• Subscribe

    Sign up here for our monthly newsletter.

    • Learning Forward

    Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.

    Menu

    Inspire Learning, Not Dread

    Create a feedback culture that leads to improved practice

    By Learning Forward
    Categories: Educator evaluation
    December 2014
    Policymakers have turned to teacher evaluation as one way to ensure accountability for school reform. In most evaluation systems, the emphasis focuses on the external: test scores, observations of classroom practices, rubric-based assessments, student feedback, evaluation, and student work. While these activities have a place in professional development, they distract from the most important variable of all: the teacher’s mindset about continued growth and learning. How professionals receive and apply feedback is the cornerstone in any system for improving teacher performance. Feedback is most often given during teacher evaluations, after classroom observations, after walk-throughs, during peer reviews, and sometimes within the context of coaching. However, this leaves out the teacher’s cognitive capital. Cognitive capital defines the inner resources of a teacher, which frames thought and

    Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

    Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

    Log In
       
    Forgot password? Click here to reset
    New User? Click here to register

    Authors

    James L. Roussin and Diane P. Zimmerman

    James L. Roussin (jim.roussin@gmail.com) is executive director of Generative Learning. Diane P. Zimmerman (dpzimmer@gmail.com) is an educational consultant and writer.

    Reflection Tool: Calibrating Feedback

    The best way to know when feedback has been accepted and will likely shape practice is to ask for feedback about the feedback. By doing so, the giver of feedback capitalizes on teacher thinking and seeks agreement on next steps. This guide is based on Stone and Heen’s (2014) work on triggers that distort feedback. These questions represent a small portion of what could be asked, so use them to get started and then decide on your own questions.
    TRIGGERS

    		 FEEDBACK PROVIDER’S QUESTIONS

    		 RECEIVER’S REFLECTIONS
    TRUTH TRIGGERS

    Are we honest with each other?

    		 In what parts of our conversation did you feel most understood?

    What data might we collect to help us with your next steps?

    Did you find yourself holding back on any of your answers?

    Did you disagree with anything I said or feel that my feedback did not match your perceptions?

    		 Did I speak up from a place of truth about how I perceived the feedback?

    If I held back information or was disingenuous, what do I perceive is triggering the response?

    What might happen that would make me more willing to say the truth?

    What data could we collect to show a truer viewpoint?
    RELATIONSHIP TRIGGERS

    Do we value the time spent in relationship?

    		 How has this conversation been different from other conversations we have at work?

    How has this conversation helped us come to know each other better?

    What parts of this conversation did you most value?

    Did you feel that I had your best interest in mind during the conversation?

    		 Did I in any way feel devalued by the person giving me the feedback?

    Was my viewpoint solicited and listened to?

    Did I feel talked down to?

    How would I like this conversation to be different in the future?
    IDENTITY TRIGGERS

    Did this conversation engender positive beliefs about my own capabilities?

    		 How reflective was our conversation?

    Did we probe deeply or just stay on the surface?

    Did you at any time feel that you just wanted to get this over, and, if so, at what point in the conversation?

    At what moments in the conversation did you feel your thinking most valued?

    In what ways does this conversation increase your faith in your own capabilities?

    		 Did this conversation feel safe enough that I was willing to reflect on my deeper self?

    Did I come to better understand or shift my ideas about the topic?

    In what ways did this conversation support my identity of being a learner?

    What does feedback reveal about how I see myself?

    Is this an organizational culture I trust?

    References

    Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.

    Costa, A., Garmston, R., & Zimmerman, D. (2014). Cognitive capital: Investing in teacher quality. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.

    Hoy, W.K., Sweetland, S.R., & Smith, P.A. (2002). Toward an organizational model of achievement in high schools: The significance of collective efficacy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 38(1), 77-93.

    Kegan, R. (1994). In over our heads: The mental demands of modern life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Lipton, L. & Wellman, B. (2012). Got data? Now what? Creating and leading cultures of inquiry. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

    Myung, J. & Martinez, K. (2013). Strategies for enhancing impact of post-observation feedback for teachers [Brief]. Stanford, CA: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

    Stone, D. & Heen, S. (2014). Thanks for the feedback. The science and art of receiving feedback well. New York, NY: Viking.

    Image for aesthetic effect only - Learning-forward-logo-square
    + posts

    Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

    Categories: Educator evaluation

    Search
    The Learning Professional

    Published Date
    Reset

    CURRENT ISSUE

  • Subscribe

    • Recent Issues

    LEARNING TO PIVOT
    August 2024

    Sometimes new information and situations call for major change. This issue...

    GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
    June 2024

    What does professional learning look like around the world? This issue...

    WHERE TECHNOLOGY CAN TAKE US
    April 2024

    Technology is both a topic and a tool for professional learning. This...

    EVALUATING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
    February 2024

    How do you know your professional learning is working? This issue digs...

  • © Copyright Learning Forward
    • Skip to content