Page 145 - Making Instruction Work

chap 12 3/11/97 5:03 PM Page 131

relevant practice 131

3. Adequacy feedback. Write down how you will provide
feedback (information) about the adequacy of the prac-
tice performance (whether it’s OK or not OK).

Example: If the performance can be compared against a
list of right answers, write “Answer key.”

If the performance can be evaluated against a checklist
that describes the key characteristics of the performance,
write “Checklist of criteria or key points.”

Decide whether, given the right answers, or checklists, or
modeling, or descriptions of desired performance, stu-
dents could decide for themselves whether their perfor-
mance is OK or not OK (adequacy feedback). If they
could, let them. If they couldn’t, you will have to decide
how to provide an external source of feedback (e.g.,
another person).

4. Diagnostic feedback. Now you need to think about who
or what will diagnose performance that is not yet OK.
That means thinking about who or what will determine
what’s wrong with the performance, and how the diag-
nostic feedback will be provided to the student. Answer
this question:

If the student knows that the performance isn’t yet good
enough, could the student decide what is wrong with it?

If so, you’re done with this step. If students can’t be
counted on to decide what’s wrong with their perfor-
mance, you will have to provide an external source of
diagnostic feedback (e.g., another person).