This, not That: Giving Feedback During Writing

This article is part three of a series on student learning called “This, not That!” You can find the introduction article here and the second article here.

Last month’s blog article featured a section connected to the importance of giving students quality feedback, especially for writing assessments. Recently, several colleagues have met with me to discuss this topic of feedback, seeking answers to several important questions:

• What kind of feedback should I be giving to students?

• How much feedback should I be giving?

• How often should I be giving feedback?

These are all fantastic questions that could probably ignite productive discussion at your next faculty meeting. But in this article, I’d like to first confess that most of my early teaching years were spent giving students feedback during only the grading process. I did not provide students with much (if any) feedback during the writing process. 

That is no longer the case. I now realize the importance of providing quality feedback while students are drafting.

I have seen the student learning improvement in my own classroom, and educational research is loaded with studies connected to the impact of effective, formative teacher feedback. Most notably, John Hattie’s research discovered an average effect size of .95 when teachers provide feedback that reinforces (What are student doing well?) and cues (Based on how I’m doing, what do I need to work on next?). This targeted, formative feedback has the potential to increase student learning by two grade levels!

Regarding giving student feedback during the writing process, I’d like to outline what I do, why I do it, and its impact on student learning.

Step 1. Give feedback on the most important sentence in the essay.

The first feedback students receive from me connects to their thesis. I require all students to submit their thesis, so I can give feedback on their stance, reasons, and word choice. This has become a non-negotiable step for me for several  reasons:

1. This sentence guides the entire essay. If it is weak, the entire essay will lack direction. When it is strong, the essay has a much better chance of developing their ideas.

2. It builds student confidence. When students know their essay is on the right track, it reduces their writing anxiety. 

3. It allows me to work with students who struggle to organize their writing. After reading their thesis statement, I can tell which students may need a targeted intervention, such as a thesis template. 

It is sometimes frustrating for me to listen to educators who complain about student writing and lament about how poorly an essay was written because of an ineffective thesis. Do students need to learn how to write a quality thesis on their own? Yes! Do we as educators have the responsibility to teach students how to write a quality thesis if they can’t construct it on their own? Double Yes! Having students submit their thesis statements for instructor feedback allows teachers to know when that added instruction is needed.

Step 2. Give feedback on the topic sentences.

After students have an approved thesis, I require them to write and submit their topic sentences. For most writing assignments, students are creating 2-4 body paragraphs. I used to teach and require an outline, but after students submit their topic sentences, I have found that I am able to give them plenty of targeted feedback.

1. To what extent does each topic sentence support the thesis (which has already been approved)?

2. Are the paragraphs organized in a way that either builds the argument or increases insight for readers?

3. Is each paragraph able to be supported with multiple pieces of evidence?

After completing this second step of feedback, students often tell me that they feel like the rest of the essay will almost write itself. This is exactly what we want as educators; we coach students on the most important information they need to know, so they have the confidence to execute their skills effectively.

Step 3. Give feedback during one-on-one conferences.

Conferencing with each student during the class period takes time, but it is an absolutely essential step in connecting with students during the writing process. I usually give students 1-2 days of in-class drafting time. Students know that on these drafting days, they will also be conferencing with me, so they need to come to class prepared to discuss two questions during the conference time:

1. What feedback (from me) would be most helpful in giving you more confidence in your writing? Students often ask questions about the effectiveness of their hook, the depth of analysis for a piece of evidence, or the impact of a rhetorical device they tried using. 

2. What is a section of your writing that you want to show off? All students are expected to share at least one sentence that they feel is WOW writing. This is somewhat challenging at the beginning of the year, but eventually they are excited to share their authorial excellence!

These are my Big Three feedback steps during each writing assessment. Each step gives me the opportunity to provide targeted and timely formative feedback for all of my students. It also allows students to view feedback as more than simply “correcting mistakes.” Instead, they see it’s about fostering growth and building confidence in their academic writing.

Questions for Faculty Discussion:

1. What strategies do you currently use for giving feedback while students are completing writing assignments and/or projects?

2. What are some of the current writing challenges that your students face (think beyond grammar)? What might it look like to give students more formative feedback and instruction related to these challenges?

3. How do different educators at your school balance giving timely and effective feedback with the constraints of teaching multiple classes?

4. In what ways can feedback in your classroom/school be framed to encourage growth, rather than focusing solely on correction?

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