Education is the one thing that remains constant during our lives. The family system is the
first system we experience, while the education system usually follows. The educators
mimic the family system in many ways. Educators act as surrogate parents to those who
have experienced family problems and other issues. I agree that it is extremely frustrating
when a professor does not give prompt feedback or feedback is delayed.
The courses that give students feedback about what they know or don't know. Allow
students to think outside the book. However, some students do not enjoy being criticized
for their work. Criticism can challenge students to dig deeper into understanding a topic
(Berstein et al., 2020).
Effective feedback improves student accomplishment and boosts self-regulation during the
learning process. Researchers suggest that students respond differently to the teacher's
expectations. For example, students' and teachers' perceptions concerning teacher feedback
quantity and quality frequently vary substantially (Yang et al., 2021).
Feedback is also essential during our walk with God. We wait and listen to his voice and
what he is directing us to do. "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and
into the patient waiting for Christ." (King James Version, 2022, 2 Thessalonians 3:5). I
agree with the aspect of your critique that feedback is an essential component of learning
and influences student motivation. However, I believe Bernstein et al. (2020) provided an
appropriate level of direction on the nature of content, given the limited space in which the
topic was discussed. They describe ensuring students receive feedback on what they know
and do not know, as well is what they are doing incorrectly as well as correctly. In my
view, this is a simple, yet clear description of quality feedback in an educational setting.
My only suggestion would be to add recommendations on how the student can improve,
providing them with a level of guidance to move forward. I believe this aligns more with
Pan & Shao’s (2020) recommendation for developmental feedback.
b b b b b b b Prompt feedback is necessary for students to make progress, but I would assert the
quality/content of the feedback matters more. I am sure we could all tell stories of teachers
who gave feedback in a timely manner but lacking clarity, direction, and kindness. Brene’
Brown, a leading author and researcher in the arena of courage and vulnerability, coins the
term “clear is kind, unclear is unkind” (Brown, 2018, p. 47). Feedback delivered with
clarity and leading to understanding, along with compassionate delivery, shows respect for
the recipient. Jesus demonstrated this well for us in His absolute clarity yet kindness in the
way He spoke and taught. We would do well to follow His model of our ultimate
Teacher!. Your reflection here brings up some very key elements to effective teaching that
I much appreciate. b I enjoyed reading your recounts of instances where the concept of care
was provided and its immense impact. b I agree with you about the profound results this
can have on a student. b Teaching is not easy and requires a lot of multi-tasking ability to
not only be attuned to the individual learning needs and aptitudes of each student but then
what to do with those assessments. b The fact that your instructor recognized you were
capable of more and then took the time to challenge you further is commendable. His or
her effort not only instilled greater confidence in you but also apparently enriched the
learning experience of others as well. b I believe that by God’s grace, many times we are
placed in situations to spur one another on. b “As iron sharpens iron, so one person
sharpens another” (New International Version, 2009, Proverbs 27:17). Many of us have
inspiring stories of teachers who saw potential in us, believed in us, and took the time to
create opportunities to further sharpen our skills for good. b Your recount here is one of
those heart-warming accounts. b I too find much inspiration in Chickering and Gamson’s
(1987) sixth principle of high expectations. b In my mind, expecting much but reciprocating
by taking the time to provide the necessary support (as the instructor) is a reciprocal
commitment. b It is a team effort. Where those who invest their time to teach, present a
greater challenge, support the challenge, believe and invest the time and care for individual
to progress….to me that is a type of love (service) and that is where miracles can happen
all for the glory of God. b Your poor experience reminds me of many classes I have taken
myself. Classes where the teacher seems to assign more busy work than teaching material.
I agree that is it the learning aspect of being in school that helps keep students engaged. I
would say that your experience is related to the principle: Emphasize Time on Task. b This
principle focuses on the teachers' educating students on material rather than trivia.
(Bernstein, 2020) I believe this is also true of assignments that seem to be testing your
knowledge. I challenge you to look at the positive of this experience, you have found
Liberty University in spite of this unideal experience.
Looking at your positive experience, I would say that you hit the nail on the head. Dr. M
displayed the principle of Student Cooperation perfectly. She helped you and another
student with conflict resolution techniques and encouraged you all to work better together.
That is an awesome description of a good teacher. She displayed care and helped you grow
in your educational career and as a person. I hope that you take what you have learned
from both of these experiences and use it to help you fulfill what God has called you for.
Use what you have learned to improve your own professional development. Studies show
that teachers who spend more time improving their professional development have greater
impact on students
Your story really highlights the opportunity and responsibility educators have. There is an
adage that comes to mind which states, "no one cares how much you know until they
know how much you care." Outside of the seven principles from our text which we were
to focus on for this post is the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC). Bernstein, Frantz, and
Chew (2020) provide a table highlighting 28 attributes, but specifically identify eight as
"the most important." It is no surprise that "Encourages and Cares for Students" makes that
elite list. Such was the case for my favorite teacher as it was for the other student I replied
to. I suspect empathy and care are more soft skills that must be developed as opposed to
hard skills that can be explicitly taught. I would argue, given the weight of evidence for
the importance of caring, that teachers who do not demonstrate care for students ought to
consider different career options. My youngest son went through a similar experience with
his kindergarten teacher. I know that for me, my kindergarten teacher was a very special
person in my life (and still is!) and it was similar for my oldest son. We moved to Arizona
4 years ago, after my ex-husband's mental health took a steep decline and he became
heavily addicted to drugs. Things had been very unsafe and chaotic for us, and my boys
and I moved here to start over. My youngest also has ADHD and they had both been
through incredible trauma and change. I had them both in therapy and was doing
everything I could to help them heal. My youngest was struggling and having emotional
outbursts. I met with the teacher and school often trying to help. However, she was
triggering him in a lot of ways and would not acknowledge it. Instead of responding in a
calm manner, she would escalate, which would make the situation much worse. The
school's response was similar to hers, and so I pulled him and put him in a different
school. Fortunately, the new school and kindergarten teacher were everything he needed.
They were so sweet and understanding, yet firm with their expectations. However there
guidance remained constant, so he was able to learn right from wrong and work on
handling his emotions. They were flexible and kind, and I will never forget it. Like you
stated, a little bit of empathy can go an incredibly long way.
References:
Bernstein, D. A., Frantz, S., & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching psychology: A step-by-step
guide. (3rd ed.) Routledge.
King James Bible. (2022). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
Yang, L., Chiu, M. M., & Yan, Z. (2021). The power of teacher feedback in affecting
student learning and achievement: insights from students’ perspective. Educational
Psychology, 41(7), 821-824. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2021.1964855
