Week 2 - Blog 3: Feedback (pp. 109-110, Ch. 4)

I agree that feedback, both positive and negative, is effective for organizational communications in businesses (Argyris and Schon). This concept is also applied in my major, teaching English as a second language. Probably, people think that correcting errors on students' writings (essays, for example) seems to be the most effective way to provide feedback, but I don't think that's always true. Of course, teachers should tell their students what the correct grammar is, but if the teachers always point out the students' errors, the students become confused, and their anxiety increases. In other words, this is only negative feedback from the teacher that will demotivate the students. Therefore, ESL teachers should apply both positive and negative feedback on the students' grammar to help them improve effectively. An example of positive feedback is focusing on whether the student is effectively getting across his meaning (organization/context) rather than focusing on precise grammar (details). I think we can apply his concept not only in businesses and teaching English, but also in a variety of fields, and the key point is how we balance the two in a certain field.