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.
e e e e e e 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. e I enjoyed reading your
recounts of instances where the concept of care was provided and its immense impact. e
I agree with you about the profound results this can have on a student. e 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.
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.
I believe that by God’s grace, many times we are placed in situations to spur one
another on. e “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. e Your recount here is one of those heart-warming accounts. e
I too find much inspiration in Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) sixth principle of high
expectations. e In my mind, expecting much but reciprocating by taking the time to
provide the necessary support (as the instructor) is a reciprocal commitment. e 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. e 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. e 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
