“The old saying that practice makes perfect is not true, but it is true to say that it is practice the results of which are known which makes perfect.”(F.C. Barlett)
Feedback, criticism, praising and commenting are very important in the teaching process. Teaching adults is complicated because of the difficulty of criticising. There are two dangerous: giving feedback in the wrong way and not giving enough. Without proper feedback, the learner performance cannot improve. If performance cannot improve, all learners quickly lose their interest. Good feedback is one of the basic rewards of learning and critical part of the learning cycle goes like this:
In comparison with children and teens, adults find it harder to acknowledge that they have made a mistake, and it is harder for them to unlearn it. The same mistake can be repeated again, therefore is important to give feedback immediately or as soon as possible. The problem is not only to correct errors made on the spot, but to find out some basic misunderstandings from the past, e.g. when we teach grammar, students sometimes have no idea what parts of speech are. Until all the misunderstanding from the past is identified, no progress can be made. A lot of students seem it difficult to learn the rules of English spelling properly. It can be a combination of mechanical and psychological reasons. It is particularly hard to correct again repeated mistakes. The solution how to avoid it is prevention; it means make sure that on the first occasion of a new piece of learning the adult gets the right answer – “right first time”. [4]
It is known that people learn by making mistakes. It is true but we should recognise when assessing that prise make us feel confident, whereas negative criticism makes us self-doubting. Good feedback is given promptly, contains encouraging words, gives detailed comment on each performance, praises the good points before criticizing the bed, is focused on criticizing the performance, not the person, is concentrated on just a few mistakes at a time and is clear.
Giving feedback demands skills as well as tact. We should create a friendly atmosphere for constructive feedback. After giving feedback, we should check that the learner has understood the message by asking open-ended questions. Avoid closed (yes, no) questions, e.g. Have you understood? It is better to begin questions with “Tell me”, “How”, or “Why”.
Finally, a lot of teachers overestimate the quantity of feedback they give. To avoid it, try to find ways to offer every learner some feedback in every lesson. As teachers of adults we should minimise the bed effect of criticism although there are a lot of possibilities for misunderstanding because without feedback students cannot learn and teachers do not teach.