How do you balance feedback with teachers?

1 Establish trust and rapport

Before you give any feedback, you need to build a strong relationship with your mentee. Trust and rapport are the foundation of effective feedback, as they create a safe space for honest and respectful communication. You can establish trust and rapport by showing genuine interest in your mentee's goals, strengths, and challenges, by listening actively and empathically, by sharing your own experiences and insights, and by celebrating their successes and efforts.

2 Use the feedback sandwich

The feedback sandwich is a simple but powerful technique to balance positive and constructive feedback. It consists of three steps: praise, critique, and encourage. First, you start by highlighting something that your mentee did well or improved on, and explain why it was effective or valuable. Then, you move on to the area that needs improvement, and provide specific and actionable suggestions on how to address it. Finally, you end by reaffirming your confidence and support in your mentee, and inviting them to share their thoughts or questions.

3 Adopt a growth mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and skills can be developed through effort and feedback, rather than being fixed or innate. Adopting a growth mindset can help you and your mentee embrace feedback as a learning opportunity, rather than a judgment or a threat. You can foster a growth mindset by using language that emphasizes progress, potential, and effort, rather than performance, comparison, or praise. For example, instead of saying "You are a great teacher", you can say "You have shown great improvement in your teaching skills".

4 Follow the GROW model

The GROW model is a coaching framework that can help you structure your feedback conversations and guide your mentee towards their goals. The acronym stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and Way forward. First, you help your mentee clarify their goal, and why it is important to them. Then, you assess their current reality, and identify the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Next, you explore the possible options and strategies to close the gap, and evaluate their pros and cons. Finally, you agree on a specific and realistic action plan, and set a timeline and criteria for success.

5 Seek feedback from your mentee

Feedback is a two-way street, and you can also benefit from receiving feedback from your mentee. Seeking feedback from your mentee can help you improve your mentoring skills, understand your mentee's needs and preferences, and strengthen your relationship. You can ask your mentee for feedback on various aspects of your mentoring, such as your communication style, your feedback methods, your support level, and your expectations. You can also use feedback tools, such as surveys, questionnaires, or rubrics, to collect and analyze feedback from your mentee.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?