Praise is not Feedback

"Great Job!" "This is fantastic!" "Keep it up!" What do these tell the student? Statements such as "great!" tell the student that he/she is doing well, but do they tell the student how he/she is excelling? Praise does not give the child specifics on how he/she is growing as a learner; where they are toward reaching a specific goal.

Praise is not an effective form of feedback. Many children thrive on praise. I have students daily ask me if their work is "good." However, praise is not going to help the student understand where he/she is related to meeting an objective or goal. Below are seven insights from Educational Leadership to help us begin to develop a better understanding of feedback.