Making Feedback Productive
EDU 221
Making Feedback Productive
Housekeeping
Current Issue Article PP and Discussion
Topic approved by Barfield by Thurs.
Practice TD on D2L this week
Group Presentation
Behaviorist View
Cognitive View
Thursday: Read chapter 8, work on PP
Learning Model
Relatively permanent change in behavior
Feedback as Reinforcement (Behaviorist view)
Feedback as Information (Cognitive View)
Feedback as Reinforcement
(Behaviorist view)
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
Skinner’s Reinforcement & Punishment
Contingency and Rate of Response
Response-strengthening
Rewards strengthen
Punishment weakens
Feedback as Information
(Cognitive View)
Interprets and uses information
Builds mental representations
Is feedback needed?
Thorndike (1931)
Subjects attempted to draw a 4 inch lines
with their eyes closed
Repeated attempt 3,000 (4,000) times
No Feedback
resulted in no improvement
Right/Wrong- Told right if line was within
1/8” and wrong if it was not
resulted in increased performance from 13
to 25% correct
Does Quality Matter?
Trowbridge & Cason (1932)
Subjects attempted to draw a 3 inch lines
while blindfolded
3 Conditions
No Feedback
Right/Wrong - right within 1/8 inch otherwise
wrong
“How much”- given how much off by 1/8 inch
increments
Results
(Trowbridge & Cason, 1932)
Line Drawings
Ave Error (inches)
1.25
1
No feedback
0.75
Right/Wrong
0.5
How Much
0.25
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1
Blocks of 10 trials
Views of the
Effects of Feedback
Behaviorist View:
Response learning—the
acquisition of a new
response
Reinforcement:
strengthens behaviors;
punishment: weakens
behaviors; no cognition
required
Cognitive View:
Feedback is information
that you can use to
interpret to make sense
of the learning situation
Dependent NOT on the
actual feedback but on
your interpretation of
the MEANING of the
feedback that is
important
Three Examples: One
Mr. Antonovich:
What is the longitude of
Chicago, April?
April:
About 40 degrees.
Mr. Antonovich:
No, …think about it for a
second… Can you help
her… Jeremy?
Three Examples: Two
Ms. Salinas:
What is the longitude of
Chicago, Max?
Max:
About 40 degrees.
Ms. Salinas:
No, it’s about 88 degrees
west. What is its latitude,
Stephanie?
Three Examples: Three
Ms. Bentley:
What is the longitude of
Chicago, Sam?
Sam:
About 40 degrees.
Ms. Bentley:
No, keep in mind we are
measuring degrees east
and west. Chicago is
which direction from
Greenwich?
Example Analysis
Mr. Antonovich
Gave immediate feedback, gave no further
information
Ms. Salinas
Gave immediate feedback, but no information on
how to correct
Ms. Bentley
Gave immediate feedback with corrective
information and asks another question that then
allows the student to answer successfully
Take Home Message on
Feedback
Effective Feedback
It is immediate
It is specific
It provides corrective information for
the learner
It has a positive emotional tone
Making Feedback Productive
Housekeeping
Current Issue Article PP and Discussion
Topic approved by Barfield by Thurs.
Practice TD on D2L this week
Group Presentation
Behaviorist View
Cognitive View
Thursday: Read chapter 8, work on PP
“ Education is not filling
a pail but the lighting of
a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats