Here's how you can give feedback that your peers in the field of Educational Technology will appreciate.

From the perspective of working with educators, clear and specific feedback leads to actionable steps. Teachers don't have time for obscurity - so it's important to give the can be quickly addressed or reinforced. This allows for efficiency as they modify future lessons and lesson plans. Being specific is not only constructive for teachers, but considerate.

I do think the generally reinforcing the positives is a good thing, but the truth is there are some times when negative feedback is important. To be clear, before I explain what I mean, I do not mean approaching the feedback in a negative way, even though that is a very common problem among leaders. The feedback that you want is effective because it is true, actionable, and it is delivered with empathy. One mistake that is common in education is to demand that people stay positive or that they present themselves with a certain energy that is associated with positivity. But this really doesn't have a bearing on capability. It is better to focus your energy on finding a shared truth that makes both sides feel that improvement is possible.

Early in my career, my mentors always provided two areas of reinforcement (positive) and two suggestions for refinement (things to work on). The reinforcement was always first, and was valued as a young educator still trying to find my way in the classroom. The areas of refinement were treated as failures, but opportunities to enhance, improve, and boost my lesson or skills. We're losing educators at a record pace, so we must stay positive and supportive as we serve teachers.

Solutions could really be almost anything. So to clarify what that means, I want to explore a couple types of solutions. The first type of solution is an idea. This is something you give to people that is low stakes but potentially high value. Ideas are marvelous and incredibly valuable, but they have the major drawback of not being realized fully in many cases. The second type of solution is a plan. This is something you give to people that is moderate stakes and moderate value. Plans are great because they can be followed, but they also require a lot of work to get started effectively. The last type of solution is a strategy. High stakes high value. Strategies connect ideas and plans. A great strategy is worth more than either alone.

Some teams work best because everyone is as close to identical as possible. However, in an education setting, it is almost impossible to build such a team, and perhaps is not even valuable to do. Everywhere I go I'm looking for people who can do things I can't do. It's unlikely that I will find someone who can do something that I could never do, but it is likely that I will find someone that can do what I do well in a way that I might not. What I want is to see people thriving because of their strengths, and because my strategy or the strategy of others is built around the power of our differences and the power of our combined strengths. A great example in edtech would be teachers from different subjects who have different perspectives.

We throw around the term "best practices" often in the field of education as if there's a proven approach that supersedes all other methods, they are elite and unbeatable. If a teacher would just do these best practices, everything would be fine. Who defines best? Are these practices researched and tested in various settings? Is this research robust or lightweight? Are they successful with diverse populations in 2024? As educators, we know that a particular strategy may not work with all kids - if it were that easy, everyone would be a teacher! Humans and students are nuanced and what works with one student will not work with others. Therefore, we must respect differences and listen to the insights of others. Be open to learn and grow.

Remember, educators are often inundated with input and expectations. It is important that what we present adds immediate value and ease of use.

O feedback construtivo é a bússola que guia educadores e colegas em busca de uma jornada de aprendizado contínuo, crescimento profissional e colaboração eficaz. Através de um feedback honesto, respeitoso e focado no aprimoramento, podemos fortalecer as habilidades uns dos outros, impulsionar a inovação e alcançar melhores resultados para todos os envolvidos.