Why should teachers solicit feedback from their students at the end of the semester?
The answer is simple. Growth.
Our team and our school promote this practice in our five year strategic plan as well as the standards of professional excellence by which we coach and evaluate our teachers.
Seek feedback and measure attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of students about their work and contribution within the classroom environment. -iPlan17
We also highly value the idea and posture of Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset. (For more on this concept, see post #6 of the #60-60-60Challenge tomorrow.)
Here are some key thoughts for educators and teams to consider…
Students should be invited to reflect and share feedback about their learning in each class at the end of each semester.
Teachers participate in writing the survey questions.
Phrase questions to elicit specific, constructive feedback.
Discard destructive comments and personal attacks or matters of personal taste vs. good practice. (ex: Kids may not like the practice of a daily essential question, but if done properly, it is good practice and should be continued.)
Pay attention to patterns of consistent, recurring comments.
Pay attention to comments that describe specific behavior.
Filter every comment through the perspective that kids are honest, yet they are still kids.
Ask why.
What has caused you to grow the most in your field? What are your thoughts and experiences with end of course student surveys?