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Teachers of middle and high school students know that these learners sometimes require pointed critical feedback on academic assignments to shape their learning. The reason that most instructors put substantial effort into providing often-detailed performance feedback is clear: to benefit the student. But many students-particularly those at risk of academic underperformance or failure-may instead misinterpret critical instructional feedback as a sign that the teacher lacks confidence in and is negatively biased toward the learner.

A factor that can contribute to students' negatively skewed view of instructional feedback is that it is often ambiguous, presented without an explicit context for understanding the intention behind it. This ambiguity leaves learners free to impose their own interpretations-for example, regarding a teacher's written or verbal feedback about an assignment as a sign either of caring and commitment or a curt dismissal of the student's abilities (Yeager et al., 2013). And, in fact, there is evidence that a tendency to construe teacher feedback in a negative light is more common among those students already sensitive to being stereotyped because of social characteristics such as race, gender, or economic class (Cohen, Steele, & Ross, 1999; Yeager et al., 2013). An African-American student, for example, might interpret a White teacher's written feedback on how to improve her research-paper draft as picky, unfair, and driven by racial bias rather than as representing a genuine desire to help the learner advance her writing skills. As a result, the student fails to heed and apply that adult feedback.

Wise Feedback: Supplying a Proactive, Empowering Explanation. Teachers can reduce the tendency of at-risk students to discount evaluative statements as biased by formatting those statements as 'wise' feedback (Cohen, Steele, & Ross, 1999; Yeager et al., 2013). The teacher structures written or verbal feedback to include these 3 elements:

Feedback description. The teacher describes the nature of the feedback being offered.

High standards. The teacher emphasizes and explains the high standards used to evaluate the student work and generate the instructional feedback.

Assurance of student ability. The teacher states explicitly that the student has the skills necessary to successfully meet those standards.

The wise-feedback strategy appears deceptively simple but is powerful in application. Wise feedback prevents the student from misconstruing teacher comments as negatively biased by proactively offering an alternative, positive explanation: the teacher is giving detailed, ambitious feedback because the standards of the course are high and the teacher is confident that the student has the skills and motivation to meet them.

Wise Feedback: Examples. Here are 3 examples of teacher critical feedback formatted as 'wise' feedback:

Wise Feedback: Example 1: Research Paper with Written Feedback

Wise Feedback: Example 2: PowerPoint Presentation with Oral Feedback

Wise Feedback: Example 3: Opinion Survey with Written Feedback

Wise Feedback: Additional Considerations. Like all teacher communication tools, wise feedback has constraints attached to its use:

Do not pair grades with wise feedback. When possible, teachers should avoid attaching grades to any student work that contains wise feedback. Students tend to view a summative number or letter grade as the 'real' evaluation of an assignment and are therefore likely to ignore comments that accompany them (Yeager et al., 2013). So grades can 'short-circuit' the positive impact of wise feedback. The reality, however, is that the assignment of grades is usually unavoidable in course work. One strategy to keep wise-feedback and grading separate on an assignment is to return the first draft of the assignment ungraded with wise feedback. The student is then directed to use the feedback to revise the assignment and submit for a grade.

Make student feedback 'ambitious'. In an attempt to bond with unmotivated students, the teacher may commit the errors of over-praising them for mediocre work or providing only easy suggestions for improving the assignment. Either strategy sets a low bar for performance and can backfire. When students sense that instructors have limited expectations of them, they can feel patronized and stereotyped, lose motivation, and further withdraw effort from academic tasks (Yeager et al., 2013). Instead, the teacher should praise work that truly deserves it and offer thoughtful critical feedback that, relative to students' current abilities, taxes them to stretch and expand their skills in a meaningful way.

Use wise feedback with large groups. Although wise feedback is an excellent tool to communicate teacher expectations to individual students, it is just as powerful (and much more efficient) when communicating with the entire class. For example, before handing back graded math tests containing detailed critical feedback, a middle-school math teacher prepares the class, saying:
(High standards) "By grade 7, students are expected to have fully mastered the many math concepts and operations taught in the earlier grades."(Feedback description) "When you look over this diagnostic math test that you took last week, you will see that I have written a number of comments highlighting where you made errors or failed to show or explain your work."(Assurance of student ability) "Judging by past work that I have seen from each of you, I can see that you all have the skills to be strong math students. My comments will point you to where you should put additional effort to ensure success in this course."

References

Cohen, G. L., Steele, C. M., and Ross, L. D. (1999). The mentor's dilemma: Providing critical feedback across the racial divide. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(10), 1302-1318.

Yeager, D. S., Purdie-Vaughns, V., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Brzustoski, P., Master, A., Hessert, W. T., & Williams, M. E. (2013). Breaking the cycle of mistrust: Wise interventions to provide critical feedback across the racial divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 804-824.

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How to Help Students Accept Constructive Criticism: 'Wise' Feedback

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Teachers of middle and high school students know that these learners sometimes require pointed critical feedback on academic assignments to shape their learning. The reason that most instructors put substantial effort into providing often-detailed performance feedback is clear: to benefit the student.

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Question 2: How can this resource help us as educators?

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Question 2: How can this resource help us as educators?

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Question 3: What are examples of Wise Feedback?

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Question 3: What are examples of Wise Feedback?

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Question 4: How can Wise Feedback help establish a positive learning environment?

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Question 4: How can Wise Feedback help establish a positive learning environment?

