Page 78: The use of effective feedback
Following on from last weeks delve into exploring stepping into the role of mentoring, this week I am sharing my experiences in high detail, focussing and emphasising how I use effective feedback when supporting a trainee teachers development.
To explore this further, I have delved the process and pedagogy behind this into three sections.
1. A confident start, set for success
I can immediately think back to my time as a student teacher, the nerves kicking in, feeling worried and nervous about lessons and receiving feedback. What if I was rubbish? What if I forget something? What if it does not go to plan? ... These things are all natural, and I ensure to reassure trainee teachers that it is okay to feel like this but most definitely are not true. It is important to ensure that your trainee is feeling confident heading into the teach, eradicating the nerves and worries surrounding feedback so the lesson content and conduct can be focussed upon. Here are the steps I use:
- Joint lesson plan
Ensure all curriculum objectives and school based polices are in place e.g., the trainee has a confident understadning of the schools behaviour management policy to use.
- Joint lesson evaluation
A critical part of your trainee teaching is your independant lesson reflections. After the trainee has conducted this, sit together reflecting on the previous session, look at what can be adapted or implemented to support tomorrow's teach e.g., addressing a misconceptions, preparing a seating plan for partner/group work.
2. What should areas of development look like?
Now, the trainee should feel confident and ready to teach their lesson. Following on from completing the observation, ensure feedback is
(a) SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound)
(b) Precise
(c) Achievable
This is all about building small steps over time, not setting a 'wishy washy' developmental area which can be interpreted in different ways
e.g., improve behaviour management. This is not a good developmental target, it is not precise, measurable or progressive. A better option would be to begin to use instant reward or direct precise positive praise to motivate learners and support behaviour management in the session.
This model will ensure the the feedback cycle is ongoing, progressive and again that build up in small achievable steps, focussing on a precise area at a time to slot into the larger picture.
3. The use of both mentoring and coaching.
When providing a trainee teacher with feedback, ensure to model this highly. Dependant on the feedback given, then can be done through a mentoring or coaching model. In my practice, I use a combination of both, dependant on which is deemed more relevant to the specific feedback in context. The coaching is based on the task, the mentoring is based upon the relationship.
Mentoring: More general and fluid
Mentoring happens all of the time, this is your traditional and most seen dynamic of trainees learning from experienced teacher. A mentor shares knowledge and experience to support in developing a target area. E.g., reflecting on lesson feedback, class teacher models this in their practice to highlight further and trainee has a go in their next teaching session.
Coaching: This typically follows a more precise process.
When looking a coaching, coaching diagnoses and provides specific support to tackle a specific goal. E.g., working on using precise postive praise to support behaviour management in sessions. The trainee could observe the class teacher and behaviour lead in implementing this to work on the specific are more closely.
Example -
I have been able to reflect on my experiences as a not to distant trainees teacher, guidance and support given through my ECT modules and mentor as well as new leadership knowledge and understanding I have gained through completing my NPQ Leading Teaching to support my capabilities to give not just ant feedback - but good feedback.
- Miss Yeoman
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