My Reflection 

See Transcript & Podcast Link Below

What’s wrong with feedback the way we do it?

1. He said it, “Shuts down our mental dashboards. When we get negative feedback about something that we can’t change or control, our brains flood with stress-inducing hormones, cortisol, that trigger our threat awareness and put us on the defensive.”

2. And this is the one that resonates with me - “Traditional feedback fails is because it really tends to focus primarily on ratings and not on development.”  So true!  Even if MY feedback doesn’t focus on ‘rating’, or even a grade, the students definitely view it that way - after all, what do they look at first?  Always the number, always how he/she has been rated.

3. I hadn’t thought about this one, but it resonates with me as I think about my riding (equestrian) lessons.  One of my biggest struggles is that I learn best by hearing what I’m doing well.  It pushes me to better the strong skills - which in turn improve my weaker issues.  As stated in the podcast, traditional feedback, “Really just reinforces those negative behaviors and beliefs that we were trying to shed but just struggled to get rid of.”  He explains why - which helps me as a teacher, but also as a student!  “Because when we hear about flaws that we can’t fix anymore, because they’re in the past that we can’t change, it creates a feeling of learned helplessness, you know, the feeling that we are unable, literally unable, to do anything about our future. And so we just quit.”  So true.

This podcast really connects with everything I am thinking right now!  Feedforward considers the person, the student, and what he/she needs for learning. THIS is what my kids need.   

So, how can I use this in my teaching?  First of all, it’s a mind shift that I need to continue to embrace.  In fact, I need to work at adjusting my verbiage to both myself and my students.  How can I help them to think more positively about my thoughts and advice?  

So...using the REPAIR acronym from the podcast...

REGENERATES - look at what you can renew, change, share.

• Help my students to see our conferencing as an opportunity to learn and better work, rather than the teacher critiquing.  A positive opportunity to make great change!  A chance to show me what he/she knows, and what he/she can do.

EXPANDS POSSIBILITIES - break it down and look at how much greater it can be

• How can we make the work better?  How much more can we find?  How much more can you give?  

PARTICULAR - we can only absorb so much!

• Don’t give too much feedback 😜. Keep it simple and focus on what’s important - what matters?  How can we effect the most change.  A person can only take so much learning at any one time.  A student can only concentrate on so much.  I need to focus what I share and be simple in goals and action for the student to take.

AUTHENTIC - real, honest.

Be honest and straightforward with both students and parents.  Kindness is good.  Gentle pushes are great.  But the kids are meeting with me to help better work and learn.  My student isn’t sitting with me to hear false praise.  I need to affirm what has been done well so that the student can do MORE well, and I need to point out the mistakes.

IMPACT - tell, show, coach, reflect - active support

• It’s no good my telling a student all of the things he/she need to change, but then not supporting the work it takes.  I think many of us are guilting if feeling that we have done our job - “I told him what to fix, I showed her what to do....why aren’t they doing it?”  Well, if no time is given, if no support is given, if there is no follow up, then I am only doing half the work.  Time to start being better at following up - don’t just do half the job.

REFINES group dynamics - putting people with different strengths together to refine work.

• This is the biggest AHA!  In some ways, the biggest change has been held to the last.  All of the other things are already on the to-do list.  I’m already striving to change the flavor of how feedback is considered.  I’m already planning for more continual feedback and follow up.  I’ve already determined to hone in on the positive and reduce confusion with clearer goals and less confusing advice on where to make change.  But planning on who can support whom, and where students can share and advise with each other?  That’s new - and could be so very powerful!  I need to think about how to bring in more peer feedback and sharing.  I really need to be more intentional about finding students’ strengths and weaknesses and having them share and teach each other.  I just have not done that yet.  I haven’t really had the courage.  I need to focus my goals and see how I can help my kids to learn through advising and teaching.  As always it comes down to time - time to learn how, time to plan to integrate, time to take in class...but if it’s worth doing, it’s worth eking our the time!

So, time to focus on repair ‘feedback’ for more powerful teaching.  

Feedforward - I like it.