When I think of feedback, constructive criticism comes to mind. Last class I had to complete a peer review for one of the group presentations. I must admit I had great difficulty completing the task. Not because I had nothing positive to say about the presentation, but because I wasn’t able to provide specific details on what I had observed. For this reason, I may have a slight fear of report cards...
I have always had trouble providing specific feedback because I am often unsure of how to say what I want to say and worry whether I am being too nice or too mean. To better understand where I am coming from it may help to know I am mostly a “Feeling” personality type; therefore I am sensitive and often take criticism personally. I know I have to work on providing detailed feedback so I can help students understand where they are in their learning and know where they need to go next. I want students to understand that constructive criticism will help them understand that learning cannot occur without practice. Constructive criticism is not a negative thing – This is something I must tell myself on a regular basis.
During class discussion after the Wild Card presentation on the topic of praise, Ashley mentioned reasons not to say “Good Job!” This sparked curiosity in me to look it up on Google. I discovered saying “good job” is ineffective praise because it is not specific. By providing specific feedback/praise, the more the student is able to recognize exactly what he/she is doing well. Something I thought was helpful was remembering to say things such as: “I really like the way you ... or Thank you for ....” These are easy ways to begin specific feedback for student achievement.
No comments:
Post a Comment