Teachers need real feedback

Heather Cook

PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Medstar Union Memorial Hospital

Constructive feedback is the foundation for improvement. In this TED talk, “Teachers need real feedback”, Bill Gates explains how teachers often meet their “satisfactory” baseline requirements during annual reviews, however they do not actually receive worthwhile feedback in order to improve their practice. He notes that he compared the countries where students perform the best academically and found that in 11 out of these 14 countries, there is a formal system for helping teachers improve. This occurs through different methods such as: younger teachers observing experienced teachers, weekly study groups to discuss methods for improvement, colleague observations and evaluations.  Gates implemented a pilot system called Measures of Effective Teaching, where teachers video recorded themselves teaching students in the classroom and are ranked on a range of practices (for example, did the teacher present multiple ways to explain an idea). The videos and surveys were used as diagnostic tools for which the teachers could use to improve their abilities. The results found that using this system resulted in better student outcomes.¹

This video perfectly aligns with the objectives in our Education Theory and Practice course, as it allows us, as future preceptors, to reflect on our own teaching abilities. Throughout our residency training, we are consistently evaluated through PharmAcademic in terms of meeting certain clinical goals and standards. Similarly, through the teaching certificate program, we are evaluated and given feedback when precepting at least 5 pharmacy students. Different pharmacists watch our interactions with the students and provide suggestions for improvement.

While Bill Gates suggests a technique that may be a novel idea to many teachers across the nation, I’d like to believe that University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is already one step ahead. Through the use of Mediasite, students are able to watch recorded lectures throughout the didactic curriculum. Faculty members also have access to these videos. Therefore, Mediasite can be used as a tool to be further utilized as a means of reflection by professors. They are able to watch their presentations, evaluate their performance, identify areas for improvement and use resources to improve on their baseline skills.

Tools for Teaching outlines other methods of obtaining feedback on performance. The most widely used method for evaluating teaching is the end-of-course survey completed by students. This may sometimes be useful, however it doesn’t necessarily benefit the students completing the evaluation.² Many education organizations use a multiple choice survey which categorizes multiple behaviors and asks students to rate them. This tool is diagnostic and provides numerical scores to allow the teacher to assess their performance:³

Quantified Evaluation Form³:

1 Poor	2 Below Average	3 Average	4 Above Average	5 Excellent
The quality of the lectures _____________________________________________________________
The extent to which you found discussion useful ____________________________________________
Overall rating of the instructor’s teaching skill ______________________________________________

In comparison to end of semester evaluations, early feedback methods are more effective because they allow the instructor to strengthen student learning, enhance student motivation, and positively influence student attitudes towards the presenter and material. Students’ responses may be elicited in many ways:²

Students’ Written Opinions²

·         Index card survey

·         Written questionnaire during class

·         Online questionnaire

·         Ask students to send you a short message

·         Suggestion box

Student’s Opinions through Discussion and Interviews²

·         Small groups for stop/start/continue

·         Student interviews

·         Focus groups

·         Select “spotters” for each class session

·         Student class liaisons

·         Student management teams

·         Encourage students to form study groups

When feedback is given by students, it is important to respond quickly to show that you appreciate their concerns and suggestions. Look for patterns in terms of common issues brought up by students. Identify the changes you are able to make within the semester, those that must wait until the class is taught next, and things that cannot or will not be changed. Finally, thank the students for their suggestions and inform them of the changes you will make in response to their feedback. This can help clarify expectations and hold both the students and teacher accountable for future actions.²

References:

1.    Gates B. Teachers need real feedback [Internet]. [cited 2018 Oct 20]. Available from: https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_teachers_need_real_feedback?language=en&referrer=playlist-tv_special_ted_talks_educatio&utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

2.    Davis BG. Tools for teaching. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2009. 592 p. (The Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series).

3. Filene PG. The joy of teaching: a practical guide for new college instructors. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press; 2005. 159 p. (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman series).