Most educators desire meaningful feedback that can be used as a catalyst for growth. When it comes to improving learning, criticism will rarely, if ever at all, lead to changes to professional practice. Here is the main difference between the two: Feedback - information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc., used as a basis for improvement. Criticism - the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes. As you reflect on the two definitions above, what pathway would you prefer? Successful feedback lies in a variety of factors such as delivery in a timely manner, detailing practical or specific strategies for improvement, ensuring the delivery is positive, consistently providing it, and at times choosing the right medium to convey the message. However, one of the most important considerations is to ensure that a two-way conversation takes place where there is a dialogue, not a monologue. Virtually no educator wants to have suggestions dictated to him or her. A recent coaching visit with Corinth Elementary School placed me in a position to model all of the above. Over the course of the year, I have been working with the district on building pedagogical capacity both with and without technology. After visiting numerous classrooms, I met with a grade-level team and the administrators to facilitate a dialogue as part of a more meaningful feedback conversation. Instead of just telling them what I saw and thought, I instead had them pair up and discuss their lessons using the following question prompts: How do you think the lesson or activity went? What would you have done differently? The point here was for them to begin to reflect on both the positive outcomes as well as the challenges that might have been experienced. Lasting improvement comes from our own realizations as to what can be done to grow and improve rather than just being told. After some volunteers shared how they thought the lesson went, I then challenged them with the following questions to facilitate a more in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of the lesson from their lens: How do you know your kids learned? Where was the level of thinking? How did kids apply their thinking in relevant and meaningful ways? How did you push all kids regardless of where they were? What role did technology have in the process? What accountability structures were put in place? What do you think your kids thought of the lesson? These questions really got both the teachers and administrators in the room to think more critically about whether or not the lesson or activity achieved the desired outcome in relation to the aligned goal. What was powerful from my seat was that most of the feedback I had written down didn't have to be delivered verbally by me as the educators offered it up themselves upon critical analysis of their lessons. This is not to say that I didn't add more detail or provide specific strategies to improve. I most certainly did, but the culture that was created through the use of all the above questions was more empowering and designed to impart a great sense of ownership amongst everyone present. Whether peer to peer or from a supervisory position, engage in a collaborative dialogue during any feedback conversation. Then provide time to process, further reflect, and develop action steps for improvement. I hope you find the questions in this post as useful as I have.
Part I of IV. In an effort to help schools become more reflective learning environments, I’ve developed this “Taxonomy of Reflection.” – modeled on Bloom’s approach. I…
One of the defining characteristics of a profession is that its members commit to reflect on their practice in order to improve it for the benefit of those they serve. This applies to policy and go…
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Helping teachers reflect on experiences is one of the most powerful coaching moves. Learn to lead reflective and structured coaching conversations with helpful handout which provides a clear roadmap for the language and flow of a reflective conversation.I have my guide in my binder and posted next ...
The quest to improve pedagogy, and in turn learner outcomes, is a focus of many schools. We toil away at chasing the next big innovative idea, trend, or tool as a path to improvement yet little changes. Maybe success lies in taking a more detailed look at daily practice. The key to future-proofing education is to empower students to not only think, but to apply their thinking in relevant ways to demonstrate what has been learned. Whether you call this rigorous, deeper, personalized, or just plain learning is of no concern to me. Semantics aside, the goal of all schools should be to equip students with the appropriate knowledge, skills, mindset, and behaviors to help them develop into competent learners. Getting better at this seems to be a potential rallying cry. We can have students learn to do or flip the experience and have them do to learn. The question then becomes not a conversation as to what pathway is better, but whether or not learning has occurred. Sure, we can slap a grade on it and in many cases that become the evidence that learning did or did not happen. There are flaws inherent here. As many grading practices still are entirely arbitrary and do not provide an accurate indication of learning, we need to re-think our practice. Now I am not saying to do away with grades or tests, as that is just not realistic right now, although it might be at some point in the future. The question then becomes what can be integrated into daily practice to help students learn? To get to where you want to be, you need to be honest about where you are right now. This leads me to ask the following question: Are your students provided an opportunity during every lesson to reflect on what he or she has learned? As John Dewey