What are some of the best practices for giving and receiving feedback in a critical thinking context?
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Before giving or receiving feedback, make sure you understand the purpose and the expectations of the feedback process. Is it formative or summative? Is it meant to help you improve your reasoning, your communication, or your presentation? Is it based on specific criteria or standards? Is it solicited or unsolicited? Clarifying the purpose will help you focus on the most relevant and useful aspects of the feedback, and avoid confusion or misunderstanding.
The sandwich method is a popular technique for giving feedback that balances positive and negative comments. The idea is to start with something positive, then state the areas of improvement, and then end with something positive again. This way, you can acknowledge the strengths and achievements of the person, while also pointing out the gaps and weaknesses in their critical thinking. The sandwich method can also help you avoid being too harsh or too vague, and encourage the person to keep working on their skill.
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The sandwich method is a great one, but I would advise you to be careful as it can sometimes backfire if the positive comments are fake or irrelevant, the negative comment is vague or weak, or the method is overused or expected. So I'd suggest some alternatives: A. SBI model: Describe the situation, behaviour, and impact. B. Feed-forward: Ask what to improve and suggest actions. C. Dialogue: Ask questions, listen, and give feedback.
One of the hallmarks of critical thinking is to use evidence and logic to support your claims and arguments. The same principle applies to giving and receiving feedback. Instead of making general or subjective statements, use specific and concrete examples to illustrate your points. For instance, instead of saying "Your argument is weak", you can say "Your argument lacks evidence to support your main claim, such as in paragraph 3". This way, you can show the person what they did well or poorly, and how they can improve.
Another way to make feedback more constructive and engaging is to ask open-ended questions that invite the person to reflect on their own thinking and reasoning. Open-ended questions are questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, but require more explanation or elaboration. For example, instead of saying "Do you agree with this view?", you can say "How do you justify your position on this issue?". Asking open-ended questions can help you understand the person's perspective, challenge their assumptions, and stimulate their curiosity.
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When you ask an open-ended question, be willing and able to sit and actively listen. Be honest and express a true desire to understand and engage in the conversation. Don't be afraid to say, "I'm not sure I understand, can you elaborate further?" Leaning into open-ended questions means sitting and having a longer conversation. Before you do so, make sure you have the time, energy, and willingness to engage with your peer.
Finally, one of the best ways to enhance your critical thinking skill is to seek feedback from multiple sources and perspectives. By exposing yourself to different viewpoints, opinions, and experiences, you can broaden your horizons, test your assumptions, and learn from others. You can seek feedback from your peers, your mentors, your instructors, or even online communities and platforms. However, be careful to evaluate the credibility and quality of the feedback sources, and avoid confirmation bias or groupthink.
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Being open and honest from the start - this may sound like "this may be a difficult conversation, but we are here because it is my duty to guide you and offer support in any way I can" or "This is a serious concern, but we are here to find a solution together." When the expectation is set up front that something less than complementary is about to be discussed, but is also given with this caring sentiment, it can create a dynamic in which the importance is not diminished, but gives the person the comfort to be open to feedback, knowing they are supported.
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One of the biggest challenges you will encounter when giving and receiving feedback will be how to manage the natural reaction to be defensive. People may brush off feedback, consider it as unreasonable, believe it to be a personal attack and such. Be aware of this and manage the other person's experience during this process accordingly. Temperate wording, the sandwich method, specific examples, evidence based feedback, etc. All these techniques are designed to balance perspectives and the emotional reaction that a person might feel. Consider the human context before approaching this and readjust accordingly to derive the most value out of the session.
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Assume a positive intention People make mistakes but generally are trying to do their best and/or trying to do the right thing - they might not get it right but don't react to it as if they're intentionally trying to get things wrong.
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