Abstract
The practice of giving and receiving feedback is an essential element of a wholesome educational experience. As learners are engaged in the vulnerable role of waiting for and receiving feedback, there is a significant and potentially problematic power relationship at play in the feedback dyad. This chapter proposes that the practice of giving feedback offers a great scope for innovation, and that critical pedagogy offers a theoretical lens through which such innovation may be understood. This chapter explores and defines innovation through the lens of critical pedagogy, which calls for the intentional questioning of existing power structures in education. A scan of the literature presents the importance of feedback in the learning process, and supports a move towards a dialogic, student-centered process. The writers share two case studies in appreciative feedback and provide a proposed model for innovation in the delivery of feedback. When viewed as a compassionate, supportive act, feedback is well positioned to benefit learners as viewed through the lens of critical pedagogy.
TopIntroduction
The practice of giving and receiving feedback is an essential element of the educational experiences of learners and facilitators at the higher educational level. Instructors, knowingly or unknowingly, are engaged in a constant process of giving feedback (Gonzalez, 2018), while learners are engaged in the more vulnerable role of waiting for and receiving feedback. As will be argued in this chapter, the practice of giving (and receiving) feedback is an essential, yet often less-considered, element in the educational experiences of learners at the higher educational level. Feedback isn’t valuable unless it is valued and acted upon by the learner (Dawson et al., 2019). Thus, feedback offers great scope for innovation, in moving beyond a one-way transmission model towards a dialogic process (Carless, Salter, Yang, & Lam, 2011). Yet, the notion of innovation itself is poorly understood. Often seen as synonymous with technological advancement, innovation is on the precipice of becoming simply a buzzword (Green, 2013).
This chapter seeks to reframe the term innovation as more than a buzzword, but rather a concept that can help to understand educational practices insofar as they relate to innovation and feedback. Thus, the discussions that follow offer a definition of innovation grounded in theoretical understanding—drawing from a theoretical lens informed by critical pedagogy and critical applied linguistics. A definition of critical innovation as an act of creative protest, involving a continuous cycle of problematization, imagination, practice, and reflexivity is offered. Of specific concern is the concept of innovation as it pertains to the practice of instructor-to-learner feedback in educational settings. Therefore, the second part of the chapter further explores this definition of critical innovation through two reflective case examples of appreciative feedback. The chapter closes with a call to action to stakeholders in higher education to practice critical innovation through appreciative feedback.
Conceptual Framework: What Is Feedback?
Feedback in education can be defined as information that is provided to a learner about aspects of their performance with the intention of reducing the discrepancy between a current observed state of understanding, and a predetermined educational goal (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Feedback is provided to learners not only to measure their learning or to provide a snapshot of what they know at a given point, but to support the uptake of new, valuable information about their performance so they can incorporate the information into new thoughts, skills, and understandings. Feedback aims to identify a gap between a current state and a desired state, so this gap can be altered as desired. As such, feedback should be formative, so that information provided can be used by both teachers and students to modify the teaching and learning experience (Black & Wiliam, 1998).
Terminology: Feedback vs. Feed-Forward
This chapter will focus primarily on feedback, the giving of information based on assessment of a learner’s display of skill or knowledge, such as an educational activity or assignment. The term feed-forward has risen to popularity in the academic sphere as educators continue to focus on how feedback can help a learner progress in a ‘forward’ direction, capitalizing on information they receive about their work (Duncan, 2007; Gonzalez, 2018; Higgins, Hartley, & Skelton, 2001). A more traditional view of the term feed-forward, however, is information given to improve a process prior to (or in conjunction with) a gap having been measured or observed (MacKay, 1965). Both feedback and feed-forward aim to improve the performance and uptake of learning. For the purposes of this chapter, feed-forward may be equated to sharing information with the learner on how to improve their performance before they complete a future assignment. Feedback is information shared after the assignment is assessed.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Appreciative Inquiry: A forward-looking process of committing to analyzing results with respect to continually improving towards a set goal.
Imagination: A thinking process that relies upon the ability to create new thoughts and ideas based on existing knowledge or conditions.
Dialogic: A process of sharing information, based on two-way communication between parties.
Innovation: A process of continual exploration and improvement, the application of better solutions to meet evolving needs.
Compassionate: To be aware of and respectful towards the feelings of others, with a goal of helping to support or alleviate suffering.
Feedback: The giving of information based on assessment of a learner’s display of skill or knowledge.
Critical Pedagogy: With roots in critical theory, an approach to teaching that calls for the questioning of power and privilege in the learning environment.
Practice: The process of carrying out actions, putting thoughts and knowledge into play to achieve a future goal.
Reflexivity: A structure that considers cause and effect, where one plans towards a future state, commits to practice, then reflects on the results.
Problematization: A process of questioning the status quo by challenging existing assumptions and biases.