Feedback that Fits (CEd0525 - Wk 2 cont'd)

The article “Feedback that Fits” is a reminder of excellent educational practices that sometimes remain undeveloped or underdeveloped in many teachers (myself included). I don’t mean to make excuses, but with the stacks of paperwork and administrative duties in the classroom, sometimes it’s hard to find the time to keep up with and strengthen the skills necessary to make one of the biggest differences in student learning.
As to the content of the article, I feel that the point made about how (or if) students hear the feedback is such an important one. At times I feel that it doesn’t matter what I say to a particular student because s/he has a preconceived notion as to how smart s/he is, whether or not the topic is interesting enough to warrant time and attention and that individual has already made up their mind that I’m not really that important to their education. So I think that not only do we have to consider how the student hears the feedback but also who delivers it.
In the example with Anna, many potential comments and suggestions for feedback are given but the article fails to mention that in some cases a particular comment may be received better if it comes from a different teacher. I believe that rapport with students can be a large influence on how they “hear” things. If a student has made up their mind that a teacher doesn’t care or is indifferent, that will affect how s/he hears any comment made, whether positive, negative, effective or not. However, if a student has a good rapport with the teacher, then the feedback is received or “heard” with more understanding.