Settling into my comfortable chair, I leaf through my students’ first papers. Maribel’s writing flows beautifully, and Iponder where I can help her improve—students who write lovely prose deserve critique and inspiration, too. Turning to Dan’s unorganized paper, I sigh; he needs much feedback and encouragement to improve his focus.

Teachers walk a tightrope to balance inspiration and critique and engage students. Leaning toward inspiration won’t help a student improve. However, tipping the other direction toward critique can frustrate developing writers. Adelicate balance nurtures them.

For a fresh perspective, I turned to an outside expert for tips. Trish Lockard is an editor and owner of Strike the Write Tone. Authors come to her for help with all stages of their writing, from concept planning to proofing.

“I always work under the assumption each author wants to create the finest piece of work he or she is capable of,” Lockard says. “Every writer can grow and prosper if we establish a positive relationship, including mutual respect, trust, and clearly defined guidelines” (T. Lockard, personal communication, September 3, 2021.)

Only when they are in harmony does she deliver well-crafted feedback.

Develop a Positive Relationship

Developing a positive relationship with an author starts with creating trust and setting guidelines. You can use the same steps with your students.

Create Trust

Lockard emphasizes the importance of gaining the writer’s trust. “Trust is a requirement of the author-editor relationship. My clients must trust that I want their work to be outstanding, and I will perform my services in their best interests.”

As with an author and editor, the teacher-student relationship relies on trust. When students know you are optimistic about their work, they listen to feedback with an open mind. Use simple signs of encouragement. Point out a nicely worded passage, and your student may be more open to constructive critique.

Set Guidelines

The relationship with your students must include guidelines for how you will work together. What are your expectations for the feedback you give? At the beginning of my courses, I tell students I will be their biggest fan, and I will provide feedback that nudges them to achieve their best results. They must either use the input or tell me why they don’t want to. The ensuing discussion is an excellent coaching opportunity. Trust allows that to happen.

When it is time to provide constructive critique, how can you find the right balance that inspires? It depends on each student. To avoid overwhelming them, recognize their personality, aptitude, and learning style. Then you’ll understand their readiness level for your input.

Deliver Well-Crafted Feedback

Tailor Feedback to the Student

As you share a critique with your student, shine a spotlight on the positive. Students instinctively protect themselves from emotional pain, so evaluating their work, particularly earnest efforts such as a paper, may make them defensive.

A positive tone helps students accept feedback. I asked Lockard how to offer constructive criticism the student will be open to hearing. “To start, stress all that is good about the work so far, even if there is nothing more to compliment than the student’s intent, passion, or commitment to the work. Find something positive to highlight and build from there.”

You understand each student is different. Your primary goal of inspiration never varies. But tweak how you carry out that goal for each student.

When a semester starts, my students are a mystery. However, it doesn’t take long to learn what the next step is for each of them. Maribel’s lovely writing already meets the course standards, so I encourage her to try advanced techniques. Dan needs help getting focused on the assignment prompt, so I direct him to use the parts of the assignment as headings for his paper. As the semester progresses, I keep their next step in mind.

Make Feedback Specific and Useful

Provide specific, useful feedback for areas that need improvement. Describe the result you want with a positive focus and tell them how to make that happen. For example,

“Your conclusion paragraph summed up your argument well. Good job! Now, make your supporting points clearer by using a topic sentence for each paragraph. For example, in your first paragraph, focus your topic sentence on the link between melting ice caps and ocean temperature. Craft your topic sentences, and let’s review them tomorrow. I’m here if you have questions.”

Finally, consider adding video-based feedback to your written offering, as research shows this enhances the teacher-student relationship (Howard, 2020.)

Achieving a Delicate Balance

Walk the tightrope with confidence, by using a delicate balance of inspiration and critique. You will inspire students to be excellent writers and scholars.

 

 

References

Howard, N. R. (2020). “How Did I Do?”: Giving learners effective and affective feedback. Education Tech Research Dev, 69, 123–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09874-2

 

Bio: Terri Lyon is a licensed psychologist and Contributing Faculty member in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program at Walden University. She has almost 40 years of teaching experience at the college level. Author of Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism: No activism degree required—Use your unique skills to change the world and What’s On Your Sign? How to focus your passion and change the world, she spotlights the unique, creative, and sometimes surprising ways people make change happen at Life At The Intersection.

Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash