Review of the article of: Feedback That Fits, by Susan M. Brookhart
After review of the article, I found the most interesting portion was the section of "Be Positive and Specific". This section (in my eyes) would be one of the toughest. Everyone wants to hear and say positive things to students, however, when there are times a student is not completing a task to their potentional, there needs to be feedback to reflect this. The article states:
"choosing words that communicate respect for the student and the work. Your tone should indicate that you are making helpful suggestions and giving the student a chance to take the initiative. ("This paper needs more detail. You could add more explanation about the benefits of recycling, or you could add more description of what should be done in your neighborhood."
This approach could be extremely difficult for anyone and sometimes I believe is missed. There is always the fear of the student "shutting down" or creating a negative feeling towards the student. If this approach was taken more often as "constructive critisism", perhaps students could rethink their learning and use this as a "life lesson". As students adjust to this type of feedback, they will know exactly what they need to do and will (hopefully) pursue a better approach the next time around.
I know I am someone who always like to give feedback with positive, however, that is not always the best choice. I wonder how it would be received if I gave more of a positive but critical feedback instead.
About Me
- Mary Coubal
- A college student at Cardinal Stritch University where I am exceeding my lifelong dream of completing my Bachelor's degree and now finishing my Master's dregree.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. Giving clear, specific and meaningful feedback can sometime be not so "positive" sounding. If a student doesn't hear you correctly or your feedback isn't communicated well, students might shutdown and become negative. On the flip side, in the art room, I find that when I don't give constructive feedback there work tends to be lacking and they really don't learn as much. I will also see that their self-motivation drops.
I also would like to see more details for the paper!
I also agree. Recently, I found myself increasingly making comments in such a way that the comment means little to helping the student. That's scary to say but in a band and climate where students are simply allowed to drop my class at any time, it is important to chose my words carefully. To be honest, I believe the students would learn much more if they accepted the feedback, worked to improve, and then return motivated to continue the positive growth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
You make a great point: students need to understand the concept of constructive criticism - it is a life skill. By providing constructive criticism in a nurturing environment we help students gain this skill.
ReplyDelete