WEEK+9-Providing+Feedback

Week 9 Providing Feedback

A. Think of a time when you received feedback that you thought was or was not effective in an online environment. Tell about it and explain what was positive or how you think it should have been done better.

3/20 (Mark) I received feedback for a proposal I created for a state grant in a JHU online course last Fall. I thought the feedback was most UN-helpful. The feedback from the instructor said "This is good but I would have liked more detail". She didn't specify which of the 5 sections was lacking the detail she was looking for, she didn't specify what actual details she thought were missing and she didn't indicate how I might have done it "better". I had to follow up with several e-mails (the only way to contact her) to specifically ask point by point for clarification. I think the feedback would have been better and very helpful if it had been provided in the following type of format: **"Mark, I like your idea for the grant proposal. It is innovative and will certainly catch the eye of the foundation providing the grants. I do think it might be even stronger if you added some details about the funding sources in section 2 and maybe talk more about the scope (who specifically would benefit and in what ways) in section 4. I liked your summary very much but maybe you might want to look at the length of that section and see if you can find a way to "tighten it up" a little bit. Overall a great first attempt at this project. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can clarify anything or give you any additional suggestions. Sincerely.....teacher.**

Mark, That is a great example of unspecific feedback that leads more to anxiety than anything else. I liked your version of what should have been shared that would have been more beneficial. It sounds like you are able to give good feedback, do you get the chance to do this very often in your role as a program coordinator? Is it more with colleagues or students? (Jason S.)

3/21 (Mark) Jason, I give feedback more to colleagues than students. I do try to be specific and focus on not only what might benefit from some improvements but also on what is working very well. I do think it's important to have a balance of both positive and (I hate to use the word) negative aspects when giving feedback. Unless of course the work you are "reviewing" is spectacular in which case it's fine to give a glowing feedback.

Mark, I agree with your last statement. Although it doesn't happen often, sometimes I feel like I have to try so hard to find something negative or constructive to say with some of my highest performing students. I have to remind myself that it is okay to tell them what they did is great and they don't need to do anything more to make it better. (Jason S.)

3/20 (Maria) I know this week is primarily focusing on teacher-to-student and peer-to-peer feedback, but I wanted to share an experience we went through at our school using online student feedback. Our school developed an online professional development and faculty evaluation system which incorporates the use of anonymous student feedback. The form asks students to evaluate teachers based on the schools value words and teacher questions, such as "The teacher helps me when I have a question, etc." The issue came with the open narrative text box at the end of the form! There were not directions or specific instructions for that open text box. Our school admittedly did not prepare students to give appropriate constructive feedback, so many teachers ended up getting feedback that wasn't really helpful to improving their instructional program or practice. And, unfortunately, some even received responses such as "You should be fired"! and even worse... This just really illustrates the need to have feedback be:
 * It is specific and performance based.
 * It is descriptive, not labeling.
 * It focuses on the behavior, not the learner or person.

Since this experience, our school has done a much better job at preparing students to give appropriate feedback. We have added instructions for the narrative text box. Another strategy has been to encourage teachers to gather student feedback throughout the course, instead of one time. Many teachers have received more constructive and specific feedback through the use of the Plus/Delta strategy. We have also told students that this is part of their 'civic" duty to respond in honest, yet respectful ways.

Maria, What a learning experience that must have been for receiving feedback from the students. Teaching students how to give feedback is extremely important and often difficult to do. I struggle with showing fourth grade students how to provide constructive feedback during peer revisions in writing. I was wondering what were some of the instructions added to the narrative text box or what types of activities did teachers use to help prepare students for giving better feedback? I'm sure I could incorporate some of these in my own classroom. (Jason S.)

3/21 (Maria) Hi Jason, Here's an example of one of the prompts on the "teacher" feedback form. We also changed the directions slightly for coaches. I still like using the Plus/Delta with adults and students. The chart is concrete and the language is really easy for them to respond. Visit the Plus/Delta link to help get you started. Thanks! //Use this space to explain what you like about the course as well as what you believe the instructor should change about the course and/or his/her approach to teaching. Please use thoughtful and kind language that will be helpful to the instructor.//

Maria, Thanks for the link. I liked the page "Student Evaluation of Teaching", specifically the idea to encourage feedback throughout the year/course not just at the end. This is a great resource for many teachers who forget that some of the most valuable feedback doesn't always come from their administrators, it can come from the students you teach. I also like the wording "thoughtful and kind language" in the directions. This is a must that curtails a lot of negative, unhelpful feedback. (Jason S.)

3/20 (Erika) Our principal gives us feedback quite often after observations. We call the observation "The Yellow Sheet." The administration believes this feedback is important for our development as a professional. They come in our room with a Yellow Sheet about once a month, and the feedback is provided online in an email or the Yellow Sheet is scanned into a document and emailed to us. The problem with the feedback is that it is jotted notes based off of an observation that took place in about 10 minutes. I have received feedback based on 10 minutes of a 30 minute lesson. So the questions that are asked and the feedback that is written does not relate to what is happening because the administration have only seen a snipit of my day.

