Challenge: Children tend to give overly general praise (“it’s pretty”). Tip: The teacher should give examples of specific feedback or help them formulate it. “Tell me exactly what you liked! The colours? The shapes? The idea?”
Challenge: A child makes overly critical, negative comments. Tip: It is worth helping to reframe the criticism in a supportive way: “What could you suggest while remaining kind?”
Challenge: A debate arises about the feedback. Tip: It is the teacher’s job to guide the conversation back to the rules: “Remember: one thing you liked and one thing that helps.”
Challenge: The group has difficulty keeping the conversation on track. Tip: It is advisable to agree on a time frame in advance: 1 minute for praise, 1 minute for suggestions, 1 minute for summary.
Challenge: The body language of the speaking student is not consistent with what they are saying (for example, they praise but turn away or grimace). Tip: The other children can be involved: “What advice would you give to make body language more friendly?” A short brainstorming session can help.
Challenge: The child praises the person (“you are very clever”) rather than the performance. Tip: The teacher can gently guide the child: “Can you tell me exactly what went well? The colouring? The details?” This way, the child learns to focus on performance.
Challenge: The child compares the performance to another child’s during feedback. Tip: It is very important not to leave room for comparisons to others! Neither positive nor negative. Always measure performance against themselves and help the child giving praise to see the progress. E.g., multiplication was faster now than a few days ago. The learning was worth it!
