Goal-directed practice & targeted feedback

Identify the skill to be developed and define the target level of performance

• Be explicit about what you want students to be able to do at the end of an assignment so that students can use your expectations to guide practice (i.e., use your learning objective to drive the purpose of the class!).

• Give examples or models of target performance so students have an idea of what this skill looks like. You might even contrast those examples with what you do NOT want.

• Use a rubric (scoring tool) that specifies performance criteria and share the rubric with your class. Students will be able to monitor their progress when they know what is poor versus satisfactory versus superior.

Provide opportunities for goal-directed practice

• Build in plenty of low-risk opportunities for practice so students can develop requisite skills over time. For example, if there’s a significant oral presentation to be delivered at the end of the course, help students prepare with activities that develop component skills along the way.

• Provide an appropriate level of challenge for students by scaffolding their practice. Give instructional supports early on and then gradually remove these supports as students develop greater mastery.

Provide targeted feedback

• Design frequent opportunities for feedback, and think carefully about what information you can provide that will be most helpful to the student. Focus your feedback on key aspects of the assignment so as not to overwhelm and to let students target their practice.

• When you incorporate peer feedback, provide clear instructions to students on how to give feedback and what to note in order to make it meaningful. (And remember that giving feedback is also a skill that requires practice!)

• Require that students specify how they incorporated feedback into subsequent work. This helps students make connections between different assignments and aspects of the course.