Even when done with love and respect, giving your homeschool child feedback on their work can be a daunting task. You want to help them improve without crushing their confidence in their abilities. Here are a few tips for giving student feedback.
Address the Positives First
When giving constructive criticism to your child, you should always start with what they did well. This will let them know you aren’t attacking them and you aren’t disappointed in their work. When you acknowledge what they did right, the student is more likely to repeat those actions with work in the future.
Be Sensitive
Your child looks up to you as a parent and teacher. Feedback can sometimes make them feel like they did something wrong. Depending on your child’s individual needs and personality, be gentle with your approach. Make sure to reiterate that the feedback is not a reflection of their abilities. It is just a way to help them improve their work in the future.
Be Specific
General feedback like “this could flow better” or “this passage is confusing” isn’t helpful. Make sure to give criticism that is specific and actionable. Something like, “Here you wrote about X when it would have made more sense if you wrote about Y. Next time, try researching Y more thoroughly.” Your feedback should be pointed enough that your child can directly apply it to their next assignment.
Focus on One Thing at a Time
Change is easier to manage when your child can take it one step at a time. Instead of correcting three homework assignments in one day with specific feedback for each subject, try keeping feedback to one subject per day. This will allow your child to fully comprehend the information and apply it without getting overwhelmed or confused.
Invite Your Child to Give You Feedback
Your child will respect you and your teaching methods more if they feel that they respect goes both ways. Give them the opportunity to give you feedback on your teaching and grading process. If they feel something is unfair or could be done better, take their advice to the best of your ability. This will make your child feel heard and more likely to listen to your advice as well.
HomeschoolFacts.com has a complete list of support groups to help support you in your homeschooling endeavors and connect with homeschoolers near you. You can search the list of support groups here: https://www.homeschoolfacts.com/homeschool-support-groups.html