Giving Feedback
Feedback is a some sort of stimulus that tells a person how to do something more efficiently the next time. There are many different types of feedback, and when working with youth there is one type that is proven to work best with most children. This type of feedback is simple specific congruent positive feedback. I will talk about each of these words that are describing feedback. I am going to use the lay up in basketball as an example.
Simple vs Complex - Simple feedback is generally one to two words. Complex feedback may contain a full sentence or more. Simple feedback is better because you can say the word quickly without a ton of explanation and the student will immediately have feedback on the movement they have just done. (Eg. Puppet arm - Students know with one explanation that they when they are driving their arm up to the basket that they drive their knee up as well because it is like it is attached by a string like a puppet's arm would be.) Complex feedback would be to give the whole explanation about driving the knee with the arm at the same time. Some other people may just say "Drive the knee", or even less "Drive".
Specific vs General - Specific feedback is telling the student "great knee drive", rather than something general like "good one". The latter is encouraging but the student doesn't really know what they have done right.
Congruent vs Non-congruent - Congruent feedback is when you give a skill cue like "drive" or "puppet arm", you should give feedback on that same element. (Eg. great puppet arm) It is not helpful to give feedback on something unrelated to what you are working on. (Eg. working on puppet arm, and you say "good placement off the backboard"). Again this is a positive comment but unrelated to what you are working on. Children learn best when they don't have to comprehend to much and focusing on two things rather than one can mess with that.
Positive, Neutral, and Negative - Positive Feedback is just that, using positive language. (Eg great knee drive"). An example of negative feedback would be "don't lift your arm up without your knee" or "don't just shoot the ball in the basket, place it off the backboard". Anything with "don't do this" or "never..." or "no..." isn't as helpful as positive feedback. When using negative feedback the student doesn't really know what to do, they just know what not to do still. Above were also some examples of neutral feedback that are neither positive or negative like "drive".
Simple vs Complex - Simple feedback is generally one to two words. Complex feedback may contain a full sentence or more. Simple feedback is better because you can say the word quickly without a ton of explanation and the student will immediately have feedback on the movement they have just done. (Eg. Puppet arm - Students know with one explanation that they when they are driving their arm up to the basket that they drive their knee up as well because it is like it is attached by a string like a puppet's arm would be.) Complex feedback would be to give the whole explanation about driving the knee with the arm at the same time. Some other people may just say "Drive the knee", or even less "Drive".
Specific vs General - Specific feedback is telling the student "great knee drive", rather than something general like "good one". The latter is encouraging but the student doesn't really know what they have done right.
Congruent vs Non-congruent - Congruent feedback is when you give a skill cue like "drive" or "puppet arm", you should give feedback on that same element. (Eg. great puppet arm) It is not helpful to give feedback on something unrelated to what you are working on. (Eg. working on puppet arm, and you say "good placement off the backboard"). Again this is a positive comment but unrelated to what you are working on. Children learn best when they don't have to comprehend to much and focusing on two things rather than one can mess with that.
Positive, Neutral, and Negative - Positive Feedback is just that, using positive language. (Eg great knee drive"). An example of negative feedback would be "don't lift your arm up without your knee" or "don't just shoot the ball in the basket, place it off the backboard". Anything with "don't do this" or "never..." or "no..." isn't as helpful as positive feedback. When using negative feedback the student doesn't really know what to do, they just know what not to do still. Above were also some examples of neutral feedback that are neither positive or negative like "drive".