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