Providing Feedback for Writing - Academic Essay

                                                                                                                                                Nellys Acosta

Nathalie Ortega

Edwin Rangel 

Written Communication 

PhD. Itzeira Camargo

August 27th, 2022

Providing Feedback For Writing 

Since writing is a vulnerable act, where the author expresses his or her deepest thoughts and ideas, the moment of correction should be taken with the same delicacy when writing. Especially in the classroom, where dreamers and revolutionary ideas that could change the world and create an impact on our society are born. The sensitivity of the art of writing carries with it a great responsibility on the part of the instructor when it comes to feedback. The following are some effective and creative methods for holistic learning.

Read the entire piece of writing thoroughly. Read the manuscript thoroughly one or two times carefully before giving an opinion. The writer is in a vulnerable position. The instructor owes the person to show that he or she has at least invested more than a quick glance and made an instant judgment. It's not enough to read it superficially. The instructor needs to give it due attention and take notes if possible. In this way, the writer will feel that his or her effort is valued. Another way to review essays for the first time will be by peer editing. With this technique the instructor gives more participation to his students and lets them make a judgment on what they read from a point of view similar to that of the writer. In this way, the writer itself  does not feel judged or overwhelmed by the judgment of a figure above him.

Ask questions that lead the writer in the right direction.The purpose of a critique is not to show how much you know, but to help the writer expand their potential. This is important to know as appropriate feedback rather than an ''empty critique'' leaves the writer feeling that they have woken up and know what they need to revise to make their writing work. A recommended example for this case would be: This essay is quite structured, however, how could the length of this paragraph be improved? What ideas do you suggest? Could sentence length be related to this? Well, with this example, it is shown a more creative way of proofreading in which you involve the writer in his or her own feedback. What is sought through this technique is that the writer sees the correction and criticism from a different perspective rather than as something negative. 

Narrow the feedback. Feedback is more about the quality of the suggestions, than about the quantity. If the writer's work needs to be corrected, suggest a thorough line edit rather than fixating on every little grammar, spelling and punctuation error. If the writer's suggested sentences are ambiguous or not in passive voice, then focus on suggesting corrections for those essentials. A mountain of comments, however constructive, can be overwhelming. Pick a few of the most important things the writer can do to improve the manuscript and focus your editing on one part of the manuscript. Once that part is improved, focus your attention on details such as grammar, punctuation and spelling. 

In addition, there are many ways to give feedback on student writing. The best approach for any instructor depends on the purpose for giving the feedback, the amount of time available, and the preferred communication style. For example, provide feedback with the purpose of the assessment in mind: to communicate how the student can improve by detailing his/her strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of the genre of writing, all feedback should contain criticism on the content, as well as the quality of the writing itself.

Feedback may often be lost on students because it could be considered as too vague. Comments like “great job,” “good writing,” or even “needs better organization” might fall flat with students because they are not tied to specific words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs in writing. Feedback falls into two categories: the what and the how. The purpose of writing deals with content. Specific feedback includes guiding students if more evidence is needed, stronger claims, or further analysis. Finally, Specific feedback here can include comments concerning the organization of the information, rhetorical strategies, style, voice, and conventions.