Feedback Week 3

Image on Pixnio

The first article that I read was Criticizing (common criticisms of) Praise by Alfie Kohn. Kohn asserts that any kind of judgement, whether negative or positive, essentially hurts a child when giving them feedback. In fact, “good job” isn’t really feedback at all. It is actually positive judgement, and it can hurt a child’s performance just like negative feedback. Kohn’s article is very similar to the work of Carol Dweck, who believes that praising a child actually makes them self-conscious and not willing to try. Consequently, they underperform. Dweck believes that praising the process that a child is going through in order to complete something, such as a math assignment, makes the child want to better, and so they try harder. This is because a shift in their mindset has made them believe that they are capable. Unlike Dweck however, Kohn believes that praising process can actually have negative outcomes, as well. He states that “at least three cases” have backed up this statement, but he did not provide any further information. Without reading up on it, I will stick to Dweck’s research outcomes. However, I will consider that praising the process that a child undergoes could potentially make them feel like they are not naturally smart. You can access Kohn's article here: link.

The second article that I read was How to Construct Constructive Feedback by our professor, Laura Gibbs. She highlights the importance of being a “mirror”, which is explained in the article Be a Mirror by Gravity Goldberg. To be a mirror is to reflect exactly what is there and to not pass judgement on a student’s work. This includes eliminating feedback that consists of first person pronouns and focusing on the student’s process throughout their work. Gibbs also says to be a “witness” when giving feedback. Sometimes, a person can feel your support just by you being there for them, because they feel that they can trust you. Lastly, it is essential to be a “guide” when giving feedback. Being a “guide” incorporates three important steps. Firstly, the one giving feedback must observe an aspect of the work and offer a specific example of what it is that they are observing. Next, they must describe in detail how this aspect is affecting the work. Finally, the observer suggests specific ways that the work can be improved. You can access Gibbs' article here: link.