Monthly Archives: November 2015

Feeding back on Feedback

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For me, feedback is a hugely effective tool that can allow you to take control of your own learning whilst allowing your peers to help guide you to success. However, it is important to understand what makes useful feedback and what has little or no use. Below is a video clip that outlines 5 tips for giving useful feedback (in this video, feedback is referred to as ‘recommendations’). If you look at Assessment Futures (2009) Guidelines for giving and receiving feedback, you will see that this document also see that the same 5 tips feature here.

 

 

http://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/Giving-and-Receiving-Feedback.pdf

When giving feedback to my peers during this task, I consulted both of these sources before and after reading their work. This level of feedback was relatively new to me so I felt it important to pay great attention to the guidelines. I felt that being realistic was important however also felt it crucial to always maintain consideration for the person’s feelings. Therefore, being sensitive is also a key element in being able to provide useful feedback. However, feedback is only useful if it is honest. It is often hard to pick out areas for improvement when the work is of such a high standard and therefore I simply resorted to recommending a point that the writer may not have written about. I soon realised that this was often the case with my work also. Although honesty is important, it is equally important to also mention strong areas in their work, which can be carried into future writing.

 

When it came to receiving feedback, I found it to be a very positive experience and actually got me thinking a lot more about the standard of my own work and how I can try to improve it in certain areas. In most cases, my peers had commented on a point that I had not written about. This forced me to consider the depth of my work and how I should try to consider more outlooks on a particular issue, something that I will attempt to tackle in future. It also gave me a new sense of pride in my work as I realised that other student teachers had taken the time to read and critique my work. This idea of having value within a group may be able to be carried into the classroom and help to develop pupils’ sense of self-worth. Feedback can act as a hugely effective way of involving children in each other’s learning and helping to develop a sense of community within the classroom, which in turn can help children realise their own responsibilities in their learning journey.

 

When offering feedback in the future I will continue to follow the guidelines offered in order to help my peers reach the highest standard of teaching possible. I will also carry these guidelines into the classroom so that the pupils in my class are able to meet their full potential. Useful feedback is hugely effective in boosting self-esteem, which may then drive pupils to succeed and reach aims within the classroom. Feedback is crucial for both students and teachers, however only works fully when both parties cooperate.

The Enquiring Practitioner

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In order to understand what it means to be an Enquiring Practitioner, it is important to be aware of what the term actually means. From reading the “Practitioner Enquiry” section on the GTC Scotland website, I understand Practitioner Enquiry to be an investigation carried out by a professional in their own field in order to expand their knowledge in this area. This investigation is hugely effective as it allows us, as teachers, to reach our highest standard and provide the best experience for our pupils. This can be done both in groups and individually, each coming with potential benefits and difficulties.

 

Practitioner Enquiry has many benefits for teachers who are trying to develop their own knowledge of their practice. These include:

  • Empowering teachers and encouraging them to challenge the current status quo of education. Through this, they can transform the way that education works.
  • Providing a method for teachers to monitor their own practice. By monitoring this they are able to critically analyse their teaching methods and develop them, ultimately bettering their performance as a teacher which impacts the learning experience for pupils.
  • Developing their knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning. This new knowledge helps teachers make more professional judgements as well as enhancing their own self-esteem and professional identity. This, in turn, can have a direct impact on the way that teachers deliver their lessons to the class.
  • When working collaboratively with fellow professional, people are able to learn from one another and essentially broaden their horizons of thinking regarding teaching education. Through this, barriers are broken and teaching can become more of a team effort which can better the learning experiences for pupils.
  • Collegiate working with fellow teachers can help develop ideas and strategies until they come up with the best solution. This can then be carried into lessons to provide the best learning experience possible.

 

Below is an image taken from the GTC’s website which highlights the key elements of Practitioner Enquiry:

teachers-engaging-in-pe-570x428

 

Overall, Practitioner Enquiry is hugely beneficial to teachers as it can help to broaden their knowledge and understanding of their own field through being critical and analytical. This new knowledge can then be passed on to pupils and/or colleagues to improve their learning experience within the classroom, or in the case of colleagues, improve their own practice within the classroom. Practitioner Enquiry is also beneficial in helping teachers to develop new teaching strategies through being critical of their own practice and picking out the strengths and weaknesses of past teaching experiences. As a student teacher, I believe that Practitioner Enquiry will play an important part in my development as it is important that I constantly reflect on my own practice to ensure that I am able to provide the best learning experience possible and obtain a wide knowledge of the teaching profession.