Written feedback predominantly comprises information that can be divided into one of two categories: strengths and targets.
Strengths are the things the learner has done well.
The target is the thing the learner needs to do next, either to improve their work in the future or to improve the work the teacher has marked.
The permanence of writing means written feedback remains accessible over time.
This contrasts with the ephemeral nature of verbal feedback which, once spoken, disappears.
As a result, many teachers use written feedback as a more formal tool than its verbal counterpart.
They provide it to learners on a regular basis, after marking their work.
And they use it as a formative summary of where the learner is at and where they need to go next.
It is widely held that learners benefit from several pieces of positive information before being given something to work on.
Hence why many teachers provide three strengths and a target.
This means the positive information outweighs the constructively critical information.
Another advantage of providing strengths, though, is that it signals to learners what good looks like – and therefore what it is they are already doing that they should continue to do.
Positive reinforcement of this type helps learners develop a better understanding of what the success criteria are that you use to judge their work.
Over time, they will build up an increasingly accurate understanding of what we expect from them, based in part on the information relayed through feedback.
This includes the information contained in the targets you give as well as the strengths you note.
Too much written feedback can make life difficult for learners.
They need time and space to act on the information you provide.
If they are bombarded with strengths and targets it can become hard for them to assimilate everything you are trying to communicate.
In the case of targets, it can also mean they struggle to successfully apply what you are asking them to do – because another target has suddenly arrived, and their focus has now switched to this.
Thinking about assimilation, it is important to remember that learners need time in which they can read through your feedback, reflect on it, and act on it.
This is an obvious point – but I have seen many teachers hand back work containing written feedback and then immediately move onto something new.
Without time in which to engage with feedback, learners are likely to ignore it, forget about it, or simply assume that it is not that important – with this assumption based on the implicit message sent by the teacher’s decision not to give time over to engaging with it.
It is also worth remembering that your expertise places you in a position from which you can give all learners comprehensive, highly detailed feedback covering almost every aspect of their work.
This is a trap you must be careful to avoid.
A significant part of providing written feedback is synthesising the information you gain from marking learner work and combining this with your expert knowledge and understanding, before giving learners the feedback that will be of most use to them.
Letting your expertise take over means you run the risk of overwhelming learners.
Too much information, while a result of good intentions, will overload learners, causing them to withdraw or spend an excessive amount of time trying to unpick what you have written.
With feedback, especially when it comes to setting targets, less is often best.
