Giving and receiving good in-class feedback

This is a condensed version of a document by Marangell (2020). For the full version click here.

In-class feedback is an invaluable component of the teaching and learning process for both students and teachers. It helps students understand how well they are doing and what they need to do differently before completing their final assessments and receiving their summative marks. It also enables teachers to assess how well students are comprehending the material, after which they can adjust their teaching and lesson planning as necessary.

However, it can be difficult to deliver in-class feedback effectively and confidently, given that it’s often given on-the-spot in front of a class of students. The purpose of this short guide is to highlight the most important considerations for giving and receiving effective in-class feedback.

The purpose of in-class feedback

Frequent, regular feedback can serve the following purposes, among others:

For students	For teachers
Increase awareness and control of their own learning progress Adjust learning practices to better meet learning objectives Gauge their own performance against learning objectives	Check student understanding before moving on to more complex content Inform teaching decisions (e.g., timing, pacing) Identify and correct students’ errors and misunderstandings Assess effectiveness of teaching practices and lesson plans

Directions of feedback

In-class teaching and learning practices should allow for multidirectional giving and receiving of feedback in the classroom. Some common directions of in-class feedback are:

Direction	Description
Teacher Student	Individual feedback to a student about their progress and understanding in relation to the learning objectives.
Teacher Whole class	General feedback about clarifications, corrections of common misconceptions, or redirection of student thinking.
Student Teacher	Information about student progress or current understanding of material. Can be collected through unmarked quizzes, practice assessments, or targeted questions from the teacher.
Student Student	Peer feedback on ideas and progress, which can be given via comments on assignment drafts, feedback on presentations, or through unassessed collaborative group work.

There is often overlap between these directional flows. For example, when a teacher corrects an individual student during an in-class discussion, the other students similarly receive the information that the initial idea was not quite right.

Principles of good feedback

While feedback models continue to be revised, basic principles have remained consistent:

Be specific
- Provide clear and specific advice that is actionable for the student
- Provide examples of correct and incorrect aspects and explain why they work or don't work
Be timely
- Give feedback promptly for better application
- Balance timeliness with sensitivity (e.g., avoid making embarrassing or confusing comments publicly)
Focus on the learning objective
- Reference specific skills, aims, or strategies
- Avoid personal comments about the student themselves
Be sensitive
- Be helpful and clear, not overly critical or condescending
- Effective feedback encourages continued participation in class discussions
Allow time for clarification
- Enable two-way exchange between the teacher and students
- Give students opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification

Correcting a response or idea

It can be difficult to correct a student in front of the rest of the class, such as in a whole-class discussion. However, this type of feedback does not need to be awkward or uncomfortable. Practice these steps:

Acknowledge what was done well—but only if it was done well.
Give the student the opportunity to correct themselves first. Use prompting questions to guide the student into considering an alternative perspective.
Frame your feedback as expanding their idea or moving it along, rather than as correcting their ‘wrong’ answer. But remember: if a response is completely wrong, make sure the students do not leave class thinking it was correct.
If appropriate, thank the student for their contribution, especially if participation has been difficult to encourage.

Setting up opportunities for feedback

In-class feedback doesn't have to be purely reactive. While often given in response to student comments, it can also be a pre-emptive practice. It is additionally valuable to arrange for opportunities for feedback in the lesson plan.

As a warm-ups or check-in
Use unmarked quizzes, polls, or discussions at the beginning of class to enable students to review previous concepts and/or help them prepare for new topics. This also allows you to check understanding and target appropriate delivery.
Between tasks/topics
Plan brief check-ins between tasks, even if only to ask one or two targeted questions. Allocating this in advance avoids the need to backtrack if students aren’t on the same page as you.
As a review
Verify students’ understanding of key concepts. Avoid asking "Are there any questions?” and instead use targeted questions or create an online quiz in advance.
Ask students for feedback
Ask students to indicate any areas in which they need help or clarification. This can be done anonymously using online polling programs or exit slips.

Helpful tips

Focus on improvement: Suggest what 'could' be done rather than what 'should have' been done to elevate, expand or improve an idea.
Acknowledge positives: Comment on what was done well, not just what needs correction.
Verify understanding: Ask students to elaborate or explain your comments back to you, rather than using yes/no questions.
Be honest: Don't praise incorrect work.
Stay relevant: Avoid criticizing aspects not important to the learning task.

Ultimately, we cannot ensure how our feedback will be received, but we can endeavour to make our feedback specific, timely, useful, and sensitive.

Dr Samantha Marangell, Centre for the Study of Higher Education
Last updated: May 2025