stated, “We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.” It is not a hard ask at all to ensure that students are provided with an opportunity to reflect on the learning target for the day. As I work with schools and districts as a job-embedded coach, one of my main focus areas is to help improve pedagogy both with and without the use of technology. More often than not I do not see opportunities for student reflections through countless walk-throughs, lesson plan reviews, or audits of how digital tools are being used. This is an easy fix if an approach is taken where there is a combination of self-efficacy and commitment to a school-wide goal. Something so simple can have a significant impact on learning. The University of Sheffield provides the following synopsis that validates the importance of this pedagogical strategy: Reflective learning is a way of allowing students to step back from their learning experience to help them develop critical thinking skills and improve future performance by analyzing their experience. This type of learning helps move the student from surface to deep learning. Daily reflection provides students with an opportunity to exert more ownership over their learning. Below are some simple strategies that can be used to integrate reflection into any lesson: Writing - A daily journal, blog, and LMS (i.e., Google Classroom) can be added as a means to not just review, but also reflect on prior learning. It can also be used as a form of closure. Simple reflective prompts can also be used. During a coaching visit I observed Zaina Hussein, a 4th-grade teacher at Wells Elementary, use this with her students (see image below). A great deal of research reviewed by Lew & Schmidt (2011) in their study suggests the positive impact of reflective writing on cognitive development. Video – Flipgrid fever has overtaken many schools. This tool can allow students to use video to reflect on their learning. They can be guided with simple prompts like the ones used by Ms. Hussein. All of the videos are then easily accessible for review on a grid. Think about the value of having students see and hear from their peers about what they either learned or struggled with during the lesson. In their research, Rose et al. (2016) found that video made the reflection experience more authentic and meaningful for both student and teacher. Peer interaction – Research by Hatton & Smith (1995) indicated that engaging with another person in a way that encourages talking with, questioning, or confronting, helps the reflective process by placing the learner in a safe environment so that self-revelation may take place. Consider implementing the critical friends’ strategy or more opportunities for discussion as a means to reflect. For more strategies and ideas on how to incorporate reflection into pedagogical practice check out this article. If you are interested in learning more about how technology can be used as a catalyst for reflection the check out this post by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano HERE. She also created a great summary image, which you can view below. Making the time for students to reflect on their learning leads to more ownership of the process, builds essential connections between both present and past experiences, provides teachers with valuable information related to standard attainment or mastery, and compels them to exert a degree of self-management as they become more capable of regulating their own learning. With these positive outcomes, reflective learning should become the new normal. Hatton, N., & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in Teacher Education: Towards Definition and Implementation. The University of Sydney: School of Teaching and Curriculum Studies.
Discover how to make reflective teaching and learning strategies a habit for students. Learn hands-on methods for visible student reflection.
One of the defining characteristics of a profession is that its members commit to reflect on their practice in order to improve it for the benefit of those they serve. This applies to policy and go…
Discover how to make reflective teaching and learning strategies a habit for students. Learn hands-on methods for visible student reflection.
“Reflective practice in higher education instruction”: It is a fancy name for thinking about your workday, and taking time to process the events in order to make better choices next time. Or, maybe I have a tendency to over-simplify things? The simple truth, though, is that education is a profession based on communications, and demands […]
Discover how to make reflective teaching and learning strategies a habit for students. Learn hands-on methods for visible student reflection.
The posters give guidance on the reflections in childcare and include what to reflect on when to reflect, how to reflect and reflection recommendations.
Final reflection on my experiences and Knowledge from Core Module 1- Overview: I am writing this essay to show the reflection of the PGCAP reflection on my though, knowledge and experiences, also…
Use this simple tool to help team members learn from experience.
Discover how to make reflective teaching and learning strategies a habit for students. Learn hands-on methods for visible student reflection.
Learn the 6 stages of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle along with the Gibbs cycle reflection examples. Know the meaning and purpose it serves.
Self-reflection is thinking about your feelings, values and actions. Follow this guide to a happier and more grounded you.
Reflective practice is important for all learners. Learn some great reflection ideas for the classroom and how to get started with these five easy ways.
The importance and benefits of reflective practice, with definitions and the background. Read about process, method, and principles of effective reflecting.
