Cultivating a Culture of Feedback

I’ve spent the past twenty years learning hard lessons about feedback on the fly, and none of them were lessons I learned during my teacher training — even through my masters and doctoral studies. Yet, feedback has been proven as essential to both education and work life. Everyone needs to know how to give (and receive!) meaningful feedback.

Why do we struggle to give feedback? How can we do better?

The what and why of feedback

Feedback is “the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source.”
In simpler terms, feedback is information that helps us to understand where we need to go, how we’re doing so far, and what we need to do to keep getting better (a long, oft-cited article by Hattie & Timperly here).

We are pretty good at giving positive feedback, much less so at giving constructive feedback. I spent years avoiding difficult conversations, only to watch bad situations balloon into miserable ones because I didn’t give constructive feedback early, when it could be acted upon.

Equally frustrating, I have struggled to receive constructive feedback. I did not know how to ask for constructive feedback, and when I did get it, I felt (and sometimes still feel) shame.

So, we need to take a dive into feedback. I’ll start here with an overview of some basics, and invite you to follow our free network for teachers, Anleiten, as we release a series of free micro-classes to help you know your feedback style, reflect on the impact of feedback, and hone those crucial feedback skills.

Know your feedback style

You’ve likely experienced many types of feedback. Some types are better than others. Feedback can be positive (praise, appreciation), constructive (critique), negative (criticism), or all out destructive (personal attack).

These styles can be delivered formally or informally, at nearly any time. Formal feedback is usually more expected, but can have less meaning, as it is often delivered well after it can be acted on. An example of this is a yearly review, a report card, or even a test score delivered weeks after the test has been forgotten.

Informal feedback happens more naturally (and sometimes with less intentionality), but more in-the-moment, when it is more actionable. Informal feedback is sometimes harder to be intentional about, because it happens fast, so it’s important to develop good feedback habits.

Knowing your current feedback type and being intentional about the kind of feedback you deliver can help you get you what you want and need from students, peers, and leadership.

Feedback in working and learning environments

Feedback styles impact our classroom and working environments — it is nearly impossible to engage students who believe they will fail before they begin. Yet, we know that learning can and does occur when students are given appropriate challenges and the feedback needed to make progress.

Studies show that a growth mindset is created through feedback that is focused on someone’s effort, work, and process. A growth mindset is deeply necessary for the rapidly changing nature of our world and workplaces of the future. Students need timely, appropriate feedback to develop the capacity to approach challenges in the classroom and beyond.

Feedback styles are also important in professional engagements with colleagues, parents, and leaders. How we deliver feedback to the parents of our students will undoubtedly impact their view of their child, our classroom, and their child’s ability to succeed at school. Poorly-delivered feedback can have impacts on a child’s life well beyond the boundaries of the classroom, for months or even years.

Feedback isn’t just for students. How we give and receive feedback sows the seeds for our working relationships too. However, many schools lack frequent and appropriate mechanisms for providing peer feedback or leadership feedback. Effective workplaces have frequent, appropriate, multi-directional feedback measures in place for employees and leaders. In this uncertain and difficult time for the teaching profession, school leaders need to encourage and act on feedback to retain teachers and strengthen their school cultures.

Give the gift of meaningful feedback

Most of us are happy to pay someone a compliment on a job well done, but struggle to give and receive constructive feedback. This is understandable — nobody wants to be the bringer of bad news, to risk hurting the feelings of their colleague, or to deal with angry students. And it’s even harder to hear if we could be doing better, especially when we’re stretched thin and beyond our own limits.

Fortunately, learning to give and receive feedback doesn’t have to be difficult. There are some key skills to master, and like any skills, they require practice. This month at Anleiten, we’re releasing three micro-courses.

Free for our community, these courses get at the heart of: identifying your feedback style; learning how your style impacts your working environment; and giving the gift of meaningful feedback (even when it’s difficult).

Are you a school leader or education director? Do you work in public or private education? Corporate training? If you lead people, we’re here for you — join Anleiten today!