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 threadCFW (AK) 📡🏳️‍🌈
@yasha All your feedback examples are negative. Is this true for positive feedback as well?
Dec 5, 2022 at 11:13pmWeb
Show threadYasha Hartberg (he/him)Dec 6, 2022

@chrys

It depends on context. Usually, I think it’s fine to personalize positive feedback. It helps build confidence.

When I want to get students to dissect what they’re doing well so they can develop those skills further, depersonalizing positive feedback can help bypass ego responses.