A chapter from A course in Language teaching, Penny Ur

1. GIVING FEEDBACK
Escuela Normal Superior
“Moises Saenz Garza”
Lengua Extranjera 4° semestre
English 2
A course in language teaching , Penny Ur

2.  What is feedback:
 In teaching is information that given to the
learner about his or her perfomance of a
learning task, usually with the objectiveof
improving this performnace.
 feedback indicated that we were successful,
or unsuccessful. (Geoffrey Broughton,Christopher Brumfit,Roger
Flavell, Peter Hill & Anita Pincas, 1980, p 35)
Different approaches to the nature
and function of feedback

3. ….positive feedback for teachers who diligently correct
homework. Certain types of assignments must be checked
with an eagle eye, while others may need only to be scanned
to verify that the work was completed.
(Christine Canning Wilson,2010,p.67)
 Well said . . .
`Self-esteem grows from the beliefs of others. When
teachers believe in students, students believe in themselves.
When those you respect think you can, you think you can.'
(James Raffini, 1993,p.147)

4. FEEDBACK
Have two components
Corrections
Is provided on aspects of the
learner´s performance : through
explanation , or provision of
better or ther alternatives
Assessment
The learner is simply
informed how well or
badly he or she has
performed.

5.  Are the two components of assessment and
correction completely separable?
 Can you have assessment without correction or
correction without assessment?
QUESTION

6. Audio-lingualism
*Negative assessment
is to be avoided as far
as possible since it
functions as
‘punishment’ and may
inhibit or discourage
learning.
*Positive assessment
provides reinforcement
of correct responses,
and promotes learning.
Humanistic
methodologies
A crucial function of the
giving of assessment is
to preserve and
promote a positive self-
image of the learner as
a person and language
learner. Assessment
therefore should be
positive or non-
judgemental.
Skill theory
For successful
acquisition of a skill, the
learner needs feedback
on how well he or she is
doing; hence the
importance of the
provision of constant
and honest
assessment.
Different approaches to the nature
and function of feedback
THE PROVISION OF ASSESSMENT DIFFERENT VISIONS

7. Audio-
lingualism
•Learner mistakes are, in principle, avoided by the limiting of progress to
very small, controlled steps: hence there should be little need for
correction.
Cognitive
code-learning
• Mistakes are regrettable, but an unavoidable part of learning:
they should be corrected whenever they occur to prevent them
occurring again.
Interlanguage
• Mistakes are not regrettable, but an integral and important part
of language learning; correcting them is a way of bringing the
learner’s ‘interlanguage’ closer to the target language.
THE CORRECTION OF MISTAKES:
DIFFERENT OPINIONS

8. Communicative
approach
•Not all mistakes need to be corrected: the main aim of language
learning is to receive and convey meaningful messages, and
correction should be focused on mistakes that interfere with this aim,
not on inaccuracies of usage.
Monitor theory
•Correction does not contribute to real acquisition of the language,
but only to the learner’s conscious ‘monitoring’ of speech or writing.
Hence the main activity of the teacher should be to provide
comprehensible input from which the learner can acquire language,
not to correct.

9.  Most of the feedback we give our learners is ongoing
correction and assessment, directed a specific bits of
learners produced language with the aim of bringing
about improvement; the type of evaluation involved
here is sometimes called formative, since its main
purpose is to form.
 Distinct from this is the evaluation usually termed
summative, where the teacher evaluates an overall
aspects of the learner´s knowledge in order to
summarize the situation.
ASSESSMENT

10. 1. Teacher’s assessment. The
teacher gives a subjective
estimate of the learner’s overall
performance.
2. Continuous assessment. The
final grade is some kind of
combination of the grades the
learner received for various
assignments during the course.
3. Self-assessment. The
learners themselves evaluate
their own performance, using
clear criteria and weighting
systems agreed on beforehand.
4. Portfolio. The learner
gathers a collection of
assignments and projects done
over a long period into a file;
and this portfolio provides the
basis for evaluation.
Assessment

11. 1. Criterion-referenced:
how well the learner is
performing relative to a
fixed criterion, where this
is based on on an
estimation of what it is
reasonable or desirable to
demand from learners at
the relevant point in their
development (age,
career, level, stage of a
course).
2. Norm-referenced: how
well the learner is
performing relative to the
group. In this case, a
group of slow learners
would be assessed
according to different,
easier, norms than a
group of faster ones.
3. Individual-referenced:
how well the learner is
performing relative to his
or her own previous
performance, or relative
to an estimate of his or
her individual ability.
Criteria

12.  On the whole, we give feedback on oral work though speech
on written work through writing ; and although there are
occasional situations where we might do it the other way
round ( for example; discuss an essay with a students in a one
tutorial, or write a letter providing feedback on speech)
 There are some situations where we might prefer not to
correct a learner's mistakes: in fluency work, example, when
the learner is in mid speech, and to correct world disturb and
discourage more that help.
Correcting mistakes in oral work

13.  Oral corrections are usually provided directly by the
teacher; but they may also be elicited from the learner
who made the mistake in the first place, or by another
member of he class.
 Corrections may or may not include a clarification of
why the mistake was made , and may or may not
require reproduduction of the acceptable form by the
learner.
Techniques of oral correction

14.  Learners written works includes not only written
compositions, also assignments on grammar or
vocabulary, answer to comprehension questions,
test and so on.
 How can this feedback be made optimally effective?
Written feedback

15.  To define your own attitudes to various
aspects of the topic of feedback ; It
focusses particularly on the feelings and
relationships which may be affected by
the giving and getting of feedback.
Clarifying personal attitudes

16.  Some teachers have a kind of natural authority, as
suggested at the end of the previous unit, is not very
helpful to the rest of us: what may be helpful is a
study of he kind of teacher behavior's that are likely
to produce a state of discipline in the classroom.
 The teachers choice of an appropriate methodology,
for example: is likely to ensure that students feel they
are learning in a way that is right and useful for them,
and they will therefore be more willing to cooperate
What teacher action is conducive
to a disciplined classroom?

17.  The idea that some teachers have a kind of natural “authority”, as
suggested at the end of the previos unit, is not very helpful to the rest of
us.
 What may be helpful is a study of the kind f teacher behaviours that are
available to anyone and that are likely o produce a state of disciline in
the clssroom.
What teacher action is conducive to a disciplined
classroom?

18. interpersonal
relationships
What teacher action is conducive
to a disciplined classroom?

19. 1. Start by being firm with students: you can relax later.
2. Get silence before you start speaking to the class.
3. Know and use the students’ names.
4. Prepare lessons thoroughly and structure them firmly.
5. Be mobile: walk around the class.
PRACTICAL HINTS FOR TEACHERS ON CLASSROOM
DISCIPLINE

20. 6. Start the lesson with a ‘bang’ and sustain interest and
curiosity.
7. Speak clearly.
8. Make sure your instructions are clear.
9. Have extra material prepared (e.g. to cope with
slower/faster-working
students).
10. Look at the class when speaking, and learn how to
‘scan’.
11. Make work appropriate (to pupils’ age, ability, cultural
background).

21. 12. Develop an effective questioning technique.
13. Develop the art of timing your lesson to fit the
available period.
14. Vary your teaching techniques.
15. Anticipate discipline problems and act quickly.
16. Avoid confrontations.
17. Clarify fixed rules and standards, and be
consistent in applying them.

22. 18. Show yourself as supporter and helper
to the students.
19. Don’t patronize students, treat them
with respect.
20. Use humour constructively.
21. Choose topics and tasks that will
activate students.
22. Be warm and friendly to the students.

23. ADVICE ON DEALING WITH DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS
Dealing with discipline problems