Student Teacher Series: Providing Feedback

This past week, I sat down with my student teacher and her supervisor to discuss the midway point of her placement in my class. Prior to this meeting, we each filled out a mid-semester evaluation on her performance as a student teacher. This meeting allowed us to discuss all aspects of her teaching, such as her classroom management, relationship-building, her strengths and areas of growth, to name a few. We had a strong conversation around the scores we gave and the reasoning behind them as well. This feedback was beneficial to my student teacher, as it allowed her to check in on the progress she'd made thus far in my room. Talk about impactful information, right?

It's imperative that cooperating teachers, supervisors, professors and other educators give constructive feedback to student teachers, as it contributes to their performance as an educator. What better way to help a soon-to-be teacher than by sharing ways to succeed? LIFE HACK, PEOPLE!

Throughout the time my student teacher has been in the room, I've provided a combination of feedback: instant & delayed. Both types of feedback provide her with ideas, suggestions, celebrations and other information to contribute to her teaching. I find these two types of feedback beneficial, as one is immediate and may help guide the student teacher in her lesson in real time, while the other allows time for processing and reflection. Let me explain how I use them both during her placement:

Instant Feedback

• Instant feedback occurs in the moment and provides room for immediate change and internalization . It allows a student teacher to quickly adjust and adapt their teaching based on what the cooperating teacher thinks is more appropriate or effective. For example, providing a reminder to the student teacher about a specific skill they are introducing or how to respond to a behavior disruption in the classroom. Student teachers are still learning how to stand on their own in a teacher role, so the "quick access" they receive from a cooperating teacher helps them if they get stuck or in situation they can't solve.

• Another way that I provide instant feedback is by performing as a child myself. When my student teacher is actively teaching a lesson, giving instructions, preparing for the next activity, etc., I ask questions as a student would that intentionally target a situation or area of growth. This might involve asking about the directions and how to do something, asking why an answer is a certain way and not a different way, things of that nature. It keeps her on her toes and encourages her to practice her responses to these situations.

• According to the blog website Edume, "When you follow up learning with immediate feedback, it causes learners to pause, engage, and modify behaviour in the moment. Giving feedback instantly as opposed to periodically makes learning an active rather than passive experience." I love how they broke down the WHY behind instant feedback in this section, as instant feedback allows even adult learners, such as a student teacher, to enhance their instruction on the spot. The author of this article, Isidora Markovic, also shared that when "feedback is decontextualized from a learning moment, learners will find it harder to act on or implement, to improve their performance" (Edume.com) In other words, if I don't provide immediate feedback to my student teacher over a particular piece of her instruction, then my feedback later on may not stick with her.
  

Delayed Feedback

• Delayed feedback is typically what occurs after a situation that would require feedback is complete. For example, after a lesson is done and there's a transition period. Or, delayed feedback can occur during a prep period or after school. This is an opportunity for more conversation and reflection. I always ask my student teacher how she thinks the lesson/activity went so I can hear from her first. I find it valuable for her to reflect upon her own teaching and share how she felt about it. This contributes to her confidence in her own teaching. Afterwards, I make connections to what she shared and provide my own interpretation of how her instruction went. This could then lead to suggestions for improvement, acknowledgement of what went well or potential enhancement to the instructional time.

• ScientificAmerican.com is a site that prioritizes research-based knowledge, global awareness on a variety of topics and advocates for social justice. In one article, author Tori Rodriguez shares that "delayed feedback encourages learners to anticipate the answer, which may increase their level of attention to it when they receive it." I like this approach to delayed feedback, as it gives a person time to think and process. Sometimes it is more beneficial to give my student teacher time to reflect upon how her teaching went, then take time to talk about it with me, rather than immediately let her know what went well, what needs to be fixed, etc. By giving her time to think about her instruction and gather her own ideas on how it went, she contributes more insight later on when we do take time to meet and discuss.

Regardless if the feedback you give to the student teacher is instant or delayed, you still provide helpful tools & tricks to encourage and enhance their experience in your classroom. Both types of feedback give your student teacher ample opportunity to become a stronger educator while in your room and beyond. As I like to say to my student teacher and my coworkers, ANY FEEDBACK IS GOOD FEEDBACK! I encourage you to find a healthy mix between the two types of feedback, and find ways to incorporate both into your academic day.

Sharing Perspective. Encouraging Perseverance.

~Kendall