In part 1 of this blog, I examined emotional feedback that supports student’s feelings, confidence, and mindset—how they feel about learning, themselves, and the task. In part 2, I explored behavioral feedback that supports actions and habits, addressing effort, participation, and behaviors related to learning. Here in part 3, I’ll focus on cognitive feedback supporting […]

“Decades of education research support the idea that by teaching less and providing more feedback, we can produce greater learning.” (Grant Wiggins) However, feedback doesn’t create learning by itself. Learning happens when students reflect on, act upon, and integrate feedback into their actions. That matches the message that I frequently share, “teachers don’t cause student […]

Most teachers recognize that students must pass through discomfort to grow. When learners are challenged with new ideas, unfamiliar skills, or tasks that stretch beyond their current ability, it’s natural for them to feel uncertain, frustrated, or even resistant. This discomfort is not a sign that something is wrong. It’s a signal that real learning […]

I recently received this request from an instructional coach: “I wanted to reach out to you for some resources. We are in the process of adding an extra coach to our building. I wanted to know if you have any interview questions, we can ask the interviewee? Since we know that many candidates will likely […]

Recently I saw this post on Twitter: “A lifeguard’s job is to prevent struggle but a swim instructor’s job is to encourage struggle. Should educators be more like lifeguards or swim instructors?” (@MikeFlynn55 the Director of Mathematics Leadership Programs at Mount Holyoke College and author of Beyond Answers). At the time that I saw the […]

In my use of backwards planning to gain student motivation, I am continually asking teachers to identify what student behaviors are needed to reach the student achievement that has been set as a goal. Very often they identify intrinsic motivation. When we take the next step in backwards planning, we have to examine “what teacher […]