What is feedback for learning, and how well do you give it out to students? | I've had to learn to be a better feedback giver. When I first started teaching, I wanted to be nice and I wanted kids to like me. It took me a while to figure out that teaching isn't about getting kids to like you, though that is important. It's about helping them learn. They can't learn if they don't have specific, timely, and relevant feedback. Doug Lemov in his book Teach Like a Champion distinguishes between acknowledgement and praise. If kids meet your expectations, you acknowledge that they've been met. If they go beyond expectations, praise how they specifically do that. He also says that giving feedback should be done in a warm/strict way. You can tell someone they did something wrong, that it needs to be corrected, and what they can do to correct. You do it in a way that is caring because you love them enough to want to help them get better. If my job is to help you learn, I can't do that if I'm always telling you how great you're doing. I'll point that out, and I'll also point out what doesn't meet expectations. I won't leave you there though; I'll keep supporting you with precise, caring feedback until you succeed! |
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