myself. I need to think about what I am saying or writing. So I ask talkative teachers, "Please, give me a moment. Let me think about that."
Students also give their teachers feedback by the look on their faces. Teachers often know when you have a question, are bored, don't understand, or didn't hear the question they just asked! You give "silent" (non-verbal) feedback to teachers all the time. And if teachers need to hear feedback from you, your job is to tell them. For example:
- "Please correct me as I speak not after I finish";
- "I like our lessons when I have the explanation after I try to answer the question"; or
- "I learn new words and expressions when we play language games."
You can help your teacher so that he or she can help you.
Summary. Feedback is information you get or give about what you or someone did. Students and teachers use this information to guide them for learning and teaching. Sometimes feedback is neutral. Sometimes it is not. Feeling good or bad about performance can change future performance. Using just the right word or expression helps. Students and teachers need to find the best ways of giving and getting feedback. Feedback can be given out loud or silently. Lastly, when you or your teacher needs feedback, sometimes it is best to ask for it directly, or tell the other person what works well for you.
---
* Advanced students will see that this answer could be correct. How this might be correct is a subject for another time.
