I got this feedback from a teacher a few days ago about my Masterclass titled ‘Are You Teaching or Just Testing Skills?’. It made me elated. <3
It also made me think about the importance of being ‘good’ at giving feedback.
And by ‘good’ I mean being respectful, positive, tactful, always encouraging, and always, always, ALWAYS starting with WHAT WORKED in a lesson, a lesson plan, or in the feedback a teacher has given their learner on their written work.
I find that is important because it puts teachers at ease and disarms their defenses. Which then makes them soooo much more receptive to everything else too (–’affective filter disarmament’, ha! :D)
On high-stakes training courses preparing to get your feedback can especially feel nerve-wrecking; a bit like going to the dentist, as one of my lovely trainees put it recently (‘…you know it’s inevitable, but you always feel better AFTER’).
What’s YOUR experience with giving and receiving feedback? How do you give feedback to your learners? Does it ‘give them wings’? Or perhaps accidentally demoralize them at times…?
There’s a fine line between giving kind, but useful –i.e. specific and clear– pointers to our learners, and bumming them out… :O How do YOU walk this line?
#ieltsteacher, #IELTSTeacherTrainer, #IELTSTeacherTraining, #ELTskillsteacher,
#feedback
