Description

Instant feedback is any feedback that happens during a lesson rather than after a lesson or exam has been completed. There are two primary types of instant feedback: feedback from learners to instructors and feedback from instructors to learners. The goal is to make impromptu changes during the lesson before it is too late.

Advantages

• Instructors can adjust their teaching tactics at the moment to ensure the lesson is a success.
• Learners can adjust the ways they are going about completing a task to ensure it is successful.

Disadvantages

• In large groups, one-to-one feedback can be difficult.
• Instructors must be able to think on their feet to make instant adjustments.

Implementation

1. Explicit correction: The instructor points out what was wrong and provides the learner with the correct version. This strategy does not leave room for peer or self-correction.
2. Elicitation: The instructor asks the student for reformulation or clarification. For instance: “What do you mean?” or “Could you please explain that again?”
3. Metalinguistic clues: The instructor helps the student to spot the mistake by supplying extra information or asking questions related to the student’s answer.
4. Repetition: The instructor corrects by using intonation to show where the mistake is.
5. Positive feedback: Affirming comments about past behavior; focuses on behavior that was successful and must be continued.
6. Positive feed-forward: Affirming comments about future behavior; focused on behavior that will improve performance in the future.