I received comments such as: "I did not see any differentiated learning or work. How do you incorporate this into your lesson?"(-clearly I do this all day long or my students would be struggling) "There were no objectives posted. I assume you went over them ahead of time."(-all they needed to do is look on the front board) "What type of work did you do for your guided practice during this lesson?"(-maybe if they stayed longer than 10 minutes they would find out) "You need to update your data center."( - this comment is not helping me professionally) "What follow up activity did you provide for your students? How does this activity measure the effectiveness of your instruction?"(-the second part of this question is actually someone worthwhile in thinking about)

And the list could go on... I personally do not feel that this feedback is helpful as a professional. The comments make me feel like I am under a microscope as a teacher and am not given feedback that supports my work. I don't want to hear comments on data centers and objectives that are all clearly posted. These comments make me think the admin. are just not being as observant as they need to be. It is almost like they need something negative to write down so they choose whatever seems appropriate to them.

I would appreciate feedback that comments on the students in the class who may have been struggling with the concepts of the lesson. Maybe it was something I did not catch while I was in the middle of teaching. I would also value feedback that has a tone of helpfulness rather than feeling attacked. We have a great school. We meet the reading and math goals each year and there does not seem to be any major concerns. However, the admin do not make the staff feel successful and it is because of the observations and way they provide feedback on staff instruction.

Erika, I can only imagine the feelings of many staff members when they see "The Yellow Sheet". It sounds like it started off as a way to encourage and increase feedback to help staff, but is now a chore that administration feels "has to be done" as evidenced by some of your comments received. I liked your added thoughts about each comment as I have had some of those same thoughts on occasion with observations. I'm in a similar school that is consistently successful with state testing and assessments, but we too have a tendency to feel unsuccessful for most of the year after the initial celebration of receiving test scores in the summer. As mentioned in the video, sometimes just hearing "good job" can be helpful even if it isn't specific. Our school has tried to create ways of increasing staff morale, but I'm curious, does your school do anything to give "a pat on the back" to staff members? (Jason S.)

Jason, Funny you should mention the "Pat on the Back" because yes it's called just that in the staff newsletter that comes out every friday from the admin. However, the same people each week get a pat on the back and it's not from admin. its usually from other teachers. It has kind of lost its luster. The staff member themselves get along great! K-2 is very close and so is 3-5. Its the admin that we have the issues with. (Erika)3/21

Erika, Ours is called "High Five Friday" in which staff compliment each other. It too has lost a little of it's effectiveness as the same teams "high five" each other each week. I wonder if there is a better strategy for encouraging this across all grade levels. (Jason S.)

3/21 (Hilliary) I have kind of the opposite problem Erika has, our administrators are rarely in our classrooms unless they are dealing with a student issue. My principal has spent maybe an hour in my classroom in the year and a half she has been in my school. A lack of feedback can create anxiety. Many teachers don't know where they stand with our principal. How can the principal herself know our strengths and weaknesses if she isn't in our classrooms. Then when she does come in to do observations it is stressful because that one moment is how she defines you as a teacher.

On the flipside, at my previous school in Ohio my principal only gave positive feedback. She always hyper-focused on the great things she saw in the classroom and rarely gave constructive criticism or suggestions for improvement. While positive feedback is certainly important; especially for boosting morale, feedback should be balanced. I like the 3-2-1 approach Donna suggested for peer evaluations. Mark let me know what he liked about the project and also gave 2 suggestions and 1 question. As a 1st year teacher I knew that I had room for improvement (as everybody does!), and that constructive criticism can help guide some of that growth. The 3-2-1 approach would have been more beneficial in helping me recognize my strengths AND my weaknesses so that I can continue to improve my teaching.

Hilliary, I feel like this is a "grass is always greener" scenario. I just want to be left alone to do my job and be respected as a professional. I want the admin to trust that I am doing a good job and stop feeling as if they should be in my room all the time. Let's be serious, I have worked with them for 6 years. I feel like they also, do not give feedback that lets you know how they feel about you professionally when they do come into the room. So there is a lot of anxiety surrounding their visits even though they do visit often. However, I do like the 3-2-1 approach as well. It was very helpful with the review of our projects. I am more familiar with the "sandwich approach." The admin like to use this at our school. I believe it is helpful for students but not professionals. (When you provide a positive comment, then a negative comment, and then another positive comment that is the sandwich approach. It's like a positive sandwich.) I do not like the sandwich approach because our admin do not provide meaningful positive comments but more invasive negative comments. Hillary, which admin. style would you prefer working with if you had to choose? Ohio or Maryland? (Erika 3/21)

Hilliary, First, it's surprising how much contrast there is between school environments and perceptions of teachers. While some may feel unnoticed, others enjoy the solitude, and while some like positive comments, others need more constructive feedback for making improvements. It can be very difficult as an administrator to balance this with the learning styles and personalities a typical school community might have. Erika poses a good question as to which style you prefer. If only administrators posed this same question to all their staff. (Jason S.)

Erika, That's a tough question! I would say I enjoyed teaching more at my school in Ohio; for more reasons than just the admin style. On one hand, I have learned a lot from the little feedback I have received since I have started teaching in Maryland, but I miss the confidence and autonomy I had at my school in Ohio. To be fair, it was a very small charter school so it was very different. The biggest difference in admin style, was that while my principal in Ohio wasn't necessarilly helpful, she was very genuine. I knew she thought highly of me and I knew I was making a difference at the school. At my current school, teachers don't know for sure where they stand. Our principal isn't always very genuine, she often says one thing to a person's face and the opposite behind their back so when you do get a positive comment its difficult to take it at face value. While in Ohio, I found other ways of getting feedback to help me grow- either from colleagues and through a lot of self-reflection. Sometimes we can be our own toughest critic! (Hilliary 3/23)