Major Methods of Feedback - Essay Example

This provides them with an opportunity to observe each step from start to end. I also have the procedure video-recorded and provide the students with the recorded videos to get help in case they forget some steps while they perform. When the students have completed their respective tasks, I draw a comparison between the way I performed and the way they did. The strength of this approach is that students exactly know where their performance was not up to the mark and in which areas they did excellent work. “Comparing student work to a learning target is criterion-referencing, and it is the primary kind of comparison to use for good feedback” (Brookhart, 2013). The weakness of this approach is that every task is to be self-performed by the trainer first, which can be time-consuming, though it is an essential way of training. 

Praise sandwich is another way of giving feedback. Praise sandwich, as the name indicates, is the method in which the trainer informs the students about the positive aspects of their performance first. Discussion of the positive aspect sets the stage for feedback and the student feels honored and praised. This enhances students’ tendency to pay more attention to what is to follow after the first positive comment. The trainer then informs the students of their weaknesses. Hearing the weaknesses after the strength does not lower the students’ self-esteem. Finally, the trainer ends the feedback on a positive note by telling another strength after the discussion of weaknesses. The strength of this method is that the students feel thoroughly assessed and critically analyzed. “If [the trainers] consistently give only positive or negative feedback, people will distrust the feedback and it will become useless” (cabrillo.edu, n.d.). Both the first and last impression of the trainer as the provider of feedback is positive. The weakness of this method is that students tend to develop a positive perception of the feedback and have a tendency to forget the part that was sandwiched between the initial and final comment. 

Another way of providing feedback is through response-based assignments. These are the assignments in which students have to respond to the work of their class-fellows. The strength of this method is that class-fellows learn from one another’s mistakes and realize their weaknesses while they respond to others. The weakness of this method is that feedback may not be as professional and accurate as it would have been if provided by the trainer himself/herself. 

In my practice, I use a group-based approach to give feedback. This approach works fine in a culture in which face has a lot of importance. The questions I use are these; list down three aspects on which you did well in the group, mention two areas in which your bar could be raised to enhance the performance. I take each member of the group to a side one by one, while the rest of the group members give their opinions on these questions concerning the group member that has been taken to the side. I ask that learner what he/she thinks the group might have said in response to each question. It amazes me that most of the time, the learner is correct in predicting the feedback he/she has received from other group members. Finally, I give my own opinion about the individual learners in response to the two questions. I ask the learners if they would like my feedback to be shared with the rest of the group or not. Not one learner has refused to grant me this permission to date. The strength of this technique is that it makes the learner critically analyze their strengths and weaknesses and accept them in front of the whole group. This reassurance helps them improve their performance. The weakness of this technique is that sometimes, students tend to feel negative about the way their performances were assessed by their class-fellows. I particularly tend to ensure that students take the criticism positively while I provide them with my final feedback.