Turning Feedback into Valuable Feedforward
Shreelekha Singh
August 16, 2024
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6 min read
“Feedback is the compass for greatness; it tells you what to avoid, what to learn, and where to excel.” – Henrik Ceder
The idea of feedback is deeply embedded in the human psyche. Almost everything we do leads to some form of feedback; whether it’s getting some form of recognition at your job, getting rebuked at home for a mistake, receiving scores on a school test, or something as common as getting likes on your Facebook and Instagram posts, we are all running in a constant feedback loop that dictates how we evolve.
In the sphere of education, feedback is a compelling tool used to shape students’ learning curves. But today, a fundamentally altered idea of feedback does not appeal to the learners’ innate impulse to grow. Feedback is often perceived as an evaluation or judgement passed on a student’s performance or capabilities and is merely reduced to grades, scores or impersonal comments, stifling motivation and creativity. To truly harness the potential of this powerful tool, it must be delivered in a way that resonates with the learner, encouraging them to see errors as opportunities to grow rather than a reflection of their shortcomings.
Advances in the education landscape worldwide have created a considerable buzz for the concept of feedforward as a viable alternative for feedback.
Simply put, feedforward looks at the future. The idea of progressing through measures and suggestions for continuous improvement forms the foundation of the concept. It counters the concept of feedback by eliminating the need for a response after **the completion of any task or a grade after a performance. Instead, it redefines the entire give-and-take relationship between the reviewer and the reviewed. Basically, feedforward focuses on future-oriented solutions rather than fixating only on previous performance.
Marshall Goldsmith, a renowned leadership coach, first introduced the concept of feedforward for business leaders, focusing on future-oriented suggestions instead of past critiques. Inspired by ideas from Goldsmith and others, Joe Hirsch expanded on the notion of feedback in his book The Feedback Fix, where he emphasizes the importance of feedforward. Both authors stress the value of focusing on future improvements rather than dwelling on past mistakes.
Hirsch defines feedforward as “a radical approach to sharing feedback that unleashes performance and potential of everyone around us”.
In a learning environment, feedforward stokes the motivation to become better. It is rooted in the notion of a positive future rather than looking at the negatives of the past. This concept empowers students to envision their growth and create a roadmap for the same instead of dwelling on their earlier shortcomings.
For example, consider a classroom scenario where a teacher assigns a week-long project. Traditionally, students work on their projects independently and the teacher provides feedback in the form of a score or a grade for all individuals once the project is completed.
Cut to the feedforward approach, the teacher begins by discussing the objectives of the project and the expectations upfront. Throughout the week, the teacher holds regular discussions and check-ins with each student, offering guidance on their progress. During the process, they talk about areas for improvement while also appreciating their strengths and efforts. This constant, constructive dialogue serves as a guiding light, helping students learn how they can do better and motivating them along the journey.
Let’s face it: Nobody wants reminders of their faults or limitations. Instead of serving as a reminder of what went wrong, feedforward shifts the focus to how things can be done better in the future and how outcomes can be changed.
Let’s revisit the classroom scenario we were discussing.
A: Thanks to the feedforward approach, students will not work on the project just for the sake of completing it.
It is not uncommon for students to procrastinate until the last minute and hurriedly put an assignment together just to obtain the ‘passing score’.
The concept of feedforward endeavors to eliminate this counterproductive habit. Students will be motivated to put in genuine effort and learn from the project, even if it is only because they need to show their progress in class.
B: The students will no longer associate project work solely with grades.
For many students, the idea of assignments has become so ‘futile’ that they often ‘outsource’ their work, even more so with the advent of tools like ChatGPT. In such a situation, there is little to no learning or growth for the student.
When a teacher engages with the learners regularly to discuss their progress and outcomes, it indirectly prompts the students to take their work seriously. It instills the idea of working to learn something rather than working only for a grade or score.
Even with all the research that has gone into and will go into improving the mechanism for feedback, the fact remains that it is retrospective. This signifies that feedback, in some ways, obstructs the recipient’s opportunities for learning and growth.
In stark contrast, feedforward is prospective. It allows students to rectify any errors or enhance any weaknesses in the process itself. This idea is premised on the notion that feedback is not simply a grade or a comment that you receive; it is a dialogic process of the constant exchange of ideas.
Discussed below are a few ways to put this concept into action and assess its effectiveness through visible results.
One of the most significant components of feedforward is deliberating about the future. Interactive learning is always productive, and by holding regular discussions with their students, teachers can instill the idea of positive change more effectively.
These discussions, whether generic or related to a specific task, should focus on the scope for improvement. Take the time to sit with each student and give them your full attention to identify areas where they may be struggling and how they can improve.
This exercise should always include at least two actionable suggestions for positive change. This approach works best when evaluating student performance on ongoing assignments or activities as it provides continuous guidance and encourages growth.
Plussing—the way of finding a good idea and making it even better—is a brilliant activity to create a collaborative learning environment. Practiced among the elites of some of the biggest companies like Microsoft and Disney, this exercise is also relevant for schools and educational institutions. It allows a group of people to ideate and iterate without the fear of judgmental feedback or language.
Instead of rejecting an idea upfront, participants must think of improving the idea with something better.
In a classroom, learners and teachers can sit together to bounce ideas off each other. As a potent tool to effect feedforward, plussing encourages a culture of constructive thinking.
Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “Feedforward assumes that people can make positive changes in the future, whereas feedback tends to reinforce stereotyping, self-fulfilling prophecies, and feelings of failure”.
Teachers need to interpret this idea of feeding forward and shape their pedagogy accordingly. Students should be taught to focus on what can be done instead of what is in the past—let bygones be bygones. Teachers can help build and encourage this outlook by emphasizing self-improvement and by persuading the learners to plan for the future during their interactions. For instance, students and teachers can sit together and set the students’ goals for the academic year or decide on a subject that they wish to improve in. Positive change in the future is a fundamental idea of the feedforward concept.
What many educators may not realize is that negative or unbiased feedback can potentially destroy an individual’s interests. With feedforward, on the other hand, the emphasis is on building students’ passions and hobbies, transforming them into valuable skills.
The best way to augment students’ potential is to be aware of their areas of interest and encourage them to actively pursue these passions. If, for instance, a student has a strong interest in football, a teacher can motivate them to seek formal training, watch more games, and find ways to improve their skills in the sport.
Even if their interests fall ‘outside the standard syllabus’, teachers must still encourage learners to apply the values learned in the classroom to their pursuits, helping them grow both academically and personally.
Feedback is a thing of the past, both literally and figuratively. The need to amplify students’ learning outcomes calls for the idea of feedforward. It not only motivates the learners to put in their best efforts but also changes their outlook towards education and life. In a way, feedforward is a constructive reinterpretation of feedback that eliminates certain inapt aspects in the latter.
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