Principle
Make feedback end in another attempt
A comment becomes training when it changes work.
When it fits
- When feedback is delivered and stored but never used while the task is still available.
When to avoid it
- Immediate correction may reflect short-term guidance. Do not infer durable learning without a later independent sample.
Why it matters
Pair consequential feedback with an opportunity to revise, retry or perform a fresh case. Keep the retry close enough that the learner can act on the information, then later include a delayed independent check. Receiving feedback is not the completion condition.
An example
After feedback on a two-minute project explanation, the consultant records a new version the same day and later answers a new case without the script.
Check your result
The feedback produces changed work that can be inspected, not only an acknowledged comment.
Keep this limit in mind
- Immediate correction may reflect short-term guidance. Do not infer durable learning without a later independent sample.
Connected ideas
Use beforeCompare before-feedback and after-feedback work
Evidence and sources
A meta-analysis of 435 feedback studies found a medium average effect on learning (d = 0.48) with substantial heterogeneity, and the information content of feedback materially moderated impact.
More feedback is not automatically better, and effects differ by outcome and feedback form.
The Power of Feedback Revisited: A Meta-Analysis of Educational Feedback Research · Abstract
A 2025 meta-analysis of applied classroom research found a moderate advantage for distributed over massed practice (d = 0.54), with substantial variation across studies.
The evidence does not identify one universal spacing interval or prove the same effect size for every adult work skill.
The Distributed Practice Effect on Classroom Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review of Applied Research · Abstract