The importance of FEEDBACK . . .

On Tuesday at our T&L Leadership meeting giving and receiving feedback was one of the topics in our lesson plan. Wednesday, it was feedback that helped me come down my ladder and suspend assumptions so that I could contribute to our TPEP meeting. I am constantly reminded about the importance of feedback in change initiatives like our Classroom 10 goal, yet I still struggle with how best to provide it as teachers begin the work of creating well-constructed learning goals that drive teacher and student behaviors, and monitor and adjust based on data from checks for understanding.


My dissonance is associated with our new teacher leaders who have been given and have accepted the responsibility to support their colleagues on this learning goal journey. We know that there is a skill set necessary for effectively providing feedback and a necessary mental model for receiving it in ways that are accepted and that can lead to change. My hesitance has been with our lack of opportunity to provide them with the skill set and lack of understanding of where they are in their PLC work because we know that in a PLC feedback is not only accepted it is demanded. So, I have been pushing them and principals to measure their current reality and influencing them to provide feedback in other than one-to-one situations. After Tuesday I am now moving more towards creating opportunities for feedback in a variety of settings. It is simply a necessary component of learning and growth that we must provide. I need to remember our adult learning model: Learn – Observe – Practice – FEEDBACK – Reflect.

To move in this direction we will share with the teacher leaders at our December training a protocol for providing three types of feedback; positive, questioning, and critical. The focus for teacher leaders will be on positive and questioning feedback. I have a positive presupposition that teachers want feedback concerning their progress on our Classroom 10 goal. I would appreciate hearing from any of you if this is an accurate presupposition. It would also help to know what type of feedback would be most helpful and how it will be received from teacher leaders; will it be as effective or perhaps more effective than that received from an administrator?

Thanks for reading and considering a response to this critical component of an effective change initiative.