Mastodawn

Yasha Hartberg (he/him)Dec 3, 2022

Students respond better to feedback when it's depersonalized.

Personal: Your wording here is unclear
Impersonal: The wording here is unclear.

Personal: Your organization is confusing.
Impersonal: The organization is confusing.

Personal: You made the opposite claim in the previous paragraph.
Impersonal: The previous paragraph made the opposite claim.

I've found that this makes a massive difference, giving students the detachment they need to focus on their writing.

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Ember

@yasha that makes a lot of sense actually. Unfortunately the company I do grading (mostly feedback on essays) for tells us to personalize it and use "you"

I might see how much I can get away with changing the wording there though. I think it would let me give more constructive feedback without having to go overboard on the praise to make up for the perceived negative tone.