Feeding a Growing Mindset

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           Source: Pixabay          

      Feedback can provide one of the most rewarding or unsatisfying feelings depending on what is said. Even when praise or encouraging words are given, they may not motivate as intended and oftentimes aren’t even feedback. Telling someone “Good job” without an explanation doesn’t address what they did right (Wiggins). Effective feedback needs to be specific. Praise needs to be given regarding a certain topic or idea and include why it’s right. Feedback should also focus on the efforts of a person to motivate a growing mindset (Gonzalez). I believe positive feedback and constructive criticism always trumps judging peoples’ work as it can lead to improvement and won’t discourage them. Although it’s important to give suggestions honestly, in my experience I’d much rather provide and receive feedback that commends ideas. It gives me confidence as a writer to be able to look at what / why I did something right so I can reciprocate it, instead of only receiving critiques which tend to bum me (and most people) out. The best feedback provides a balance between the two. A focus on the person’s effort and what’s done well on top of positive suggestions regarding what can be built upon should leave the person feeling motivated and with room to grow their mindset. A great example of this is being a mirror, reflecting back the content that’s there without judgment. Take the “I” out when giving feedback as the writer’s goal isn’t to please a specific person but to improve on oneself (Goldberg). These are skills I definitely need work on but will look to improve over the course of the semester.

Comments

  1. Megan KensingtonSeptember 24, 2020 at 12:19 PM

    I appreciate your thoughtfulness and honesty about feedback here. Notice the sections on your new Peer Feedback Documents (which you're making this week- Week 3!) where you can add a "Writer's Note"-- this would be a great place to tell any peer reviewers that you're especially interested in knowing what's working well in your pieces. I also hope you'll become more comfortable with supportive critical feedback; I think the strategies we're going to learn and use in our class will strike a nice balance between the two!

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