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'Feedback is information provided by an agent (e.g. teacher, parent, peer or self) regarding aspects of one's performance or understanding'

(Hattie and Timperley, 2007).

When I studied electronics at university feedback was the act of using the output of a system to alter the inputs in order to modify the system's behaviour to push the output towards the desired value. Feedback in teaching is a very similar concept. Teachers use outputs (formative assessment) to adjust the inputs (spoken comments, written notes or even a roll of the eyes and a big sigh) to help the system (learner) move towards the intended outcome (e.g. passing the exam or being a better person). The trick in teaching (as in engineering) is how to do it well, although It is generally fairly important to remember that learners aren't actually machines.

Good feedback (in my opinion):

• Has clear actions the learner can take to improve
• Is relevant and focused on the learner’s intended goal
• Is informed by the learner’s current understanding and capability
• Is practical and achievable for the learner as they are now
• Is presented in a way that is accessible for the learner
• Is well timed
• Is mindful of the learner's emotional state

Ramaprasad (1983) says that for feedback to make a (positive) difference the feedback giver and receiver need to be clear on and agree about what the intended learning is (the intended outcomes). The feedback serves to inform the learner what they need to do to move closer to their goal and the teacher needs to establish what the current level of understanding or ability is in order to determine what feedback is needed.

Hattie and Timperley (2007) identify four areas for feedback on, using an example of (usually verbal) feedback I might give to a student struggling with programming these are:

• The task – Explaining what an error message from a compiler means
• The process -  How do they go about designing a piece of code, breaking it down etc.
• Self-regulation - encouraging resilience and persistence when trying to debug a program
• Self - praising them as intelligent or gifted

Clearly all can be useful, but the fourth is the least as it reinforces a fixed mindset. The others need to be used with judgement.