Help Them Help You: Being Receptive to Faculty Feedback
At the Walden National Faculty Meeting this summer, I
presented a session to faculty titled “What Students Say Behind Your (Feed)back.”
During the presentation, I talked about some of the common concerns students
have with the way their faculty members communicate with them about their
writing. I was a little nervous, unsure if instructors would be defensive or
even interested in hearing about ways they could improve in this area. I
breathed a sigh of relief as my classroom filled up with faculty members eager
to hear student perspectives and ideas for how they can better meet those needs.
They asked questions, took notes, and were genuinely interested in how they can
change their approaches to better support you.
During the session, we talked through some sample student
scenarios, and I started to take some notes of my own, writing this blog post
in my head as I listened. Some common threads emerged when I asked faculty
members to share some of their own challenges, the problems that make it hard
for them to work effectively with their students on writing. During this
session, and in other conversations I’ve had with course instructors in my role here
at the Writing Center, I’ve heard these two issues more than any others:
“The student was offended when I suggested the need for writing help.”
There are variations
to this concern, often involving students who have gotten through several courses
with solid grades, only to find that this course instructor has different expectations
or standards. We all relate to this reaction; writing is very personal, and
negative feedback about your writing can feel like negative feedback about you.
I would encourage you, though, to step back and take a breath before reacting
defensively to a suggestion to pursue writing support. We see students at all
skill levels at the Writing Center, and we have yet to say to anyone, “Yep, this
is perfect. No room for improvement here!” We can all use another set of
eyes—including those of us at the Writing Center. This very blog post will go
through at least two rounds of editing, for example. Try your best to take this
sort of referral in the spirit in which it’s intended—as a desire to help you
strengthen your skills—rather than as an insult.
“I don’t think the student is reading my feedback.”
This can be especially frustrating, and
instructors who encounter this frequently will sometimes give up, cutting back
on useful feedback in the future out of a feeling of futility. One of the
biggest values of your education is the one-to-one feedback you’ll get from
your course instructor or chair, and you can encourage more of it by showing that you’re
reading and using it.
A few tips for responding to feedback
1. Course instructors use different means to communicate their
feedback. Some will send you e-mails, some will embed comments within your
paper draft, and some provide “wrap-up” comments within Blackboard. As you
start each new class, be sure to learn your instructor’s feedback style. If you don’t see any feedback after your first paper, ask the instructor. He or she will be
thrilled to know you’re eager to learn.
2. If your instructor uses shorthand or terms you don’t
understand, ask for clarification. Instructors would much rather you come to
them with any confusion rather than simply shrugging off a comment as unclear and potentially making the same error on the next assignment.
3. Thank your instructor for the feedback. It might seem silly,
but after a long night reading a dozen or more assignments and sending feedback
into cyberspace, it can be hugely gratifying to have at least one response from
a student saying, “I hear you, and I appreciate it.”
4. Use the feedback when writing your next assignment. I can’t
emphasize this enough. Instructors who make extensive writing suggestions
expect that you will remember and apply them as you compose your next paper. (For help, check out Kayla's blog post on how to apply feedback to your writing.) Your
instructor is looking for writing skill growth across assignments, and the
feedback you receive should move you in that direction.
5. The next time you receive writing feedback from your
instructor, commit to hearing that feedback with open ears, and responding to
that feedback with appreciation and a readiness to learn. You’ll make a faculty
member’s day, and you’ll be a stronger writer for it!
Practice: For the next 10 minutes, think and free-write about the way you usually respond (or don't respond) to writing feedback from your course instructor or chair. Do you follow any of the tips above? How does or how might following the tips change your writing experience? Share your free-write in the comments, and don't forget to respond to other writers.
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As the Writing Center's manager of program outreach and faculty support, Amber Cook's main focus is supporting faculty in their work with student writers.
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Honestly, sometimes I feel offended by comments made by my professor, but later I realize the importance of their feedback and I do follow the professor's advice in future writings. More importantly, I learn and grow from their feed back. I do make it a point to take the time to read any feedback.
ReplyDeleteBecause I am an educator too, I think it is important to respectfully thank your instructor for any feedback offered. It is encouraging to the instructor and student that learning is evident.
Patricia Parker-Davis
Ed.D. Candidate Walden University
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us, Patricia.
DeleteEnglish is my second language, I expect my paper to have mistakes. When I first enrolled at Walden University I felt embarrassed every time I received an edited paper from Walden Writing Lab with many comments. I also felt intimidated to ask further explanations. I am grateful for the professionalism and patience of the lab members and the Walden professors who despite of the circumstances, they always encouraged me to continue writing and learning from my mistakes. As a result, they helped me to believe in myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Anonymous! You are certainly not alone in your initial feelings of embarrassment and intimidation. We're so glad that you had encouraging experiences with your faculty and the Writing Center staff. If you have ideas for other resources the Writing Center could offer multilingual students or suggestions on how we can make multilingual writers less embarrassed and intimidated at the start, we would love to hear them!
DeleteInitially, I was a little offended by faculty recommendations when it came to my writing. I could not, for the life of me, figure out what I was doing wrong, and I was thoroughly confused my anthropomorphism. However, I submitted a paper to the Writing Center for review, and their feedback was almost identical to the instructor's feedback, so I tucked away my pride and made the corrections. My instructor was pleased that I followed the directions given, and my writing has improved tremendously over the years.
ReplyDeleteHi Ediemae! Thanks for commenting! Anthropomorphism is a tricky thing to avoid as we so often use it in informal communication. Glad to know you've found our services helpful!
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