Feedback Strategies

Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset

There were a few things that I like about this article but to start with the main idea of being a "mirror" is useful only some of the time. I think that the idea is correct behind this but I think there is room for being a role model as well when giving feedback. Although being a role model may not be as good for topics like reading and writing, I feel that the best feedback I have received has been from people I look up to. That being said I feel this is where practice what you preach comes into play. What I liked about this article was it said to be specific. So many times I've gotten "feedback" from people but nothing was very specific whether good or bad, so I found it difficult to make changes if needed or see what was going well. This is why I want to be able to give as specific feedback as I can this semester because I feel this will help others, as well as maybe setting a precedence as to how I wish others to give me feedback. I also liked the idea of the feedback being transferable. I think that this means to allow room for challenge. I think that while people should be specific they shouldn't just tell people how to fix things either.  I think it is important for people to struggle and eventually find what was needed for improvement. 

This is an image of a mirror which I found on this website. I felt that it went well with the topic of the article I reviewed. 

Presence, Not Praise: How To Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement

First off let me start by saying I have tried to remove the yellow at the end of that link but I just can't seem to figure out what to do.... someone should leave me some positive feedback (see what I did there?). What I liked about this article was the idea that praise should be given to one who has achieved something difficult. I find it too often that I see people become lazy because they are just pleasing people who so often told them their work was good even if it wasn't that exceptional. I think that this can hinder people in the long run. I also liked the idea of just being present. I always found that if someone keeps tabs on me or just checks in every so often that I don't want to have them catch me being lazy or disappointing. I think this presence drives people to work even when no one is looking. 

For this class, I know that it will take me some time to get into the swing of giving feedback to people. But unlike last semester, I plan on giving specific feedback to people in order for them to challenge themselves as well. I think I can keep a presence by continually trying to check on a certain few people each week or so with my comments. I look forward to attempting to give better feedback this semester. 

Feedback Thoughts

Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it

I found this article extremely interesting because it described why rejection hurts so much. It talks about the hunter gatherers being ostracized back in the day and compared that to how small things can even make us feel bad. I don't know anyone who doesn't hate being rejected, but the truth is it makes us stronger. I think that like this article says is if we focus on every thing that we might have done wrong but make it punitive then you will not better yourself any, but if you focus on how you can change things for a positive outcome next time then the rejection wasn't bad necessarily. This applies to feedback in my mind with practically anything. We live and we learn as people say. I think that the social interaction part of the rejection process is crucial. I personally always feel better around friends when I'm in a time of need or hurting. 

Eight things students should do when they make a mistake

I also enjoyed this article because it focused on adjustments we can make when things don't go how we intend them to go. I liked the second tip of "know that there is always help". I find this so relevant to me because I feel that through guidance and communication I am usually able to get back on my feet and maybe even help others out. I also enjoy learning from others experiences and trying to make their learned lessons applicable to my life. I feel this article does a great job of describing that everyone is enduring hardship so to make it the end of the world when something goes badly is ridiculous. 

Overall, I think that feedback is great if it is given in the right way. I also think that feedback should be given differently depending on the person. I've had coaches who have yelled at me too much or not enough. I have had teachers who have graded too harshly or not harsh enough. I think that balance is the key in feedback but feedback should always be in the goal of helping one succeed. For me, the best feedback I can receive is one that makes me challenge myself in wanting to be better but doesn't make me think that I will never be able to reach a goal. This applies to schoolwork as well with everyday life activities. I think it is more important to praise people however than to be negative in the long run. 

I found this image on Pixabay. I think that a high five is a great way to show appreciative feedback.