The Courageous Seek Student Feedback

Throughout the last two years of university teaching, I have left the classroom desiring more input from students regarding which activities were the most impactful, what they are thinking and what they still want to learn. I’ve always invited the students to verbalize these tidbits at the end of class, but I found this practice to be pretty ineffective. At the same time, I’ve struggled with saving enough time at the end of class for a proper closure. I would ask probing questions to see where the students are in their understanding of the daily topic, but I wanted something more.

Upon reflection, I decided to implement an old technique used by my very first mentor, Brian Jara from Penn State University. When I was his teaching assistant for Women’s Studies classes, he handed out little scraps of paper to each student at the end of class.  They would take a few minutes to reflect on what they learned in class, how they were feeling about the topic, share how they personally connected to the material, and offer feedback to class presenters. As we collected these reflections, we could also make personal contact with each individual: “Great job on that paper!” “Have a wonderful weekend,” and “Come visit me during office hours so we can brainstorm some ideas for your final project.”

I’m not sure why it took two years for me to implement this technique, but I’ve started using it this year as a way to gather anonymous, meaningful feedback and as a final closure piece.  I love gathering the little papers from each student at the door, making sure to use their individual names as we say our good-byes. This often prompts them to have informal conversations with me or to ask questions. When I retreat to my office after class, I don’t need to make guesses about how the students responded to the activities; I simply read their short reflections. I know what they enjoyed and why; I know what they still want to learn; I know if I am on track and guiding their learning in the right direction. I leave work with peace of mind. No more guessing games! No more agonizing over whether or not the students are “getting it!”  It’s an empowering process that I highly encourage, and it only takes about 5 minutes of class time.

I am saving all of these mini reflections. I know this is a resource I can use if I am ever feeling like an ineffective teacher or wondering if I am following the correct career path. My students encourage me, cheer me on, and let me know that they enjoy coming to my classes. They are making countless connections to their personal lives. Most of all, they appreciate the time I am putting into planning engaging lessons that feed their spirits. It feels good to know and it allows me to move on confidently.

I think this practice takes courage because it makes teachers vulnerable to possible criticism. Also, if the teaching practices implemented aren’t working, the teacher may have to adapt to the students’ needs. If teachers collect this information but don’t act upon it, does it mean they are unresponsive to students’ needs? Are they unwilling to change? Does it mean they don’t care? Are they taking advantage of their power? If instructors take the traditional route of only collecting student feedback via course evaluations at the end of the term, they are essentially off the hook. They are no longer responsible to those students. Needless to say, it’s also too late to make the course better for that batch of students. Opportunities for deeper, more meaningful learning are gone. Poof.

So I say BE COURAGEOUS. Give the students their money’s worth and then some. Make them want to come back for more!

I've included a few examples of student feedback I've received this term. You can click on each one to enlarge it, thus making reading easier. While reading through 14 piles of student feedback, I did not specifically seek positive responses. I'm pleased to say that the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with an occasional request for me to share additional information on a topic. Also, there were two class sessions that were apparently packed with too much information. My inner critic won't allow me to automatically assume that all of the students are pleased with every class. I am considering how to refine this practice further. If you have ideas, please share by posting a comment!

The Classroom As A Gathering of Spirit: Part 1

I walk into a university classroom with an understanding that there is a huge amount of collective wisdom in the room. Each learner will at some time be the teacher. As an elementary teacher, my students regularly humbled me with their life experiences and knowledge.  Everyday I stood before some of the most marginalized people in America (Native American children of low socioeconomic status with exceptionalities) and it always seemed that a balance was struck between the information I was teaching them and the information they were teaching me. Multiple times a week my students moved me to tears and opened a new window in my soul. They helped me glimpse truth.

And now that I am teaching at the university level I find that I am still moved to tears multiple times a week. If you can take some time to float outside of your body as you are in a classroom and just observe the learning environment, you’ll easily see that it’s a gathering of spirit.

A gathering of SPIRIT.

Student posts a thank you letter to a peer at the Message Center in my Language & Literacy course.

If a classroom is viewed this way, the “teacher” can’t help but understand the fragility of the situation. The attitude of the “teacher” becomes the most important determinant of whether or not the learning environment will be fruitful, stagnant or even detrimental. We lead our students by example. If it wasn’t so devastating, I may find it comical when teachers say that their classes would be more fruitful if the student’s attitude improved.

Students use Bag-A-Story materials to collaboratively write an original story. At each literacy center, the students take notes in journals about how the activities could be effectively implemented in their elementary and middle school classrooms.

In K-12 schooling, the students are required to attend. It’s their first job. When people opt to attend college, they are paying a huge sum of money to obtain the education they seek. Many of them, including me, will be paying for their education for half of their lives. Both of these circumstances must be considered as teachers prepare lessons, assignments, assessments, etc. We’re working for our students, and they deserve our utmost consideration.

Teachers should know what makes learning engaging. Just think about the last time you learned something. If you could not personally or professionally connect to the information, you most likely tuned it out and started sending text messages or staring intrigued by the lump of gum on the bottom of your shoe.

Students need the teacher to facilitate the exploration of how they personally connect to the material- it’s a matter of deciding on an appropriate channel. But how often does this important step get missed, or even skipped? Perhaps many teachers, especially at the university level, don’t see how this step is relevant: “These students are here to learn about environmental policy, so that’s what I give them.” But how much do they really LEARN? 

Student sharing her poetry.

Learning must be engaging, relevant, and whenever possible, authentic. So let me translate what this means exactly. It means that the teacher must be working tirelessly for their students as they prepare for class. It means incorporating community- based learning experiences, field trips, guest speakers of high quality, applying new information to case studies, completing field projects, developing thought provoking questions for discussion, modeling expected behaviors, and bringing the content of the textbook to life through hands on experiences. And then the students need time to reflect on these experiences in at least a semi-structured way.

I know it’s the research that shows that these teaching approaches work. But what researcher is going to say, “Teachers need to offer these learning experiences because they feed the students’ spirits.” We may not read this phrase in our education journals or hear it at conferences, but I believe this is the true essence of great teaching. Even the most aloof, passive student will have a more positive learning experience if their spirit is being fed in the classroom.

Student sharing his story to the class in the Author's Chair.

I hate to break it to you, but PowerPoint with a lecture just doesn’t cut it. It never did and it never will. The students may retain enough information in order to pass your final, but it doesn’t mean that you have appropriately prepared them for their future career. The modern day student is navigating within the information age. They come armed with more information, and ways to access new information than ever before. They can find your boring PowerPoint somewhere on the Internet, read it and file it away. When they sit in your classroom, you need to be giving them a UNIQUE learning experience. You need to be Ms. Frizzle.

So, your homework for tonight is: Take a minute to look up “spirit” in the dictionary. I think the definition of this word may surprise you. There are so many layers and possibilities when you think of this word within the context of a classroom. Also, if you don’t know who Ms. Frizzle is, look it up. Gee whiz.

PS. Afraid you may be a Death By Powerpoint teacher? You're invited to explore "From Death By Powerpoint to Life By Powerpoint with the Show 'n Tell Method" by Ellen Finkelstein. Get it free at www.showntell.com/whitepaper.html
What matters most is that you are always striving to improve your teaching approach- be proactive!