“Hey dad,
watch this!” That’s a familiar line that
I often hear from my kids when they are trying something new or have mastered
something they are proud of achieving.
Similarly, I can also remember as a teenager looking to make sure that
my parents were in the stands at my soccer or basketball games. Afterwards, I would always seek out my father
in particular to ask him how he thought that I had done. He was always honest, and while I wanted a
good report, I respected the times that he told me that I still had work to do
in a particular area.
In the
classroom, students value feedback as well.
Like all of us, they want validation when they have worked hard to
improve a particular skill. However,
while they may not readily admit it, most also want to know both what they need
to improve and how to go about doing it.
In an
article by Marianne Stenger featured in Edutopia (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger),
she highlights the importance of providing students with feedback and offers
these simple suggestions in order to be most effective in offering feedback:
1. Be as specific as possible.
2. The sooner the better.
3. Address the learner’s advancement
toward a goal.
4. Present feedback carefully.
5. Involve learners in the process.
When
examined more closely, Stenger explains that well-intentioned comments to
students, such as “Great Job” or “Not quite there yet,” offer little to no
value. Thus, specific feedback is
key. This is true whether the student
has mastered the content or not. For
instance, if a student has done an outstanding job, be sure to explain why you
are so impressed and do so in a timely manner.
Otherwise, research suggests that students will not put feedback into
practice when provided many days or weeks after the assignment.
Students
must also understand how your feedback will benefit them long-term. Demonstrating the connection between your
input to a specific learning goal or class goal can assist in making it
relevant to future work. Finally, as the
saying goes, “It’s not always what you say, it’s how you say it.” In this context, perhaps it is what
you say, but how you present the information is equally important. Feedback should be presented in a supportive
manner and, in most cases, provided one-on-one.
When students perceive the advice as constructive, as opposed to
controlling, it usually aids in their growth.
When
reflecting on these strategies, I believe they can work in multiple
settings. Whether interacting with
adults, students, or even your own children, we all have a desire to know how
we are doing and how we can improve.
Next time you hear, “Hey watch this,” remember someone respects you
enough to seek out your feedback. Don’t
miss the opportunity to provide it.
