Our relationship with feedback and how this impacts our students:
As teachers and STEM professionals, we play a vital role in helping students form better connections with feedback. In this week's discussion, we will explore how to maximise the effectiveness of feedback interactions, drawing from my experience as a teacher and student and my extensive research in this area as part of my PhD. Join me as I delve into ways of providing, receiving, and utilising feedback to enhance students' academic and professional growth.
Why is it so Important?
So, first of all, why is feedback important?
This particular interaction is how you know how you've been received by peers, juniors and seniors. This is how you tell if your work is being received well or whether you still have masses of progress to make. Now, there are as many methods of giving feedback as there are in receiving it. However, the core point is to help you grow and move forward. From my teaching perspective, feedback is my opportunity to give a student equity as different individuals have different talents and backgrounds, but all have had the same work. To bridge this gap, my role as a teacher is to give them that next leap forward. Yet education is not the only place where we struggle.
From experiences in workplaces, this is also where we fail our employees. We focus on forms and models fitting people into one box. Now, yes, as with students, they have tasks and duties that may be the same, but they have different needs, goals, and ways they prefer to receive feedback. So, form filling doesn't resolve the issue. As someone with a learning difference, I prefer someone to be straight and direct with me regarding feedback, dancing around the issue if anything makes it worse for me. I've also been in appraisals where I often haven't been listened to, and the focus has been answering a form, which is generally a waste of my and my manager's time.
Why do you need to utilise feedback?
The Interaction
In the simplest terms, feedback as the interaction is the exchange of an action or behaviour, which then receives a positive or negative response. Now, we know that if we receive positive feedback, we feel good about ourselves, and in a negative response, we feel worse. However, plenty of information informs us that persistence in either of these areas has similar long-term outcomes. If you only ever receive praise, this fails to help you grow. You don't feel challenged, boredom sets in, and you go elsewhere. If you only receive criticisms, you will quickly disengage or stop doing the behaviour and potentially isolate yourself from the source of criticism.
The Relationship
The relationship is how we respond in the long term. If you have a poor relationship with feedback, you can simply disregard it or feel you don't need to acknowledge it. Or it can be that any feedback you receive is an attack, neither of which is good. One will limit your progress and development as you will still get consequences, but you simply will look at other sources to criticise. You will likely shut down and avoid the situation if you take it as an attack. Neither allows you to grow. This is from how you see the feedback, not based on the quality of the feedback.
A healthy relationship with feedback is when you receive a point that you can develop, you look at how you presented or constructed that action and think, where can I go next. You can look to upskill, develop or reflect on all of these to strengthen your likelihood of positive interactions.
The Future
In terms of the future, this is why you want to utilise it. If you are looking personally or professionally to take on the criticism to better yourself, you will continue to make those moves forward and grow in these areas. That is not to say you won't need support, but you will have a direction to pursue. A positive relationship pursues growth, and a negative relationship links to decline.
Make sure you provide great feedback
Now, whether you provide feedback for a student or a peer, these are the points you should follow.
Point: Now, the point of the feedback is how you will help the individual grow and develop. This should be the main focus of why you are providing them with feedback. Think where you expect them to take your work and go next. What did they do well, what did they do wrong, and where can they develop these areas?
Purpose: If the point is what, then the purpose is why. This is where you need to think about why you are giving them feedback. Do you want to help them develop a skill? Is there an area they must explore to get the most out of a tool or opportunity? Are they making a mistake in a project that you want to see them correct?
Personability: Now, in terms of personability, this is where you need to recognise the individual. What are their goals and limitations? You need to know this if you are providing them with specific and helpful feedback. The other key here is that this is personable and specific to the individual but not personal. It should still only be on elements they can work to improve, not things they can't.
Making sure you receive the feedback you need
When it comes to ensuring you receive the best feedback, this is about taking the points discussed in how you utilise feedback and providing it, combining them to ensure you get what you need. First, remember that so many of us dread giving and receiving feedback. We avoid it where possible and try to hide behind processes often because it can lead to confrontation, which is something you want to do your best to avoid. So, how do you ask for feedback in the best way?
The easiest way is to reverse the three P's:
Point: Start by identifying the specific area of your work or project on which you would like feedback. Be clear and concise in your request, and avoid being vague. Being specific will give you more usable feedback.
Purpose: Explain the reason why you're seeking feedback. Are you trying to improve a particular skill or technique? Do you want to know how to better utilise a tool or opportunity? Clarifying what development goals you are seeking will help the person giving you feedback to provide more relevant and useful insights. Highlight the points you want to achieve and ask them how to meet those goals.
Personability: Remember to consider the individual you're asking for feedback from. What are their goals and areas of expertise? This will help you to tailor your request and make it more personable while also ensuring that it remains focused on areas for improvement.
Here is a template if you want a rough guide for asking for feedback.
Dear [Professor/Teacher's Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I am requesting feedback on my recent assignment [insert assignment name and number]. I am eager to hear your thoughts and insights on improving my work in this area.
I am seeking feedback to better understand how to improve my skills and techniques in [insert specific area for feedback]. Specifically, I would like to know how to [insert development goals you seek]. Your expertise and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
I understand that you're likely busy, but I appreciate any time you can spare to provide me with feedback. I would happily arrange a meeting at your convenience to discuss your insights and suggestions in more detail.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Final words
Feedback will follow you throughout your academic and working career, but you don't need to settle for more of the same old same. You can improve it both in what you provide and what you receive.
Alternative suggestions:
If my method doesn't suit you, don't be discouraged. There are plenty of options out there. Here are a few below:
https://www.t-three.com/thinking-space/blog/3-simple-but-powerful-techniques-for-giving-effective-feedback
https://www.radicalcandor.com/our-approach/
https://letstalktalent.co.uk/blog/using-the-edge-feedback-framework-for-effective-development-conversations/
https://www.mindtools.com/ay86376/the-situation-behavior-impact-feedback-tool