Open and Honest Feedback
At certain points in the academic year we ask our students to give us open and honest feedback about our teaching and what is good about our teaching and what could be improved.
For some teachers this may be a daunting proposition; challenging or even seen as a threat but for others it is welcomed and is seen as a way to continually improve their practice. I place myself in the latter category and although some of the comments from the students can be hard-hitting, I welcome the overall feedback as it enables me to tailor my teaching specifically to the needs of a particular class and the individuals within that class.
We collect the information through Microsoft Forms. My head of department creates a generic survey which members of the department then copy and distribute to our students. Students complete the survey at the beginning of the lesson, which takes only a few minutes, and then at a later point I look at the comments and the information provided.
To help me collate the responses, I downloaded the information from Microsoft Forms into an Excel spreadsheet and copied the responses into ChatGPT. From there I asked ChatGPT to provide two paragraphs; one indicating the positive aspects that the students thought about my teaching and their learning experiences and the second paragraph to indicate what could be improved. I’ve included both of those paragraphs here.
What’s Going Well
Students appreciate the interactive and engaging nature of lessons, expressing a desire for more group tasks. They enjoy the opportunity to interact with classmates, finding it beneficial for understanding topics. The inclusion of group activities, class discussions, and collaborative tasks is particularly enjoyable. Students also like lessons involving presentations, note-taking, and structured topic exploration using booklets. Students find certain topics interesting, and they value the interactive environment where they can discuss and express their opinions. Additionally, they appreciate the teacher’s use of the digital SMART board, the relaxed atmosphere of the lessons, and the constructive feedback provided. The students find the teaching approach effective, especially when supported with examples, past exam questions, and application to sporting examples. The inclusion of group work, video, and the use of OneNote in topic explanations are also positively received. Overall, the students value the variety of teaching methods, the interactive elements, and the supportive learning environment.
Even Better If
The BTEC Sport students express a desire for more engaging and practical elements in their lessons, suggesting activities such as more practicals, university trips, and BTEC trips. Students also mention the need for better organisation of notes, with some suggesting improvements to OneNote for a less hectic experience. Some students prefer working individually, emphasising the importance of more individual work and detailed introductions at the start of new topics. They suggest revisiting old topics for reinforcement. There is a desire for more focus on topics for a longer duration, with some students preferring fewer group activities and more traditional lessons involving notetaking and answering questions. The students also highlight the need for more feedback, challenging recall learning, and a less scattered layout of OneNote. Overall, they suggest consolidating notes better, improving OneNote organisation, and incorporating more individual work and detailed introductions for an enhanced learning experience.
Then to make the information more accessible and manageable to me (and my HoD) and so that I can refer to it regularly I asked ChatGPT to further summarise the two paragraphs into a number of bullet points with a short sentence to explain each point. The bullet pointed summary is provided here:
What’s Going Well
1. Enhance Group Engagement: Continue to incorporate interactive elements such as group tasks, discussions, and collaborative activities to maintain the engaging learning environment that students appreciate.
2. Diverse Teaching Methods: Capitalise on the positive response to presentations, note-taking, and structured exploration using booklets. Continue to vary teaching methods to cater to different learning preferences.
3. Effective Use of Digital SMART Board: Maintain the effective use of the SMART board to facilitate lessons, ask questions, and encourage student participation, as this has been positively acknowledged by students.
4. Supportive Learning Environment: Continue providing constructive feedback, examples, and real-life sporting examples, ensuring that the supportive and relaxed atmosphere of the lessons is maintained.
Even Better If
1. Incorporate More Practical Elements: Address the desire for more engaging and practical elements by integrating additional practical activities and exploring opportunities for university and BTEC trips.
2. Organise OneNote Effectively: Focus on improving the organisation of OneNote to create a more structured and less cluttered learning experience for students.
3. Individual Work: Respond to the preference for individual and pair work by incorporating more opportunities for students to work independently, balancing collaborative and individual learning.
4. Focused Topic Exploration: Consider the suggestion to focus on topics for a longer duration, incorporating more detailed run-throughs at the start of new topics and revisiting old topics for reinforcement to enhance understanding and retention.
From just a few minutes of input from the students and with considerable time saved using AI, I was able to collect useful information about my teaching and present it in a meaningful and manageable way so as to inform my practice and support my students.
A really useful exercise and plenty for me to think about!
Is this something that you do at your school / college or something which you’d feel comfortable doing?
Please let me know in the comments.
