A Feedback Schedule for Teachers from Students
In response to an inquiry on Twitter, I'll briefly outline my feedback template for teachers from students. The suggested questions and prompts identified here will reflect my values but can obviously be adjusted to a different classroom and different set of values. The part that is non-negotiable: You must care about what students think and feel about the classroom experience that you deliver.
On Day 1, I do not go over rules, procedures, the syllabus, or anything like that. I ask the students what they want to know or hear about. Once we've exhausted their interests, I ask them to fill out a survey (using Mentimeter) in which they build a word-cloud for emotional associations with mathematics. Given the nature of the students I teach, many of the words are negative. I then ask them to make another word-cloud of emotional associations they would like to have with mathematics. We talk about both sets of words and share out loud what that has looked like in the past and what it might look like in the future. The exercise ends with a Mathacognition prompt (see another blog) asking students to elaborate on their emotional word-associations and to tell me when and how they've been successful in math and when they've struggled in math. This is to build a base from which I can inform my practice and establish that the thoughts, emotions, and words of my students matter.
About a month in, I give another Mathacognition prompt asking them how they feel right now in class against their initial emotions. It's ok for negative emotions to be there. Are they hopeful? Also, I ask if they feel comfortable asking questions, do they feel like they are valuable to the class, do they feel safe among their classmates and with me. Are they aware and comfortable with the "routine?" This second check in is to see if their "flight" mechanism is engaged or if they are settling in to the cognitive position where they can learn best.
At the end of the first semseter, I want to know if what I'm doing in the class is working for them. Given that I do things a bit differently than what they may have experienced in the past, I don't want to ask this question any earlier as nostalgia and fear of change may have too much influence. In short, I ask if they believe that the routine nurtures their best learning, if there is something that could or should change to benefit them, if they agree or disagree that I care about them as 1) a learner and 2) a person. I also invite them to edit the survey and ask any questions that they want to ask. For this, I leave the room and designate someone to be the official "suggester" upon my return. The students formulate any questions they want to ask that they think I should hear the answer. When I'm invited back in, the "suggester" tells me what was suggested without attributing names to it. (This year, I told my students that I would share this template with other faculty so they might see it again. The questions they wanted added: 1) Do your classmates make you feel welcome in the class? and 2) Do your classmates encourage you to do your best in the class?) When we return from break, I give them an overview of the results and tell them about any changes that I may try to make in response to their feedback.
Before Spring Break, I spend a class period conferencing with each student giving them feedback and asking them if I've responded appropriately to any suggestions that were made at mid-term. This is an informal conversation that either confirms that I have listend and responded or that a student still feels unheard and I have work to do in April!
At the end of the year, it's no longer about how I need to respond, just a matter of if I did and how the students now feel about mathematics. I ask them to reflect on their growth and if there is something I could have done better to foster more growth or not inhibit growth.
In summary:
Day1: Emotional state and goal setting
1 month: Are students on the path? Are there any red flags?
1 semester: What is working well? What could I do differently?
3/4 year: Are you set for a successful ending? Have I responded to your needs?
End of year: What was your path? How did I help you travel down it? What could I have done better?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
On Day 1, I do not go over rules, procedures, the syllabus, or anything like that. I ask the students what they want to know or hear about. Once we've exhausted their interests, I ask them to fill out a survey (using Mentimeter) in which they build a word-cloud for emotional associations with mathematics. Given the nature of the students I teach, many of the words are negative. I then ask them to make another word-cloud of emotional associations they would like to have with mathematics. We talk about both sets of words and share out loud what that has looked like in the past and what it might look like in the future. The exercise ends with a Mathacognition prompt (see another blog) asking students to elaborate on their emotional word-associations and to tell me when and how they've been successful in math and when they've struggled in math. This is to build a base from which I can inform my practice and establish that the thoughts, emotions, and words of my students matter.
About a month in, I give another Mathacognition prompt asking them how they feel right now in class against their initial emotions. It's ok for negative emotions to be there. Are they hopeful? Also, I ask if they feel comfortable asking questions, do they feel like they are valuable to the class, do they feel safe among their classmates and with me. Are they aware and comfortable with the "routine?" This second check in is to see if their "flight" mechanism is engaged or if they are settling in to the cognitive position where they can learn best.
At the end of the first semseter, I want to know if what I'm doing in the class is working for them. Given that I do things a bit differently than what they may have experienced in the past, I don't want to ask this question any earlier as nostalgia and fear of change may have too much influence. In short, I ask if they believe that the routine nurtures their best learning, if there is something that could or should change to benefit them, if they agree or disagree that I care about them as 1) a learner and 2) a person. I also invite them to edit the survey and ask any questions that they want to ask. For this, I leave the room and designate someone to be the official "suggester" upon my return. The students formulate any questions they want to ask that they think I should hear the answer. When I'm invited back in, the "suggester" tells me what was suggested without attributing names to it. (This year, I told my students that I would share this template with other faculty so they might see it again. The questions they wanted added: 1) Do your classmates make you feel welcome in the class? and 2) Do your classmates encourage you to do your best in the class?) When we return from break, I give them an overview of the results and tell them about any changes that I may try to make in response to their feedback.
Before Spring Break, I spend a class period conferencing with each student giving them feedback and asking them if I've responded appropriately to any suggestions that were made at mid-term. This is an informal conversation that either confirms that I have listend and responded or that a student still feels unheard and I have work to do in April!
At the end of the year, it's no longer about how I need to respond, just a matter of if I did and how the students now feel about mathematics. I ask them to reflect on their growth and if there is something I could have done better to foster more growth or not inhibit growth.
In summary:
Day1: Emotional state and goal setting
1 month: Are students on the path? Are there any red flags?
1 semester: What is working well? What could I do differently?
3/4 year: Are you set for a successful ending? Have I responded to your needs?
End of year: What was your path? How did I help you travel down it? What could I have done better?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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