This week’s tip: Go Beyond Visiting Classrooms
The SAM process is all about intentionality. Leaders often say they want to give teachers more feedback about what they observe. This makes sense, as working effectively with teachers requires thoughtful conversations.
Determining your purpose for having a feedback session starts in the SAM Daily Meeting. When you select the descriptor for feedback, you are stating your intentionality.
Directive Feedback: Your intent is to provide direction. You are stating an expectation, a “non-negotiable”. Your intent is to gain compliance.
Non-Directive Feedback: Your intent is to get the teacher to talk about a particular issue, or instructional practice, and think through options and ideas. Your intent is build competency and a commitment to trying new ideas and approaches to help students learn.
Celebratory Feedback: Your intent is to point out a “win” and get the teacher to talk with you about it. Your intent is to cement good practice and let the teacher know you appreciate their work…without going to the next step. Why? You know it is more likely the teacher will keep doing the good work you observed if you can let them enjoy the win…and they will be far more receptive for the other two kinds of feedback, Directive and Non-Directive, if you don’t rush things. Think of this as cementing good practice.
Good SAM’s make it a point to ask the leader after they’ve watched a lesson what kind of feedback they would like to schedule.
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