Support 360 and student wellbeing Giving inclusive feedback to students, making two negatives a positive! Feedback used to be so simple. Green for ‘good’. Red for ‘bad’. ‘Wrong’ for incorrect and ‘right’ for… well you see where we are going! So what changed? Did students become more sensitive over time? Are we generationally molly coddling our students by not telling them when we make a mistake? In essence, this is the thought process of transitions that have been made throughout the last ten years. From the days of the 3 stars and a wish feedback process to traffic lights and smiley faces, it's now about the ‘framing’ and the ‘affirmation for change’ which makes the difference and creates an even platform amongst physically present and remote learners. Take an example of a student who has gone so far off the path of what you thought you’d taught that in all honesty the only real positive is that the student was attentive enough to know when the work started and when it finished. The student may or may not be aware of the ‘alternative’ route they have taken yet you do realise that your handling of the situation could change the course of the next lesson, term or full time attitude toward your subject. So reframing a disbelieving “ how could you have got it so wrong?” scenario (we’ve all been there), lets see what we’ve got. Firstly, feedback starts with the face as do all conversations. Those in a mask, it starts with the eyes, eyebrows and direction of look. Secondly, the hands and the body. Keeping them open, upturned gives the space to breathe. Thirdly, eye level. Have you ever been sat in a coffee shop and someone you recognise comes over , stays standing up and slightly out of angle to you. A very natural situation can suddenly feel awkward and displaced the longer a conversation goes on. Sometimes, unknowingly in this situation, a gap closes and it feels almost intimidating and the golden opportunity to stand and be ‘as equal’ has gone. Classroom desks and teacher positioning by nature can highlight this particularly in a distanced classroom. The alternative, create additional space for these dialogues to happen in a classroom. Decide before the lesson that if you need to give individual feedback, where will it happen?
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