Seminar day June 13, 2023

Towards a Feedback Culture

Introduction

Giving feedback to colleagues might be one of the most difficult aspects of our teacher life. A quote heard on the previous seminar day illustrates this topic: “I tell my students what to improve, but I only give compliments to my colleagues”. But if we want to teach our students how to receive and act upon feedback, we should also be able to do this well ourselves too.

One of the results discussed during the wrap-up of the November 1 Seminar day was that we need to work on creating a Feedback Culture at RBS: an open atmosphere where feedback is welcomed and used for improvement. There are two prerequisites for a successful implementation:

• Prerequisite 1 = Creating a safe environment for providing feedback to colleagues
• Prerequisite 2 = Mastering the skills of feedback (what when why how)

These prerequisites will get center focus during this January 16 Seminar day “Towards a Feedback Culture”. The theory of Coaching for Learning (Voerman & Faber) will be introduced as a tool to improve processes of giving and receiving feedback among colleagues. The focus of the seminar day will be on colleague to colleague feedback, but the same principles can be applied in feedback processes with students as well.

Planning

09:15 hrs. - 09:30 hrs.    Welcome with coffee, tea and cake, PL.09.120 / 130

09:30 hrs. - 09:45 hrs.    Introduction by MT-member

09.45 hrs. – 11.00 hrs.   Keynote speaker Hanna Nieuwdorp, PL.09.120 / 130

11:00 hrs. - 11:15 hrs.    Coffee / tea break, PL.09.120 / 130

11:15 hrs. - 12:45 hrs.    Workshops (6 workshops for max 20 participants per workshop),

several rooms on the 9^th and 3^rd floor

12:45 hrs. -  13:30 hrs.   Lunch, lunch bags can be collected at the restaurant at the 8^th floor

13:30 hrs. - 14:00 hrs.    Plenary wrap-up, PL.09.120 / 130

 

Keynote lecture: Coaching for Learning, Operationalising high expectations with the aim of feedback, questioning and providing clues

Hanna Nieuwdorp (English teacher & trainer at Voerman & Faber Onderwijs Consult)

In this interactive keynote we will explore the theory of Coaching for Learning (Didactisch Coachen) developed by Lia Voerman and Frans Faber. Having high expectations and providing feedback are found to be some of the most effective interventions for teachers. Just telling students or colleagues that you have high expectations is not very useful though; your high expectations must be apparent from your behaviour.

 

CFL aims to operationalize/make concrete these high expectations by:

• Asking stimulating questions that help the learning process and make feedback possible

• Providing effective feedback that has a positive influence on learning (on content, strategy, modus and personal qualities)
• Giving a limited number of clues

We will zoom in on the use of effective feedback, look at what it does to students when used, and of course we will also put some of this into practice.

 

Workshop 1: The power of feedback - PL.09.110

Host: Hanna Nieuwdorp

This workshop is all about giving feedback based on the principles of Coaching for Learning (developed by Frans Faber and Lia Voerman). What is it like to receive feedback from colleagues? What does it take to be sincere? How can you make feedback more effective and when is feedback legitimate? How could giving more feedback help to create an effective learning environment at RBS?

In this hands-on workshop we are going to experience giving and receiving feedback, and practice with a specific focus on modus and personal qualities. The goal of this workshop is to give you enough input and the enthusiasm to actively start giving feedback yourself from the moment you walk out of the workshop venue.

 

Workshop 2: Category 2 and 3 questions and how and when to ask them - PL.09.140

Host: Miranda Jeandor

A very important way to create possibilities for giving feedback is asking questions. But not all the questions asked lead to effective feedback. Coaching for Learning is aimed at stimulating the learning process and motivation. What is the most effective type of questions to use when you want to activate thinking in students or colleagues?

 

Workshop 3: Feedback towards a more inclusive IB - PL.09.150

Hosts: Cheryl Gerretsen (IC trainer and researcher) and Dionne Markelo (Confidential counsellor on racism and discrimination for RBS)

Have you ever been in a situation or incident that was counterproductive to inclusion at IB and wondered what to do? In this workshop we will discuss real cases of in- and exclusion at IB and have an open dialogue about what is needed for us to contribute to a more inclusive feedback culture regarding inclusion-related issues.

After this workshop you will have a better understanding of the dynamics around the willingness to give feedback in our organization, as well as the infrastructure IB offers to discuss inclusion-related issues.

 

Workshop 4: Intervision as a tool for developing into a Professional Learning Community - PL.09.160

Host: Nicolette Hougee

For any professional learning community intervision can be a powerful tool. It encourages staff to pro-actively address and tackle problems they encounter. It provides opportunities to share experiences, inspire each other, develop better insight in oneself and in the team, and to come up with the best approach or solution to problems raised.

In this workshop different styles of intervision will be presented after which you will experience the power of intervision yourself.

 

Workshop 5: Avoiding common pitfalls of giving and receiving feedback - PL.03.120

Host: Maria Lesser

Giving feedback effectively is a skill to be developed, and feedback literacy is an important part of developing this skill. In this session, we will explore common challenges and the mistakes we make when giving feedback to others and the factors that inhibit a proper reception of feedback. We also go into the negative consequences of our mistakes in giving and receiving feedback and some strategies to repair and prepare for better feedback moments.

 

Workshop 6: Feedback as a recipe for future action - PL.03.130

Host: Suzanne Fagel

This workshop will focus on providing feedback based on the principles of Coaching for Learning and Austin’s butterfly. After a brief explanation of these principles and the influence they have on our willingness to accept and process feedback, we will practice giving and receiving feedback in a hands-on workshop, focusing on giving feedback not just on content, but also on process, mode, and personal qualities.