Formative Feedback

As a teacher, I was pretty reluctant to accept formative feedback from others about my teaching practice and muted myself from giving feedback to others.  Certainly, I was open to sharing my pedagogical ideas and my colleagues could take it or leave it.  Otherwise, in my experience, FORMATIVE FEEDBACK amongst public school teachers was taboo.  I’m not sure why that is.  As a teacher, I’m a huge advocate for formative assessment for students.  Formative assessment is ongoing feedback to and from the student and teacher.  It’s also known as Assessment for Learning or AFL.  I give professional development workshops to secondary mathematics teachers on how to implement formative assessment strategies in their classroom to improve student achievement.  What about teachers?  I understand that teachers have a code of ethics, but providing formative feedback to peers face-to-face is OK.  It’s not about judging, criticizing, or belittling.  Formative feedback is a GIFT.  Now that I’m out of the public school system, I can’t do what I do without getting formative feedback from others.  I understand that feedback can be difficult to hear sometimes, but reframe what you hear.  When someone pays you a compliment, makes a comment, or gives you an idea to work with, remind yourself that the person only wants you to be a BETTER YOU.  Best gift ever!!!