The purpose of this lesson is for educators to reflect on the role of feedback in their professional and personal lives. Educators will separate their personal identity from their job, practice giving and receiving feedback, and consider their personal relationship with feedback. They will also discuss the culture surrounding feedback at the school and collaborative team levels.
Learning requires feedback. In other words, we cannot grow or improve as effectively without responses or reactions from others. According to the research of John Hattie and Gregory Yates, there is a great deal of evidence proving that feedback is strongly related to behavioral change. In their words, “Within educational programs, any feedback… informs and guides an individual as to the next step to be undertaken.” Learning from another’s point of view can help us face our challenges with more clarity.
Not only is receivingfeedback important, but we must learn to givefeedback to others in helpful ways. We may find ourselves in positions such as leaders, coaches, teachers, collaborators, or critics. According to Ben Dattner, Ph.D., feedback is most effective when it is candid/honest, specific/actionable, framed positively/constructively, and summarized into key themes. Individuals who are able to give and receive constructive feedback will be better prepared to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
While feedback is incredibly valuable, it is crucial to separate performance from self-worth. Feedback of one’s work or performance should never be interpreted as a critique on their worth or identity.
Activity 1: (20 minutes) WHY FEEDBACK?
According to the research of John Hattie and Gregory Yates, there is a great deal of evidence proving that feedback is strongly related to behavioral change. In their words, “Feedback… informs and guides an individual as to the next step to be undertaken.”
Invite teachers to discuss the following questions in small groups, then share out to the whole group:
Present teachers with the following journal prompt and give them 5–8 minutes to journal about their thoughts:
Activity 2: (30 minutes) YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB
Watch the video, “Teacher: You’re Not Your Job,” by Dave Stuart. As teachers listen, have them look for connections to feedback. Have a discussion:
Read selected quotes from the article, “Unlinking Your Self-Worth From Your Work,” by Andria Park Huynh at Verywell Mind and discuss the corresponding questions.
Extension: Pass out the I Am Not My Job handout along with art supplies
and give teachers time to complete the self-reflective activity. On the
back, have educators write a simple goal about how they can better
prioritize their non-professional selves. If time permits, invite them to
walk around and view each other’s self-portraits.
Activity 3: (20 minutes) GIVING GREAT FEEDBACK
Begin by watching the video, “The Secret To Giving Great Feedback”. Encourage teachers to take notes on the ways to give great feedback. Have a discussion:
Read the key points from the article, “Good Feedback, Bad Feedback,” by Ben Dattner, Ph.D. at Psychology Today. Feedback is most effective when it is candid/honest, specific/actionable, framed positively/constructively, and summarized into key themes.
Place teachers in groups of 2–4. Each person in the group will choose one of the options from the list and present their ideas or problem to the group:
Group members should listen carefully and use the principles from the video and the ideas from the slide to provide helpful feedback for their colleague.
Activity 4: (20 minutes) RECEIVING FEEDBACK
Begin by discussing these questions within small groups for a few minutes:
Watch the video, “How To Use Others’ Feedback To Learn And Grow,” by Sheila Heen at TEDx from 1:09 to 6:30. Have a discussion:
Pass out the article, “How to Receive Feedback More Effectively” and have teachers read the article and highlight the points that stand out to them. After sufficient time, discuss as a whole group and share the main points of the article.
Activity 5: (30 minutes) FEEDBACK CULTURE
Read the quote by Carol Dweck:
“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and put more energy into learning.” (Carol Dweck)
Have a discussion:
Discuss the culture surrounding feedback at your school. Then make a list of feedback opportunities within your school on the board.
Divide into groups and assign each group a topic from the board to discuss. Have teachers discuss solutions and innovative solutions to create a more positive culture around feedback at your school within this topic.
Pass out blank papers to each group. Have each group design a rough draft of a feedback poster that will be hung in the teacher’s lounge. Encourage groups to keep their poster’s focus on their assigned topic and include the main points of their discussion. If teachers want to include a relevant quote about growth mindset, they can find several ideas at this website. Reiterate the importance of group feedback in this design process.
Once teachers have created a rough draft on their paper, they will finalize and print their design using an online program such as Canva or Adobe. Collect these posters and post them where teachers can revisit them in the teacher’s lounge or workroom.
Activity 6: (45 minutes) CREATING EXPECTATIONS
Pass out the Collaborative Team Quotes handout to each teacher. Invite teachers to highlight ideas that allude to implied feedback opportunities. Have a discussion:
If they are not already, have teachers move to sit with their collaborative teams. Encourage collaborative teams to have a discussion, using the following questions to guide the conversation:
Have teams revisit current (or create new) team meeting agendas that will best support them in their collaborative work. Encourage them to include best practices for feedback, based on what they have learned in this lesson.
After sufficient time, have one spokesperson from each team summarize what changes or improvements that they made as a group.
TEDx Talks. (June 22, 2015). How to use others’ feedback to learn and grow. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/FQNbaKkYk_Q?si=dj6D-enzn7H4K9ye
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