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.

#AcademicMastodon

Show threadAnikó LovikDec 4, 2022
@yasha Interesting point. Is it only true in class/course environment, i.e. when one does not know the students personally or also for mentees, PhD students, etc.?
Show threadYasha Hartberg (he/him)

@aolon

I think it's sound strategy no matter whose work you're editing.

Dec 4, 2022 at 11:23amWeb
Show threadAnikó LovikDec 4, 2022
@yasha I will try it and see the students' feedback in a bit. Very often, when it is not about correcting an error, but making a suggestion, I emphasise "you" and "could" to show it is the student's decision to take or disregard the advice. To me your style comes over as more authoritative but I do agree that then depersonalisation sounds nicer.
Show threadYasha Hartberg (he/him)Dec 4, 2022

@aolon

I suspect our approaches are similar. I, too, will use personalizing language in my feedback, especially to emphasize things students are doing well or, as you describe, when offering ideas or suggestions that students should feel free to disregard.

Mostly, I use the personalized approach to bypass the visceral reactions people feel when being told some aspect of something they've worked hard on doesn't work. Students don't feel like failures and they don't feel personally judged.