A fresh perspective on feedback in the teacher training study programme
The idea for the project arose when the lecturers noticed that feedback often missed its purpose. ‘What we saw was that feedback often went unheeded,’ says Jager. "Students received a lot of feedback, but didn't really know how to use it. Moreover, processing feedback is not really included in the study load. It's just added on, even though it requires so much time and thought." The lecturers therefore decided to take a closer look at their own teaching practices. They wanted to work more with targeted, continuous feedback that helps students to grow step by step during the programme. By observing and interviewing students, they investigated the challenges students encountered in utilising feedback and how they, as lecturers, could better tailor their teaching to those challenges.
Processing feedback requires space
The project gave us new insights into feedback, workload, and how students develop. "Some students were in a kind of survival mode," says Jager. "They are extremely committed and motivated, but lack the time and peace of mind to process feedback properly." The study also provided insight into how students dealt with challenges. For example, students often had difficulty remembering feedback. One student, for example, found his own solution to this. He wrote three fixed reflection questions in his diary so that he could briefly reflect on the feedback he received every day. This made reflecting on feedback a natural part of his learning process. This inspired the team to experiment with a feedback log this year: a central place where students could note down and keep track of their feedback. This means that feedback is no longer scattered across individual assignments, but remains clear and usable. The main advantage is that it makes it easier for them to discuss the content of the feedback and the patterns that can be found in it with students.
Learning together as a team
The project provided insights not only for students, but also for the lecturers themselves. "The most beautiful thing was that we really did this together," says Jager. "We learned from each other how to listen to students, what language to use and how to use feedback ourselves. That joint reflection was incredibly valuable." The project ties in with the broader development of scholarship of teaching: lecturers researching their own teaching practice and thereby strengthening their professionalisation. "You don't always have to publish something to learn," emphasises Jager. "It's about gaining insight into your own teaching as a team and taking steps together. A theme like this, learning to deal with feedback from students, requires structural and programme-wide attention."
Future: peace and space to learn
In the coming period, the team will be working on further applying their insights. The main focus will be on creating space for students. "Processing feedback requires time, peace and attention," says Jager. "We have to consciously choose what we let students do and where space is created for real learning." According to her, that space also concerns the conversation itself. Feedback is now often processed at home, in silence. It is rarely a fixed part of the contact between student and lecturer. "Assertive students seek out that conversation, but others do not," says Jager. "It is precisely by discussing feedback with each other that the realisation grows that it is not a judgement, but an opportunity to move forward."
Jager and her colleagues continue to focus on how students can easily gain insight into their learning process. "If you want to become a better lecturer, you need to understand not only your students, but also yourself," she says. To further this goal, the team organises various ways to keep the conversation going, both with each other and with students, as well as among students themselves. One example is going for a walk. They hope this will help students realise that it is also important to build in moments of rest. "It is often during such moments that the most beautiful conversations arise," smiles Jager. "That peace and quiet also creates the openness that we want for our students."
