Giving feedback

As adults,giving feedback to children is one of the simplest things for us.Feedback on how they behave,feedback on the presentation of their work, feedback on their usage of language and so many other things.For me as a teacher,three things are very important-what is the feedback being given,when is it being given and how is it being given.I can particularly recall the case of a Class V child who began losing his confidence and was extremely disturbed because of the feedback given to him by his teacher.This child was hit to an extent that his entire behaviour became defensive.He was frustrated,angry and there was aggression in his behaviour.

Children had moved to a new Class and were still taking time to discover their comfort zone with the new teachers.Full of energy and seeking challenges all the time,this child would find it difficult to stay calm and would get restless very easily.One of the teachers was finding it very difficult to handle him and her feedback to him was "You have behaviour problems."He started believing that something was wrong with him and would hit his friends at the slightest provocation similar responses were also observed in situations at home.I feel the feedback given to to the child was judgemental and insensitive.It was given in the presence of other children and adults and also almost immediately.Individually talking to the child,understanding why he was not interested in the activity,beginning by appreciating his strengths and above all being nonjudgmental would have given different results.

How do we now help the little boy?Begin by bonding with him,understanding his needs,giving him challenges and channelising his energies positively.Appreciating him in the group and giving him responsibilities.All this will help him build on his confidence and self esteem.Feedback when given sensitively and meaningfully,will always have positive results.Every meaningful interaction has the potential for a shift.

The significance of a process

While planning any activity for children,a sensitive teacher keeps two things in her mind-firstly the aim and secondly the outcome.Any activity should definitely have a purpose behind it,this is followed by the plan to achieve it, and outcome is the end result.However,as a teacher I have always experienced that the beauty lies in the process to reach the outcome.The road taken to reach a goal is where the learning underlies.

One of the most wonderful memories is of an activity that I had planned for my Kindergarten children.

The theme of the month was "India's Birthday-Independence Day".A five year old child can relate to Independence Day only as India's birthday. Children at that age would see meaning only in the fact that on this day we celebrate India's birthday.The aim of one of the activities I had planned was to help children relate to lotus as our national flower.The outcome of this activity was the formation of a lotus flower with children, using creative movements.The entire process began with placing a lotus flower in a bowl of water and keeping it in the group during our circle time.Children soon observed the flower,its colour,the stem underneath,some touched and felt it,others wanted to smell it.The flower remained in the group for the next few days and children saw the petals opening wider and wider.Discussions in the circle time revolved around the beauty of the lotus flower and the way it was blossoming. children on their own shared that lotus is very beautiful , just like our country.....so lotus is our national flower.

The next step was the facilitation of the lotus formation using creative movements.The experience of having observed the flower bloom had stayed with the children.They were quick to come up with suggestions like............"We will form a circle ","Let us sit down and bend,then widen our hands to show the flower opening".Ideas and thoughts kept on coming for days to follow.We went on to details like the colour of the clothes they would be wearing to depict the formation,the kind of music that would accompany their formation.

Finally we were ready with our presentation on the formation of the lotus flower, and shared it with the rest of the groups during the Independence Day celebration in the school.

The entire process had been so meaningful,children expressed their ideas,creativity,learnt to work as part of a team,learnt to accept and respect the ideas of their team mates,bonded as a group and grew in their confidence.The outcome was amazing but the process was more relevant and significant to me.In the process of moving towards an outcome,abundant learning had happened.

Writing stamina

Sharing the experience of a parent interaction the other day.The parent of a Class III child had a serious concern that her child was unable to finish a lot of written work at the school and was getting incomplete work to be completed at home everyday.This was not the solution to her problem as she could not finish it at home either.This resulted in pressure from the parents side because in their anxiety to see her at par with the rest of the children,they would force her to work at home.Teachers at the school held the opinion that this was required otherwise this particular child would be lagging behind.The little girl was naturally losing her interest and confidence. Could there be another way to help build her writing stamina?Foremost is to understand the needs of this child and not compare her with the rest of the children in her group.When a written assignment or a worksheet was being in the Class,individual attention should be given to her.Encouraging her to begin her work and constant reminders along with appreciating her efforts would help.If the rest of the children were to write twenty lines,may be the goal for her would be ten to twelve lines.Breaking the task into parts for her would again be helpful.Helping her work on her writing stamina should be a gradual process .Pressure would only result in loss of interest and confidence.Another thing that needs to be assessed is her ability to comprehend the task.If required she needs to be given simpler worksheets and assignments. Being able to complete simpler tasks will help her grow in her confidence.There also has to be a coordination between the strategies being used at home and the school.Support and love from the teacher at all times will help each child grow meaningfully