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Document Details :

Title: Teacher Feedback
Subtitle: A Singaporean Perspective
Author(s): PING, Alvin Leong , PIN PIN, Vera Tay , WEE, Samuel , HWEE NAH, Heng
Journal: ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics
Volume: 139    Date: 2003   
Pages: 47-75
DOI: 10.2143/ITL.139.0.2003198

Abstract :
This article reports on the findings of an investigative study on teacher feedback at a lower-secondary class in a Singaporean school. Involving an observation of the writing lessons and interviews with several respondents, the study reveals a misfit between desired and actual feedback. The potential for such mismatches becomes greater if the writing lesson is set rigidly as a unilateral transfer of knowledge from teacher to student. This study argues that the writing lesson should not be viewed as a mere pedagogic event but as a social event as well, allowing room for teacher-student interaction and the provision of personal, substantiated feedback. In such an environment, students are guided to discover writing as a process of finding and structuring ideas, and the responsibility that comes with searching for a way to express them.