Giving Feedback
Meaningless Praise
Whether you are giving feedback to friendly faces or complete strangers, your first instinct may be to give nominal praise in order to appease the receiver. You’ve seen the “Great post” replies to discussions and probably find them unsatisfying when that’s all you’ve received.
Loving Critiques
In their work on culturally sustaining pedagogy, Dr. Django Paris and Dr. Samy Alim use the term “loving critique” to “denote the position of deep respect from which [they] problematize and extend [existing scholarship and practice]” (Paris & Alim, 2014, pp. 85).
You can apply the concept of loving critique when giving feedback. This might look like building upon existing strengths and offering constructive comments from a place of deep respect for your peers and the early childhood profession.
Learning Lab
Read the two statements below. Both of them are feedback Participant A can provide to Participant B after watching video footage of Participant B in the classroom. Which statement is more meaningful? What specific components make you think that?
Statement #1:
You did a good job talking with the children. I can see they enjoy being with you!
Statement #2:
I liked the way you asked several thought-provoking, open-ended questions when you were talking with the children. I noticed times when you seemed uncomfortable when the children didn’t respond to a question as you anticipated, so you quickly gave them cues to come up with the expected answer. I wonder what would happen if you provided more wait time after asking each question? I look forward to hearing about how it goes next time!
Answer:
Statement #2. The statement begins with a specific compliment about what the educator did well. Then it offers a specific, objective observation about the educator’s practice and asks a question to extend their thinking. This type of feedback recognizes the educator’s strengths and gives them an opportunity to reflect on ways they might improve in the future. Now that’s meaningful feedback!
Citations
Paris, D. & Alim, H.S. (2014). What are we seeking to sustain through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy? A loving critique forward. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), pp. 85-100. [Journal article]