Delivering Feedback is the art of giving students information on their performance as they try different activities. This chapter explores some tools for providing feedback and how they can be used to help create an engaging environment for students.
Seek-Give-Seek Feedback
Building on the knowledge of effective feedback, we can take this one step further with the goal of creating a more engaging learning experience for our students and athletes.
Seek-Give-Seek is a model that can help the student to be more conscious of their own performance. It encourages the student to self reflect on a given task and to verbalise this with the instructor or coach. Importantly, Seek-Give-Seek empowers the student to make decisions on what happens next in the lesson or session and to have control of their path, and their own learning.
Seek
As a starting point, the instructor must ensure that the student has a focus for the run or activity. The student also needs to have clarity of the intended outcome. The focus can be a specific body part or a particular board performance in a specified phase of turn or trick. A single focus keeps it simple for the student and helps them to receive intrinsic feedback as to whether they are able to perform the task or not.
The instructor is now able to seek information from their student by asking questions, encouraging the student to describe their experience or feelings from performing the task (i.e. their intrinsic feedback).
If the student is unable to reflect on the specific task, or begins discussing a different task, then it should be clear to the instructor that the student lacks clarity of outcome and further explanation may be required. Alternatively, it might be appropriate for the instructor to change the focus.
Example
When seeking feedback from your student on their approach into a box when attempting their first boardslide...
Instructor: “Did you notice anything different about your approach on your second attempt there?”
Student: “I think I went faster.”
Instructor: “Ok. Well, you made more turns that time, so let’s try again and see if we can do it with just one very slight turn to ensure you’re aiming straight at the end of the box”.
In this example, the student lacks clarity of the previous focus provided by the instructor, which was to “Line up nice and early with the box and keep your speed.” This focus was too vague for the student, so further clarity was needed to be given by the instructor.
Hot Tip
Keep the focus simple and clear. Begin with seeking intrinsic feedback from the student (how it felt, what they noticed etc).
Give
Once the instructor has the information they need, they can now provide feedback on the student’s performance (extrinsic feedback). In most cases, it’s best to respond in a factual, non-judgmental way to support reflection without creating defensiveness. However, offering judgment or opinion can be appropriate if there’s a strong, trusting relationship, and the student is open to direct input. The key is to deliver feedback in a respectful way that preserves the positive connection you’ve built.
Example
When giving feedback to your student on subsequent attempts to boardslide a box...
With judgement: “You moved back over your heel edge again and your board slipped out.”
Without judgement: “The board wasn’t quite flat that time, which makes it hard to stay balanced.”
Feedback should always be respectful, with consideration of language, and the emotional relationship the instructor has with the student. Using “you” and “your” puts more emphasis on the student making the error, and can make it personal. Giving feedback in a factual way, that refers to a third point of reference (such as the board) will help take any personal emotion out of the feedback.
Hot Tip
Try to blend the student’s input with your expertise, using respectful, fact-based feedback.
Seek
Once the student has had a chance to reflect on the feedback, the instructor can ask them what they would like to do next in order to be more consistent or improve further. This process utilises augmented feedback, blending and balancing the student’s intrinsic feedback with the extrinsic feedback provided by the instructor.
How the instructor continues to adapt and develop the students from here will depend on their responses. The students may have little or no knowledge on how they can continue to develop technically, but they do understand themselves and they know how it felt for them. They may want to continue practising the same exact thing to help it become more autonomous, or they may wish to adapt it to make it more challenging. The instructor then needs to guide this development, utilising the information gained previously, with the goal of creating a positive learning environment.
Example
When seeking information on how the student feels about their boardslides after a few more attempts...
Instructor: “How confident do you feel with keeping the board flat during your boardslides now?”
The student might say: “I think I can keep it flat but I don’t feel very balanced yet."
Or they might say: "I feel good about it and would like to try it on the next box further down."
Or they might ask: "I can keep my board flat but find it hard to get it straight again for the landing, can you help me with that?"
In this example, the instructor has three different options for how to continue the lesson, all being guided by the student.
Question-Based Learning
Question-Based Learning (QBL) is an integral part of the seeking elements in the Seek-Give-Seek mode. By using purposeful questions to encourage student reflection and awareness. Instructors can use well-structured questions to guide students to assess their own performance, describe how it felt, and articulate what they experienced – tapping into their intrinsic feedback. This not only helps reveal the student’s current understanding but also builds trust and encourages ownership of the learning process.
Additionally, while the traditional Seek-Give-Seek sequence is valuable, the order can be adapted to better suit each learning moment. For instance, providing give (feedback) before a seek can help guide reflection more effectively if a student is unsure, or starting with a focused give can reset clarity before prompting deeper seek-style questioning. This flexibility allows instructors to tailor the experience to the individual, enhancing both engagement and development.
Hot Tip
Seek again by asking the student what they want to do next. This can be adapted based on the situation and student readiness. Try to empower them to take ownership of their learning and guide the session.
When reflecting after leading a session, ask yourself; What did I learn from what the student told me and did I let the student decide what to try next?
Read more about Question Based Learning here