What is formative feedback and how should it be delivered in instructional practice?

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Formative feedback is information given during learning to help students improve while they are still working toward mastery. The best form is timely and specific, explaining exactly what was done well and what to adjust, with practical steps for how to improve before the next attempt or the final assessment. This differs from feedback after the course or at the end of a unit, which is more about evaluating final performance than guiding ongoing growth and can arrive too late to influence current learning. While peer feedback can be part of formative practice, relying only on it misses the essential point that guidance during learning should be timely and actionable to drive improvement.