Thought of the Day: Saturday, July 26th, 2014

7/25/2014

Are we truly ready to receive feedback?

We hear all of the time just how important feedback is in relation to our own teaching practice. On Twitter, many educators constantly solicit feedback from others and they do this because deep down they want to improve. Soliciting feedback seems like the right thing to do, but are we truly ready to receive it? Personally, I put a great deal of time and energy into the planning that I do in order to have maximum impact on student learning.

This is what helps me to become a better teacher. I blog about my teaching and learning journey as it helps me to reflect on every aspect of my profession. However, I need to be careful because there are times when I grip on too tight. I believe so hard in what I do at times that it actually narrows my vision and when it comes time to receive feedback, I can't help but take it personally. It can feel a bit painful and hard to accept.

The reality is that as open as we are to receiving feedback and knowing that we'll improve as a result, it sometimes isn't so easy. When I catch myself feeling this way, it is a definite sign that I need to back away and take that metaphorical deep breath to calm myself and remove emotion. Only then can I be open to receiving the feedback in a proactive manner. I've gotten a hell of a lot better at receiving feedback, but there are times that it still isn't easy.

The purpose of this blog post is to get you to think about your own emotions, thoughts, and mindset when you are receiving feedback about your own teaching or any aspect of your life. Are you truly open to it or are you guarded at times? If you are guarded or feeling closed, perhaps that deep breath and letting emotion go will assist in opening your mind more consistently. This allows us to truly reap the benefits that feedback can have in our lives.

8 Comments

Vicky Goodyear

7/25/2014 09:50:49 pm

I suppose what we all hope for is good feedback – but in reality, is this really what we want? Is a lesson (or anything we do, such as writing a paper or an article) ever perfect? Is there nothing ever to improve on? If this is the case and we only get good feedback are we asking the wrong people to help us?

The emotional response I feel is good, although it doesn't feel like it at the time. I have a tendency (as @DrAshCasey tells me) to “throw my toys out of the cot” but in a strange way this is a good thing.

The advice then is to follow the “3 days pissed rule”. Take the feedback, have time to “throw your toys out of the cot” but return to it 3 days later when you can think about it more rationally. 3 days later you can see the advice in a positive light.

Thanks for this blog Andy – a very true insight into receiving feedback and this blog has certainly made me think about myself and how I respond to feedback ☺

Tania Mansfield link

7/25/2014 10:05:18 pm

Hi Andy,
I think it comes down to the culture of the environment & how feedback is managed.
I've worked in environments where feedback has been perceived as judgement - 'they're telling me I can't do my job" or linked to contracts & thus high stake. It was a very negative environment that thrived on competition rather than collaboration. On 'passing the test' (this is the teachers) instead of 'learning and growing'.
I hated it - and it let to defensiveness, a lack of trust and was not a natural process at all.

I've also worked (and was trained) in environments of support where feedback was a natural process. How could we improve as a team? How could we be more effective? It was a team environment and a culture of reflective educators.
To do this though the environment had to be safe, honest and respectful. The purpose of feedback had been established, & there was always a chance to follow up, make improvements & view perspectives.
Recently through Teaching for Understanding - I've been introduced to a new feedback model which includes - a value statement, a Clarifying or question statement, a concern and a suggestion. However, both parties follow this model and the important part if that the person receiving feedback has a chance first to reflect on their own performance / lesson / behaviour.
I've used other models and protocols where the person receiving feedback always goes first as these models recognised that it was more important to self-reflect and provide ourselves with some constructive feedback - otherwise how do we grow?

I have been very lucky to have been trained to expect constructive feedback as I began my coaching and teaching. I guess there are times that I got defensive - but having protocols in place stopped any arguments or discussion and instead led to reflection.

But I know what you mean - coming off the field after a bad game..last thing you wanted to do was listen to Coach. A shower, beer and some re-set time would have led to a more receptive team. (maybe!) But in the end feedback has to be seen as helping us grow, be better as we would hope for our kids too.

More often than not I've found that we are actually our harshest critics...so an affirmation which is also feedback - also goes a long way.
Great game!
Txx

Andrew

7/25/2014 10:22:45 pm

In many times it is who is giving the feedback and why they feel the need provide it. How we feel also could be determined by how much respect we have for the person giving it. My teaching partner was selected as our state teacher of the year and so I value his opinion but at times he could be harsh in terms of his directness on what he felt could be improved. I told myself 1. don't take it personally, and 2. listen to what is being said, not how it is being said (although that is a cop out to the person giving the advice).

I didn't usually lose sleep when an administrator gives feedback because most admins will admit to not knowing anything about what makes a good PE program. They mainly are looking for safety and management.

The hardest feedback to take is the unsolicited advice! I think that is where feelings get hurt. Sad to say I have been on both sides of that conversation. When I was the one giving advice that wasn't asked for sometimes later I feel bad because I get the feeling I might have hurt someone's feelings unintentionally.

As the previous poster, Vicky Goodyear suggested with the "3 days pissed rule", take the advice let it swirl around for a bit and then make a decision about what you are going to do with it.

When it comes to receiving feedback I feel when we are prepared to expect feedback we can handle it better than when it comes out of the blue. When we ask a fellow teacher to look for something in our teaching we can handle it better than when we are focused on something else and then feedback comes out of left field.

