Feedback Needs a Framework
Summary
Not all feedback is created equal. The effectiveness of feedback is largely dependent on the person delivering it. So, to do it well, we may need a framework to support and focus our efforts.
In a study on principals’ feedback to improve teacher practice, Edit Khachatryan found that delivering feedback can have varying effects that are dependent on multiple factors. Many educators likely know this; what Khachatryan offers is more clarity for successfully facilitating feedback between leader and teacher, including an expansion on a current framework for learning.
F.I.T. - A Theory of Action
F.I.T. stands for “Feedback Intervention Theory”. It’s a hierarchy of feedback processing developed by Avraham Kluger and Angelo DeNisi, based on a large meta-analysis. As Khachatryan presents it, how feedback is delivered falls into one of three categories:
Feedback that is focused on the person doing a task. (self)
Feedback that is focused on the outcome of a task. (product)
Feedback that is focused on the process of a task. (process)
As one might guess, the effectiveness of the three different types of feedback follow this order, from least to greatest. Praise or criticism toward the person (#1) leads to decreased motivation or defensiveness, respectively. Think “Great job!” or “You were ineffective.” Providing judgmental feedback about the task itself (#2) has more benefits, i.e. “That lesson was excellent. The students were engaged…” Nonjudgmental feedback that is task-oriented (#3) leads to the largest gains in learning. Example:
“You gave a group assessment that has individual and group accountability, which helps your students develop socially.”
What the author of this study did was use this framework and applied it to actual supervisory work in a school. Her goal was to understand a) the nature of the feedback delivered from a principal to teachers and b) how the teachers perceived the feedback within the constraints of an educator evaluation system.
Findings
Khachatryan reached out to one school (single-case study) that was known for teachers receiving frequent and consistent feedback about their performance. The author of the study examined all of the written comments as evidence for several teachers over two observational cycles. She also interviewed the teachers to understand their perceptions about the feedback, such as whether they found it helpful or not and why or why not.
The following are a few findings from the study:
The majority of feedback given to teachers in this school was feedback that attended to the process of teaching and the outcomes of teaching.
The most effective form of feedback was process-oriented; it caused teachers to want to improve and provided clarity on how they might improve.
Process-oriented feedback combined with a critique of a teacher’s practice was more readily accepted when the teacher believed the principal was knowledgeable about the content area observed, i.e. social studies, literacy.
Feedback that was focused on the outcomes of learning led to teachers feeling validated and affirmed, as long as the principal commented on an area they were working on for professional growth.
Even if feedback wasn’t effective in affirming or improving practice, the teachers appreciated that their principal was in their classrooms, noticing their work.
One more notable result: some feedback did not fall neatly into one type. For example, some of the written commentary about teachers’ practice was categorized as both process-oriented and product-oriented. For example:
“The routine you have developed of allowing students the opportunity to coach one another and explain orally how to use balanced equations promotes student learning and success. It is a brilliant routine and one that truly helps our students achieve high levels of success in your class. Afterward, Monica (student) said, ‘I am getting really good at Chemistry!’”
This combination of an objective and subjective observation is supported by evidence from the classroom in the beginning and at the end of the principal’s feedback.
Conclusions
Why is feedback less effective when we wrap our observations with our own opinions and perceptions?
Khachatryan noted that when commentary includes a judgment, the recipient is more likely to take it personally. To utilize subjective feedback, “additional cognitive resources are necessary to make the jump from comments about the ego, something innate to the person, to the task particulars or teaching moves.” It takes more work on the teacher’s end to parse out what is perceived and what are the facts.
The author concluded with a recommendation for current and future principals.
“As school leaders take on responsibility to observe teaching and provide feedback to teachers, and evaluation systems continue to raise the stakes for teachers, we need to think about how we build leader capacity to do this well. Moreover, we may need to rethink, and possibly redesign, the role of school leaders. Leadership preparation and professional development could concentrate on instructional leadership as much as, if not more than, other areas. Leaders need ongoing professional development (PD), especially in observing teaching and developing skills in providing the type of feedback known to be effective.”
Questions for Future Study
Near the end of the article, the author shared something I found interesting.
“Though a large amount of feedback led teachers to talk about reflecting and thinking deeper and more about their practice, only a minority of the principal’s feedback comments was taken up by teachers as areas to improve in their practice. Some of the items teachers chose to concentrate their improvement efforts were actually commendations made by the principal, not recommendations.” (my emphasis)
In other words, some feedback that led to actual change in teachers’ practice were the observations of what was going well. Teachers wanted to improve in the areas perceived by their principal as a strength.
This finding lead to some questions on my end, including:
Did the evaluative and compulsory context in which the feedback was delivered lead to more resistance in teachers when they were offered suggestions?
Should principals spend more time, even the majority of their time, noticing and naming what’s going well in teachers’ classrooms?
These are inquiries I am following in my own work with instructional walks.
Matt, I love this post because you take some of the mystery out of giving effective feedback, which as we all know is difficult to do well and to evaluate. My favorite line in your post: "In other words, some feedback that led to actual change in teachers’ practice were the observations of what was going well. Teachers wanted to improve in the areas perceived by their principal as a strength." This is common sense. When we sense people (teachers, parents, friends) think we are doing a good job at something, we strive to do better. We work harder at learning. We've all read and heard stories of students who became writers, artists, and more because one teacher saw and commented on an observed strength/talent. Effective feedback requires a delicate dance--focusing on the process in a non-judgmental, encouraging manner.