It was midway through week four of the fall semester. The preservice teacher candidates sat in small groups, reviewing their assignments from the previous week. One student’s brow furrowed as she read her feedback, stopping on the comment “Add more differentiation for diverse learners.” She mumbled, “I thought I did.” Across the room, another student asked, “What does ‘create a better hook’ mean?” I circulated, offering clarification, but the frowns, scowls, and questions kept coming. Despite the time it took me to write the feedback, it was clear that many students were struggling to understand how to apply it. So began my journey to provide more meaningful, purposeful feedback.
