Delivering Feedback to my Students Effectively

 

When I’m reviewing my students’ work it is important to give positive feedback, and look for those areas of excellence particularly when a student has struggled with a particular topic. After each session, I feedback, both verbally and written to document areas where the student is excelling as well as identifying areas where they need to improve. All of my sessions are tailored to each student and I am also flexible in my approach to tuition. 

 

 

I never mark my student’s work by myself; it is always a joint effort. The work is uploaded onto a virtual platform- both visible to me and the student. If my student has written a piece of creative writing or completed comprehension, they read it aloud first without correcting any errors and then a second time where I get the opportunity to feedback on areas they have excelled and they get the opportunity to identify and self–correct any errors. This is quite empowering to the student and they get to reflect on what they have written, make corrections where necessary and re–read their work aloud again to further develop their greater depth understanding. As they read the corrections, I make the necessary changes to their work on the virtual platform. If they are unable to spot where the correction is needed, I make a point of identifying it and setting the topic as a focus point to be set during the next session. For example, if they have not used paragraphs, I will ask them to explain when a paragraph is needed. If they are unable to give a full answer, that will be the grammar topic set for the following session. Feedback is different for each student and for each subject area. Giving praise at all points in the session is important; every student needs to feel that they have improved; it may be small steps but it is still a step in the right direction. 

 

I have watched my students grow from strength to strength. As a tutor, I also create space for them to identify and discuss areas where and how they can improve. In maths, it could be structuring the answer so that each area of their working-out can be easily followed and the answer is easy to find; in English it may be that they need to form their letters correctly so that their work is legible. I smile when my students read their work aloud and stop because they cannot read what they have written. In creative writing it could be planning ideas to help structure the story, whilst in comprehension it could be writing full sentences and using capital letters at the beginning of sentences and where they should be used correctly. 

 

 

When I ask my students to be critique their work they are usually quite honest in what they say, and in identifying how they can improve. It gives them an opportunity to analyse their work and be their own examiner. I find this to be a very useful strategy which allows them to recognize areas to improve at each stage of their learning.