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Carol Dweck - A Study on Praise and Mindsets

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Question 1: What is Process based feedback?

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Question 1: What is Process based feedback?

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Question 2: What impacts does praise have on students development?

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Question 2: What impacts does praise have on students development?

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Question 3: How can Process-Based feedback help create positive learning environments?

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Question 3: How can Process-Based feedback help create positive learning environments?

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S.M.A.R.T goals - the world's most popular way to set goals!

What is a SMART goal?

Who invented it?

How do you write an effective smart goal?

It's never too late to look at your life and ask yourself "Is my life really how I want it to be?"

Each new day represents a new opportunity.

The very best way to start, is to put some time aside and thoroughly review your life as it currently stands.

Then, once that is complete, to take more time out to design your future.

With these new insights you are now in the great position to set yourself goals.

There are many different goal setting tools around but the 'smart goals' technique is by far the simplest and the most popular.

WHAT IS A SMART GOAL?

There are three different phases in the development of the smart goal:

1. 1981 - The introduction of the original 'Smart goal'

2. 1980's to today - Smart a la Carte hundreds of different interpretations of the smart goal by different authors including the introduction of the 'smarter' goals setting process.

3. 2010 - The

'Smartest Goals Formula™ - smart goals plus the best of the latest cutting edge research into how high achievers set their goals!

1. 1981 - The introduction of the original 'Smart goal'

When the S.M.A.R.T goal was first introduced to the world it was an acronym which stood for:

M. - Measurable

A. - Assignable

R. - Realistic

T. - Time based

In other words when you set a goal you had to ensure it was specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time based.

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2. 1980's to today - Smart a la Carte

The s.m.a.r.t goals concept was liked and soon became very popular.

As with many things that become popular, people all over the world began to share their thoughts and ideas. As a result each letter began to mean different things to different people.

Today many different definitions and interpretations exist.

One definition of the acronym however has been the most popular. It is this:

M. - Measurable

A. - Achievable

R. - Realistic

T. - Time based

Here are some of the many variants:

S - Specific, or significant, stretching, stimulating, simple, self owned, strategic, sensible...

M. - Measurable, or meaningful, motivating, manageable, maintainable...

A. - Achievable, or attainable, action-oriented, appropriate, agreed, assignable, ambitious, accepted, audacious...

R. - Relevant, or rewarding, results-oriented, resourced, recorded, reviewable, robust...

T. - Time based or time-bound, time- lined, track-able...

S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals are also popular today.

E. and R. are added after the letters S.M.A.R.T.

They signify the following:

E.- Evaluate, excitable, ethical...

R - Re-evaluate, reward, reassess...

But what does all this mean?

This means that if you are new to goal setting and happen to be surfing the internet to learn about s.m.a.r.t goals you will find a dozen and one different interpretations and could well end up being totally confused!

Not only that, the quality of the goal you actually set will vary depending on which interpretation you follow - and believe me they are not all equal!

My advice? If you are going to set a smart goal stick to the simple ,most popular, version above.

_________________________________________________________________

3. 2010 - The Smartest Goals Formula™

While I prefer to teach and apply the most popular version of smart goals in my opinion the smart goals concept as a whole has two big downsides.

Firstly it does not enable people to thoroughly think through their goals. The acronym is too simplistic for this.

Secondly goals should be 'realistic'.
But if we always have to be realistic how are we ever going encourage 'WoW' goals, goals that seem impossible like sending man to the moon, face transplants, cloning etc

Goals should never be 'dumbed down' from the very outset.''Wow' goals must be encouraged too.

The 'Smartest Goals Formula™

is an acronym that represents the questions high performers learn in expensive workshops around the world in order to set themselves powerful goals from the very outset.

is based on cutting edge research on goal setting and is designed as a process to use for important goals - goals where a significant amount of energy, time or money is about to be spent in order to achieve them.

My recommendation?

Use the smart goal setting process when your goals are relatively simple and straightforward.

Use the smartest goals™ for important goals - goals that you know will require significant effort, time or money on your part.

You can

learn more about the Smartest Goals Formula™ here.

WHO INVENTED THE SMART GOAL?

The SMART acronym first appeared in the November 1981 issue of Management Review.

"There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management goals and objectives." was the title and it was written by George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham.

Initially it was seen as a business tool and thousands of people across the world were taught how to use it. This was often as part of improving project management processes in business.

When it came to creating project objectives George Doran's framework was the way used to define and agree consensus on goals - it still is.

Today smart goals are used by people right across the world, for setting all sorts of goals; work and career goals, health goals, financial goals, personal development goals to name a few...

HOW CAN YOU LEARN TO WRITE S.M.A.R.T. GOALS EFFECTIVELY?

Most people have never formally been taught goal setting.

But setting goals is a skill. It starts with learning how to define your goal, and before you take any action to really think it through thoroughly.

Recommended Next Step?

Return to Smart Goals Home Page From Smart Goal

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What is a SMART goal? | Acronym Smart Goals

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What is a SMART goal? Who invented it? How do you write an effective smart goal? It's never too late to look at your life and ask yourself "Is my life really how I want it to be?" Each new day represents a new opportunity.

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Question 2: What is an example of a SMART Goal?

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Question 2: What is an example of a SMART Goal?

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Question 3: How can SMART Goals help facilitate positive learning environments?

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Question 1: What is the Self-Determination Theory?

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Question 1: What is the Self-Determination Theory?

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 Goals - Breakout Group 3
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