Receiving feedback is an important part of learning. When a student gets a test graded, they are getting feedback about the level of competence they have in the subject being tested. However there is a whole lot of feedback that can be given by homeschool parents to their children which can help them learn better.
Feedback should not be mistaken for long boring moral lectures. There are many ways to give feedback correctly, some tips are mentioned here. They should get you started on providing constructive feedback to your homeschool students.
Feedback Should be Educative
The fact that you noticed some issue with your homeschool student is not enough to give feedback. You need to present the issue with a possible solution. Give the child a couple of options to try out. Otherwise you are merely stating a problem and it will be taken as mere criticism. That is not helpful at all.
Feedback Should be Specific and Immediate
Telling your homeschool student that he didn’t do well in a specific activity a week after the activity was done is not helpful. The actions that were wrong need to be pointed out immediately, as does the correction. That way the feedback is constructive and will be of the most use to the homeschool student.
Use the Feedback Sandwich
Compliment. Correct. Compliment. That is the feedback sandwich. The idea of giving feedback is to focus mostly on what the homeschool student is doing right. This boosts their confidence level, and keeps them receptive to the little corrections that you slip in with your suggestions. It is all going to show them how the learning experience can be improved.
Feedback Needs to be Sensitively Given
Everyone is not good at everything. As adults we understand that. However each student is an individual who may not know how to improve at a given skill. It may become a sensitive issue when he is called out or criticized for this skill. The homeschool parent needs to carefully moderate the words that are spoken to the child so as not to unduly upset the child.
