Good feedback should answer three questions: Where am I going, how am I going, and where to next. Effective feedback guides learning by clarifying goals (feed up), tracking progress(feed back), and planning future steps (feed forward).
Paper: The Power of Feedback - John Hattie, Helen Timperley, 2007
What makes feedback effective in our learning journey? In their 2007 paper, John Hattie and Helen Timperley state that feedback only drives learning if it answers three questions: Where am I going, how am I going, and where to next.
Asking "Where am I going?" sets the direction. What are the goals? Students need clear goals and success criteria, not vague statements. If the goal is to build suspense in writing, feedback about spelling is unhelpful.
Asking "how am I going?" helps students reflect on progress. What progress is being made toward the goal? They need to know how their current performance compares to past efforts or expectations. For instance, a student may find it motivating to learn that their essay now uses stronger transitions than before.
Asking "where to next?" builds momentum. What activities need to be undertaken to make better progress? Learners want to know what to try next, not just whether they succeeded or failed. Effective feedback suggests the next challenges, strategies, or adjustments to make.
These questions correspond to notions of feed up, feed back, and feed forward. When feedback connects these three components, it helps close the gap between current ability and desired learning.
These three questions help complement the CCAF Instructional Design Model.