tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post243140597446850710..comments2024-03-14T04:16:20.472-07:00Comments on In Socrates' Wake: Is it possible to give too much feedback?Michael Cholbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02012523929044363216noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-26701936665607175812014-07-20T22:38:38.186-07:002014-07-20T22:38:38.186-07:00I agree. I often find that if I suggest 25 or 30 t...I agree. I often find that if I suggest 25 or 30 things to improve, students look at the list, pick the easiest 2 or 3, and fix those. And the easiest 2 or 3 often do little about the overall structure or quality of the paper. Instead, I list the 1 or 2 things the student has done that has helped the paper the most (even if it is not good, something has almost always gone right) and the 1 or 2 things that the student should focus on to have the biggest impact for improving next time (even for the best papers, there are things to improve. I tell that that my comments are intended to move them one big step forward, not to address everything. E.g., if they wrote a C paper and my comments get them to a B, they (and I) have done great revising/editing/learning. Once they get to the B, then we can work on moving from a B to a B+ or an A-.Stephen Bloch-Schulmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-5260022196481846272014-07-04T14:19:01.034-07:002014-07-04T14:19:01.034-07:00As my comment on the aforementioned Philosophers&#...As my comment on the aforementioned Philosophers' Cocoon post suggests, I agree with your position. In particular, I think that providing detailed comments is usually a counterproductive practice: it takes up a lot of time, runs the risk of overwhelming students with information (making it more difficult for them to identify the most pressing weaknesses in their work), and is often just outright disregarded. I've had a lot of experience with students making the exact same mistake on Paper #2 that I flagged on Paper #1. I'm also sympathetic with your second point: for various reasons, students seem better able to digest concrete grading rubrics than a paragraph of comments. Rubrics also make it clear how significant the mistakes in particular areas were and directly shows how these mistakes impacted the student's grade.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com