Some people argue that positive feedback from teachers along with clear suggestions will improve students’ learning process and self-esteem. Others, however, opine that the overabundance of feedback, constructive or not, will put learners at risk of losing their thinking ability and confidence. While both views hold merits, I firmly believe with the former perspective.
On the one hand, excessive comments may bring potential drawbacks. This can be attributed to students’ over-reliance on instructors. When provided with detailed guidance, they will develop the habit of following teacher’s feedback passively rather than thinking independently. Over time, this dependence can hinder students’ active learning process and cause a lack of critical thinking ability, which is crucial to their all-round development. For example, an individual who receives too much error identification in his essay instead of actively correcting by himself will rarely improve his grammatical accuracy, losing his ability to think and confidence
On the other hand, advocates of constructive feedback believe that teachers’ guidelines play a pivotal role in learners’ intellectual growth. When teachers provide praise alongside clear, actionable suggestions, students gain a better understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. This type of feedback not only enhances learners’ academic performance but also boosts their self-esteem through compliments. When praised for high grades or good tasks, students feel a sense of respect, thereby feeling more confident in handling their assignments and fostering more harmonious relationships with their teachers. For example, when an individual receives both corrections and positive comments from teachers, he will have more motivation and interest in his own learning process, thereby creating senses of determination and perseverance to channel his efforts into achieving academic success. From this perspective, constructive feedback from teachers acts as a source of academic knowledge and motivation for learners to improve their performance.
In conclusion, while guidelines from educators may create the habit of over-dependence among students, I believe that feedback remains an indispensable part of educational systems as it helps students to acknowledge their levels and mistakes and encourages them to strive for further success. The key lies in moderate frequency of feedback, teachers should not provide learners with too much detailed feedback at once.Instead, they should pinpoint their mistakes and require them to independently rectify them. This approach will create a more effective teaching and learning method for teachers and students.