Antony West (Author)

Ah, feedback. The most powerful, and often most misused, tool in the teacher’s arsenal. Sue Cowley, in her book ‘Getting the Buggers to Behave’, talks about positive reinforcement and clear expectations. And feedback should be exactly that. It’s not about correcting every single comma. It’s about identifying one or two key areas for improvement. For creative writing, this could be as simple as, “Your description of the haunted house is excellent. Next time, let’s focus on showing us what the character is feeling, rather than just telling us.” Specific, actionable, and encouraging. Because nobody wants to be told their baby is ugly, even if it has three eyes and a penchant for eating socks.