Head of High School

The value of feedback

This Tuesday, I addressed the High School Assembly on the value of feedback. Specifically, I discussed the types of feedback that students receive at school, and why that feedback is important for them to pay attention to in their learning:

Term 2 is a big term for feedback. You will be getting feedback in a number of ways this term. Throughout the term, you’re likely to be getting feedback from your teachers on PoUs, assessments and checkpoints that you’ve handed in. You’ll probably get a mark, or a grade, but also comments about what you’ve done, and what you could have done differently.

Over the next few weeks, many of you will have 3-Way Learning Conversations with your teachers and your parents, where you’ll receive feedback directly from your teachers, and you’ll be responsible for leading a discussion about your own approach to learning. Later this term, you’re all going to get your Semester 1 reports, where, again, you’ll see feedback from your teachers about your strengths and areas for improvement in each of your subjects, and comments from your Tutor about your involvement in extra-curricular activities and sport, your attendance, punctuality and how well you wear your uniform, and a comment from Mr Watt or another member of the School Executive about our recommendations for how you might make even more of your time as a student at Emanuel.

You’re probably getting the idea from all of this that we think feedback is pretty important, and that we want you to pay attention to the feedback that we give you!

You might be wondering, what is feedback, and why does Emanuel think it is so crucial to your growth and development? Well, feedback is simply information about how we’re doing, whether it’s from a teacher, a peer, or even ourselves. It helps us understand what we’re doing well and what we can improve on. So, why is feedback so valuable?

Firstly, feedback helps us to identify our strengths and weaknesses. It’s easy to get caught up in our own perceptions of ourselves, but feedback gives us an objective perspective on our performance. The important thing is that we listen to the feedback and DO something with it. In the words of Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Feedback helps us make better choices by highlighting areas where we need to improve and where we can shine.

Secondly, feedback helps us to set goals and track our progress. When we receive feedback, we can use it to set specific, measurable goals for ourselves. By tracking our progress towards these goals, we can see how far we’ve come and what we still need to work on. I’d really recommend that you record your goals somewhere – be it one Edumate, or OneNote, or in the Notes on your phone or laptop – somewhere you can refer back to every now and then to keep a track on how you’re going in achieving them. Feedback helps us to appreciate the journey towards success, rather than just the end result.

Lastly, feedback helps us to build resilience and learn from our mistakes. When we receive constructive feedback, it can be tough to hear at first. But if we approach it with an open mind and a growth mindset, we can use it as an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and improve. Feedback can help us become better learners, better people, and better equipped to handle the challenges that lie ahead.

So, remember these three key takeaways: feedback helps to identify our strengths and weaknesses, it gives us information from which to set goals and track our progress, and helps us build resilience and learn from our mistakes. As you move forward in your academic and personal lives this term, seek out feedback from those around you, and use it to become the best version of yourself.

I hope that our Emanuel families might be able to take some time during each week to discuss and reflect together on the ways in which the feedback offered to our students might be considered and implemented, as a means of continuous growth and improvement.