How to respond to feedback?
Experience tells us that negative feedback is associated with negative emotionsHow to respond to feedback?
1Think of some feedback you received during your practicum session.Think of one that makes you feel
proudhappymotivatedNow, think of one that makes you feel
Like giving up teachingdemotivatedsadangryWhich one do you like more???
How did I receive my feedback?How to respond?Types of responsesHow you feel about the commentHow you could use the commentSurgenor, P. (2010) Module Design & Enhancement: Student Feedback: Responding Constructively. Dublin: UCD.When receiving negative feedback, its natural to want to defend yourself immediately. Has there been a time when you received a negative criticism, and your first instinct is to say: No, this isnt true.. Youre wrong.. No, thats because?1. Pause first; Dont react.Every feedback, whether negative or positive, comes from somewhere. Something you said or did made the person react this way. You can choose to ignore the feedback, but then youll never know what was it that triggered the person. This means theres a possibility of this issue recurring in the future.Think of everything you did in the lesson.2. Understand what the persons concerns areEvaluate the feedback objectively. Do you agree on the feedback? Is there any truth behind it, and would this be an alternate perspective you missed out originally? Is it something you should look into?3. Assess if the feedback is true.Since the person took time to share his/her feedback with you,
You should take time out to give a proper reply. Generally, you can say:Let him/her know your point of view, whether you agree/disagree, along with supporting reasons whyCreate an open space for discussionAlign/agree on the conclusions/next steps to move forward. Sometimes its possible that there cant be an agreement met, and if thats the case its about agreeing to disagreeThank him/her for sharing.
4. Reply to the person in kindnessUltimately, I see negative feedback as positive, because it shows there are people who want you to become better. As our supervisors critic and say: are the ones telling you they still love you and care. If they didnt care at all, they wouldnt even have provided the feedback, would they?Negative feedback also tells us our opportunities for growth. No matter where we are in life, all of us will haveblind spots we dont know about. These blind spots prevent us from reaching the next stage of development. While negative feedback may not be pleasant to receive, they give us a different perspective to consider. By learning from more different perspectives, we can grow much faster.
5. Recognize receiving negative feedback is a positive thingTheres always something to learn from every feedback. Ask yourself:What have I learned about myself?What have I learned about others?How can I improve? What can I do differently from now on?
6. Learn from the feedback(Self-evaluation)How to reflect?Before you teach:Think of previous experience using similar method, game etc.
While you teach:Look at students responses, moods, participation, contributionAfter you teach, identify: After you teach, identify:EventStudents love the pictorial worksheets, they could guess the occupation by looking at the pictures. Students paired themselves smoothly, no issues. Most students were shy and reluctant about performing a role-play in front of others, and eventually became more confident that the rest of the lesson was spent for the role play only. Students became even more enthusiastic upon the giveaway of Merit sticker to the performer. FeelingsI was discouraged when only 3 groups did the role play. But then things went out of hand when everyone wanted to perform role play at once.Analysis of own actionsI should use the Merit ticket to encourage active participation all the time next time. Hopes (what you now realised)Students actually love role-playing/simulation task. Suggestions for future teachingI think assigning students to such task can be very enjoyable for both Ss and me. Speaking can be a little demotivating but I think they can do it with cue cards. Also, look at students works. Do you need to change your method? Do you need to give more input? Get students to tell you how they feel about your lesson. How to give constructive feedback?Constructive feedback is letting people know in a helpful way how they are doing, and how their performance is being perceived. Constructive feedback can be positive (letting someone know they're doing well), negative (letting people know about ways in which they could do better), or neutral (just an objective observation or analysis).Constructive feedback?First, briefly state your purpose by indicating what you'd like to cover and why it's important. If you are initiating feedback, this focus gives the other person a heads up about how the conversation will go. If the other person has requested feedback, a focusing statement will make sure that you direct your feedback toward what the person needs. Remember to be clear and straight-to-the-point.For example: "I have a concern about." "I feel I need to let you know." "I want to discuss." "I have some thoughts about."
Step 1: State the constructive purpose of your feedback.Have a certain event or action in mind and be able to say when and where it happened, who was involved, and what the results were. Stick to what you personally observed and don't try to speak for others. Avoid talking vaguely about what the person "always" or "usually" does.For example: "when you were speaking with some students, I noticed that you kept raising your voice."
Step 2: Describe specifically what you have observed.Explain the consequences of the other person's behavior and how you feel about it. Then give examples of how you and others are affected. Describing reactions or consequences allows the other person to see and understand the impact their actions are having on others, the team and the organization.For example: "The students looked embarrassed and I felt uncomfortable about seeing the episode." "Shouting at students is not entirely an acceptable behavior in this department."
Step 3: Describe your reactions.Feedback is a two-way street, dont forget to listen to what the other person has to say. Remain silent and meet the other persons eye, indicating that you are waiting for answer. If the person hesitates to respond, ask an open ended question.For example: "What do you think?" "What is your view of this situation?" "What is your reaction to this?" "Tell me, what are your thoughts?"
Step 4: Give the other person an opportunity to respond.Whenever possible make your suggestions helpful by including practical, feasible examples. Offering suggestions shows that you have thought past your evaluations and moved to how to improve the situation. Even if people are working up to expected standards, they can always benefit from ideas that could help them perform better!For example: "I sometimes write myself notes or color-coded post-its to remind myself to do something, you might find it helpful too." Or "During your next classroom interaction, if you're not interested in all the details, you might try only asking specific questions about the information you are most interested in."
Step 5: Offer specific suggestions.At the end of the conversation, its always important to review the major points you discussed. Summarize the action items, not the negative points of the other person's behavior. For corrective feedback, stress the main things you've discussed that the person could do differently and develop their skills. Its important to always end on a positive note by expressing confidence in the person's ability to improve the situation.For example: "As I said, the way the group has figured out how to cover phone calls has really lessened the number of phone messages to be returned. You've really followed through on a tough problem. Please keep taking the initiate on problems like that.
Step 6: Summarize and express your supportBy summarizing, you can avoid misunderstandings and check to make sure that your communication is clear. The summary is also an opportunity to show your support for the other person and an effective way to conclude even a negative feedback situation on a positive note.
