Bite Size

A lot has already been said on how we can facilitate effective learning and that learning should be centered on the person being taught. But I can’t remember a session before where I have to give a feedback on giving a feedback. No, I haven’t even been taught of how to give a feedback alone. Not until our three-way learning session.

And now I’m thinking of a sandwich.

Bread. We were taught to give positive feedback first. Open with the positive things, or good points as we call it, the learner did and the other things that need to be reinforced and maintained during the teaching session.

Filling. Now you can spread your feedback with the points you think the learner needs to improve on. But be sure to always give this part of the feedback in a friendly tone, manner and language. This is to make the learner feel that you are not someone superior but is someone really concerned about how things could be improved. The learner remembers these reminders best this way.

Bread again. Now you need to close your feedback with what else, but another positive set. This is to make sure that the positive things he/she did is strongly reinforced and somehow give him/her a sense of efficacy.

But before giving the sandwich to your learner, take a bite first. Have a taste of it. Ask yourself: With this kind of feedback will my learner improve? Will this always remind my learner the things in which he/she needs to improve? Is this what he/she truly needs? Will this encourage him/her to do better and not make my learner feel upset? Lastly, put yourself in his/her position and ask yourself if indeed it was a good feedback. With this, you also get a feedback for yourself.