Source: Image of teacher, Public Domain, http://bit.ly/1A8HR8N
Hi. My name is Ashley, and today's lesson is titled Best Practices in Receiving and Implementing Feedback. In today's lesson, we will discuss the best practices for receiving and applying actionable feedback. We'll also look at the best practices for putting actionable feedback to action.
What are the best practices for receiving and applying actionable feedback? Ask yourself the following questions when receiving feedback. Do I understand what the goal is for improvement? Do I know how I will measure or determine when I have met my goal? Do I know the steps or action that I must take in order to reach my goal? Do I need support to implement those actions or steps? Do I know the expected timeline for reaching my goal? Will I be receiving ongoing feedback as I work toward the goal?
Let's take a look at a couple of these questions and see how they would best be answered. Mr. Omar has just received feedback from his evaluator concerning his observation that took place yesterday. His evaluator provides actionable feedback by telling him to use at least one formative assessment each day in a classroom to get a gauge of students' understanding in order for him to best provide remediation or enrichment activities.
Types of formative assessments that the evaluator lists for Mr. Omar are using whiteboards and having students write their answers on whiteboards and hold them up for Mr. Omar to see, questioning, using student clickers and remote devices, and the four corners strategy. Mr. Omar considers the questions that we just reviewed.
Do I know the steps or actions that I can take to reach my goal? Since Mr. Omar's evaluator uses actionable feedback, Mr. Omar has been provided with a list of things that he can implement in his classroom. Here's the next question-- do I need support to implement those actions or steps? Mr. Omar may answer yes if he's unaware of how to use clickers or remote devices.
Do I know how I will measure or determine when I have met that goal? Mr. Omar's evaluator suggests he use one formative assessment each day, and the purpose is to know where his students are in receiving the knowledge. Mr. Omar will know if he has met the goal once he understands how the data from the formative assessments help him prepare remediation and enrichment activities.
If any of those questions are difficult for you to answer on your own, it's encouraged that you ask your evaluator. Mr. Omar can ask his evaluator if he is unsure of how to answer any of those questions. His evaluator will be able to clarify for him. It is also beneficial to have your feedback written or recorded so you may refer back to it often and reflect. Remember, we are not perfect, and at some point, everyone has something that they can improve on in their professional practices. Don't forget, the feedback is offered for your benefit, to allow you to become an even stronger teacher.
What are the best practices for putting actionable feedback to action? Once you have identified your feedback as being actionable feedback and it has met all of the criteria, it is time to put your feedback into action. Ask for support in achieving your goal if you need it. The support may come from your evaluator, a coach, or a peer. Use a goal template, such as the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle, a PDSA. this template can help you plan out your improvement process.
Use the template to set your goals and actions that you will take. Keep a reflective journal of your progress. Request feedback from your peers during your journey to help prepare for the next evaluation. If you have the opportunity, observe colleagues who have areas of expertise in the areas that you are working to improve. Collect samples that serve as a good demonstration of your progress that you can share with your evaluator.
So let's think back to Mr. Omar and complete a PDSA applying this information. Mr. Omar's plan is to use one type of formative assessment each day. Here's where he would include this information, in the plan section. In the do section, here is well he will list the actions he will take. Maybe one day he will use the whiteboards for responses. He understands how to use the clicker remote, so he'll use that on another day. On another occasion, he'll pose a question and ask the students to go to one of four corners based off their answers. And lastly, another form in assessment, Mr. Omar will use his exit tickets.
Mr. Omar will study this data. He now sees that giving students these formative assessments helps him understand where students are performing. Mr. Omar uses the data to plan remediation activities or enrichment activities. Mr. Omar keeps some of the exit tickets and results from the clicker response devices to show his evaluator the next time they meet.
In the act category, this is where Mr. Omar will determine if this is improving his instruction, and he finds out that it is. He is able to remediate sooner, instead of waiting to the end of the unit and realizing that students are not understanding the material.
Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. Best practices for receiving and applying actionable feedback is asking yourself a series of questions to make sure that you understand what is needed of you to make the appropriate changes. It's totally fine to ask your evaluator for clarification. Best practices for putting actionable feedback to action is by using that feedback and applying it to a PDSA cycle, where you can make a plan for improvement. Also, keep a reflective journal and request feedback in order to help you on your journey as you make improvements.
Use the information from this tutorial to analyze previous feedback. Was it actionable? Use your feedback to create a PDSA cycle. Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The Additional Resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description, so you can easily target the resources you want.
Overview
(00:00 - 00:10) Introduction
(00:11 - 00:27) What Will You Learn Today?
(00:28 - 03:27) What are Best Practices for Receiving and Applying Actionable Feedback?
(03:28 - 05:51) What are the Best Practices for Putting Actionable Feedback to Action?
(05:52 - 06:31) What Did You Learn Today?
(06:32 - 07:08) Reflection
Effective Reflective Logs
This is an example of a Reflective Teaching Log from Ohio that includes teacher reflection and student reflection on the same lesson.
http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/0300-44.pdf