Tania Mansfield

7/26/2014 03:31:05 pm

I've read 2 or 3 times already here that PE professionals don't feel Administrators understand their Curriculum, Purpose or Programme.

Wow! This is really sad and really concerning considering that it is your 'corner' of the curriculum that is so pivotal in developing leadership, social, cooperative and problem solving skills - let alone developing self-confidence, spatial awareness, all the love and appreciation of physical activity, understanding how our body works and the health side.
Is this a conversation that needs to be had with administrators?

7/26/2014 03:33:06 pm

Bo Mielczak link

7/26/2014 01:22:42 am

Hi, you really made me search my soul. I don't have any experience with receiving a feedback. Through my 30 year teaching career I don't remember a feedback I took seriously. First of all, I have almost always worked in isolation being the only PE teacher in each elementary school I have taught. Also, I was evaluated by the authorities that were not familiar with Physical Education field. They use the general teacher assessment tool. We know that PE lesson can meet all the requirements of excellent lesson, but can be a luzy PE lesson. In my teaching I also consciously compromise required teaching practice to improve PE lesson. I grew up and received my degree from very specialized Physical EducationAcademy in Poland. In 30 million people country, there are about 10 physical education university level institutions with very rigorous consistent in each institution curriculum controlled by the education ministry. The students take classes that are specialized in physical education and sport; they don't take general classes available to students of other programs. For example, The 3 semester anatomy is focusing on anatomy of movement apparatus, 4 semester physiology mainly focuses on physiology of human activity, biomechanics analyzes principles of motorics of sport skills, etc. The 4 year course of track and field and gymnastics requires students to physically participate in weekly classes and learn teaching methodology of each skill taught. Students have to be proficient in most popular sports, including skiing, judo, fencing, dance, kayaking, rowing, ice skating, team sports and more and methodology of teaching them that includes even particular exercise order. Electing classes is not permitted. The education ministry mandates PE in each Polish schools from K until junior year at university in the annual amount that I serve in 4 years in North Carolina schools that I have taught. I'm a lifelong learner, I research a lot, read a lot ( including Polish PE websites and professional magazines), but my common sense tells me that I'm losing my skills since I'm limited to just scratching a surface in skill teaching and have not have chance to learn much from fellow teachers due to the overloaded schedule and isolation. Another issue is that after researching some PE university programs and having observed a bit of PE professionals, who can't swim, can't do cartwheel or are obese ( not to criticize a person), I developed lack of trust to training of physical education professionals in US. In my teaching, every lesson, progression, order, equipment I use, and it's location is meaningful and has purpose, which is not and cannot be appreciated by an observer without my background. Sometimes I do something very clever and get very disappointed that is so unnoticed and unappreciated, even by PE educators. I know I sound that I have too big head. Don't get me wrong. I admire many PE teachers and speakers I had chance to see in hundreds of PE workshops , lectures and conferences I attended in the last 30 years. I learned a lot and stole it for my teaching. There were many things at those professional development activities that seemed to be very basic, so I just wonder how come all these things are not taught at universities. But about receiving feedback, if I think about feedback, I have very mixed feelings due to lack of trust, especially after I considered taking National Board certifications and receiving letter with the requirements to become National Board certification evaluator. If I remember well, to assess my teaching practices, someone has to have 5 year teaching experience (5 years of teaching I evend didn't scratch the surface of our profession) and have degree of any US college. I would have hard time to have an open mind for feedback. Or maybe, I have to thin skin. About the professional isolation, I just discovered PE blogs and sites and am very anxious to take part in them; however, I am very limited in technical skills - have school laptop, but not allowed to get school ipad, nor access to internet on any personal devices. I'm very excited to attent the PE National Institute in Ashville to learn social media for PE teaching. Hope to see you there.

Ash Casey link

7/31/2014 09:36:58 pm

Hi Andy, Sorry for the delay in replying but I wanted to give this some thought. For coming up to five years I have written daily reflections about my pedagogy and I just finished my eight diary. The last page was dedicated to considering the things that I have told myself for the last 230 days and the messages that repeat themselves. These are the things I give myself feedback on and yet I am not always sure how much I listen to myself. So when I start thinking about feedback from other people I needed to think. In some areas of my work I listen very intently and make significant changes. But this tends to be in my writing. In terms of my teaching then I'm not sure. I wrote in my PhD that teaching was a private act and it was often only occurring between my students and me. Others could/might be invited in but generally that was at my invitation. I am not sure that that has changed. Feedback therefore either comes from those who opinion I respect or those who invite themselves in (often but not always people I also respect). That respect is vital when it comes to feedback. Do I trust that persons opinion. Also, will they actually be a critical friend and challenge me or will then sit on the fence and just encourage me. Research suggests that teachers often look for the good and overlook the not so good in feedback. While that is reassuring it is not always useful. So...do I take feedback well. I think so but do I make changes? Yes but it takes a long time. I need to tell myself things repeatedly so one bit of feedback might not have the power to make me change. As I said in my tweet (and using the words of Simon and Garfunkel) "a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the regards." I think I do that to easily but change is a time consuming and difficult process, especially when it comes to pedagogy.

Bo Mielczak

7/31/2014 09:44:51 pm

LEADERSHIP, LEARNING, & PErsonal Growth

Thought of the Day: Saturday, July 26th, 2014

Are we truly ready to receive feedback?

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