Fear of Feedback.

Feedback is defined in the Oxford dictionary as: “Information about reactions to a product, a person’s performScreen Shot 2015-11-03 at 10.44.53ance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.” Feedback can range from praise too criticism, each are equally importance. Praise allows us to realise that what we are doing is correct and that we are on the right path, it also makes a person feel good about their work and themselves. Criticism can create an opportunity for development, it allows us to view our work from another person’s perspective and most importantly learn from our mistakes.

I have titled this blog post “fear of feedback” as I believe that giving feedback can sometimes much more difficult than receiving it. Criticising a person’s work is never easy. You don’t want to offend a person or insult their work however it is also important to highlight areas for improvement so they don’t continue making regular mistakes. Personally, I prefer receiving feedback. I love being able to see where I have made key points and perhaps am working in the correct direction, but I also get motivated by criticism as I always try to better myself and my work. Sometimes when criticism is too harsh it can knock a person’s confidence and this has happened to me in the past. When your feedback is all negative and doesn’t give you any tips to improve it can make you feel like giving up so it is important as teachers we learn how to give effective feedback to allow successful  learning and improvement.

The feedback I received on my lasted blog post has so far been very positive. This has made this task a more positive experience. I was initially worried about the thought of giving feedback to people I didn’t know too well.  I sometimes find it easier to give feedback to people I have a strong connection with as you know exactly how to word any critique in order for them to take it on board but to not be offended. However giving feedback to friends can also cause you to feel pressurised into saying that everything is great when in reality there are various improvements to be made. Thankfully, both blog posts I read were extremely well written and met the criteria fully. This did make this process a lot easier for me as personally giving positive feedback is much more enjoyable than highlighting areas for improvement.

I have learned a lot from this task. Firstly, that giving feedback is extremely important to allow an individual to progress. I have also learned that giving criticism is just as important as giving positive feedback. I hope that overtime I gain more confidence in relation to providing peers with feedback, and this this found confidence will make giving small criticisms slightly less daunting.

This task can also teach us a lot for when we are on placement and eventually qualified teachers. It is important not to overwhelm children with criticism. This can not onlScreen Shot 2015-11-03 at 10.18.48y knock their confidence but force them into a negative frame of mind in relation to learning. Their are multiple ways  to give feedback such as 2 stars and a wish, stickers and reward charts. Although 2 stars and a wish can work positively in most situations, it is possible for some children to get fed up of constantly having an improvement and if their work is of high standards we shouldn’t force ourselves to find faults. I hope that when on placement I learn other effective feedback systems which I can use and develop in my teaching. I also hope that I can effectively use feedback I receive to improve my writing technique and teaching styles.

There are multiple websites giving advice on how to give effective feedback. I found this site very interesting and am sure it will be beneficial for future use:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger

5 thoughts on “Fear of Feedback.

  1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really enjoyed reading this. I completely agree with you that it is sometimes easier to received feedback than to give it for fear of offending or upsetting someone. Thank you for the link also, I am sure it will be useful whilst on placement. I would like to share this link with you http://www.shirleyclarke-education.org/publications. Shirley Clarke’s books on feedback and formative/summative assessment are a great resource and worth a read before you go on placement.

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  2. Hi Layla, I really enjoyed reading your blog post as I can really relate to the where you are coming from. It can be really difficult to give feedback to others, especially if you know that they are someone who easily takes offence. I also like how you related this post to placement.

    Looking at your blog as a whole, the image of the pencils down the left hand side really caught my eye and just adds that extra something to the post. Well done 🙂

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  3. Hi Layla,

    Congratulations of posting a very professional and thorough post. I appreciate we are not in a feedback group together, however, I have written a reflective based post on my own page in regards this post.

    Well done!

    Sean

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  4. Layla, this post is very detailed and you have shown such a good understanding of feedback! You were also quite critical and reflective throughout which shows you put a lot of thought into it! I loved how you related it to placement as well. You also spoke about the fear of feedback which I think everyone has and therefore it was very relatable!

    Well done 🙂

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