Feedback is where a lot of the teaching happens. Its not in the explaination but in what I say right after a student gets something wrong. I used to think that the best feedback was giving the most detail. I would break down each mistake, cover every angle and make sure it was full explained. What I've learned after doing this is that feedback isn't really about being thorough, it's more about being useful, simple giving digestible information in the moment. The first thing I do now is seperate the mistake from the student. If a student makes a mistake, I try not to let it hinder what they think of their ability. I name what went wrong, why it did, and that it isn't a big deal, that it can be fixed. Saying something like "Nice try..." doesn't work, it feels degrading and makes them feel like they failed. Instead I would go about it by saying, "You had the right idea up until this point, etc".
Timing also is very important, it can be frustrating for a student to complete an entire problem only to find out that they messed up right at the beginning. I make sure my students are aware the problem as soon as they make it. Immediate feedback ensures the student learns from their mistake straight away. The biggest takeaway I've gotten from my tutoring regarding feedback is to treat it more like a conversation, "What do you think went wrong?", "Why did you do this in that section". This really stimulates their brain and gets them thinking, "Why did I do those things?", which helps them remember not to do it again the next time the same issue appears. Hearing what went wrong in their own head, having to think about the mistake, is the most effective way that I like to go about giving and discussing feedback.
