The power of feedback

In the early years of my teaching I was not sure if I was able to achieve my goals as a teacher then I started getting feedback from them at the end of the year. Until a group of students wrote how I failed that year and actually it was too late to do anything. Then I evaluated myself and saw so many reasons. From that day on, I continued receiving feedbacks from my students three times a year. After the first month, in the end of the first term and in the end of the year, I ask them to evaluate themselves. Usually they give very useful feedback and I can try to change my pace, add some variety in my lesson, change the techniques I use with them.

The end of the term was near and they were too tired as they studied for lots of exams and their projects and they were complaining that the teachers and parents were too expectant. That day I asked them to write an article about what I expect from a student instead of writing a feedback. I told them that way I would be able to understand if I was too expectant or not.

Today the holiday started. I got their descriptions. I want to share some of them with you. These are their words, no correction has been done.

I guess an ideal student for you is the one who can think and the one who has the willing to make a change. I’m going to call this ideal student Gatsby :). As I talked before you make us do so many creative things so Gatsby has to be creative and has to be willing to make a change. I mean he mustn’t just look from one point of view. He mustn’t just read the book and say that it is just a book, he has to think and create.



Gatsby has to be technology friendly 🙂 As we use so many e-tools he has to be familiar with the e-stuff. Moreover he has to use these e-tools to create some amazing projects.


Gatsby has to be decent towards his teachers. He has to do his homework, however, I guess the most important feature is being creative and being able to think.

I have one clue about your ideal student, he has to be an alien. So even it is difficult for weirdos he has to be brave enough to confront the ‘normal’ ones 🙂

Burak

My teacher’s ideal student is a hardworking one. Because of that I’m trying to become her ideal student.

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If she loses her temper, I’m afraid but if she is in the good mood or the students have done what she wanted, she is like adessert.

Narod

Our teacher wants to have responsible and hardworking students who care about their future.

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Moreover, teacher desires creative students who find interesting subjects for presentations.

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Furthermore an ideal student should produce an idea about every subject and he/she is broadminded, respects others’ thoughts.

Mari

He respects and doesn’t bully the others.

Alen

Actually the things I read made me so happy. Some even wrote that ‘my teacher’s ideal student studies hard, does his best, respects others. In short her ideal student is just like me’

I’m  happy that most of them understood how the ability to think, analyse and create will be important for their future and I’m happy that they all realised the importance of respect towards the others.

P:S: For sometime we have been reading The Great Gatsby. They liked reading and talking about the book so I think Burak called the the student as Gatsby.