For
individuals and systems to flourish during these transformational times, which do you think serves that goal
better, a bit of risk, a bit of failure and a good deal of feedback OR safely
doing what has always been done?
If you weigh in on risk, failure and feedback, please read on. If you choose safety in complacency,
save yourself some time and make a different decision.
Before
we can talk about effective feedback, which we define as supporting
professional growth in your school or system, it is essential to consider the
much celebrated belief that, “There is no such thing as failure only
feedback.” In theory this is
supposed to help our egos get past our malfunctions. In reality, most of us are
secretly hoping to be told how amazing our teaching or leading is and hearing
otherwise makes us both uncomfortable and defensive.
Keeping
that very real human tendency in mind when sharing feedback, below are 8
suggestions a leader whose focus is growth in folks and systems may choose to
follow:
1.
Ask others how they prefer to receive the feedback. This is the bottom line for
respect.
2.
Know that while sharing feedback will help oneself
and others improve, it will also cause most folks to squirm a bit – that is OK.
3.
Differentiate the feedback, based on the rating of
the performance. (please see: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-15/the-ideal-praise-to-criticism-ratio.html)
4.
Provide feedback in a way that matches the
receiver’s value system. People
pay attention more to that in which they find importance.
5.
Follow common knowledge regarding giving feedback:
timely; connected to a goal; specific; actionable and connected to practice.
6.
Create
a structure of feedback - one that constantly communicates how things are
going.
7.
Keep in mind that generally people
change their behavior when provided with an environment for change and specific
cognitive maps that outline a “plan” in their heads. Therefore, the onus is on the leader/evaluator to ensure
that the environment and maps, which Art Costa refers to mental rehearsals, are
clearly communicated in a culture of high expectations. (Costa,Arthur & Garmston,
R. Cognitive Coaching. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, 1994.
)
8.
Remain
keenly aware of the fact that the meaning or your communication is the response
that it elicits; regardless or your intentions. As many have experienced – the intended message is not the
received message. Tip: See suggestions 1-7
How educational leaders
model the practice of effective feedback for teachers not only helps teachers
in improving their own performance but also provides mental models of effective
practices for these teachers to use with their own students. Feedback in every
relationship in the schoolhouse matters!
Synthesizing
more than 900 educational meta-analyses, researcher John Hattie has found that
effective feedback is among the most powerful influences on how people learn.
(John Hattie, Know They Impact, Educational Leadership Feedback
for Learning September 2012, Vol. 70, No. 1)
Please join us at Ignite’14
to share thoughts and practices regarding this most fundamental of educational
practices for positive transformation.
