Feedforward Vs. Feedback

Dwayne Harapnuik —  April 30, 2020 — 59 Comments

Whenever two terms are juxtaposed like Feedforward Vs. Feedback the natural tendency is to ask which is better, or which term or related method will give us what effects or lead to what consequences. I am going to argue that we want to move toward feedforward rather than fall back on feedback. Why? Feedforward is the formative process of providing educative (Fink, 2013) or forward-looking perspectives (Goldsmith, 2009 & Hattie, 2009) that one can use to build on or improve. Feedforward points to opportunities and provides pathways for improvement and growth. In contrast, feedback is summative because it is backward-looking at what was wrong. It doesn’t generally provide pathways to improvement. At least in the more traditional way that feedback is applied.

We are recommending a move from feedback to feedforward that will include the following :

  • Consider the receiver not just the giver of feedback
  • Equip the receiver with a growth mindset
  • Build a culture of trust
  • Adopt a “What worked & What can you do better” approach to feedforward
  • Create a significant learning environment that promotes choice, ownership & voice through authentic learning opportunities

Feedforward Vs Feedback Overview

Download and view the Feedforward Asynch.pdf

What evidence is there to support this claim and the recommended process?

We have one of two options when exploring the credibility of these or any claims. The first is to read all the related literature and conduct a detailed analysis that will inform a conclusion and related pros and cons. The second is to find someone who has done this analysis and has summarized the analysis in a tutorial, or a synthesis post like this one.

Considering the Receiver First

The Science of Receiving Feedback

Helping your Learner Adopt a Growth Mindset

Fixed VS Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset

The power of believing that you can improve | Carol Dweck

The Power of belief — mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach

dweck mindset

Growing a Growth Mindset

In the post How to Grow a Growth Mindset, I point to the key factors and research that show that promoting a growth mindset like one would promote a positive mental attitude will not work and that the growth mindset requires modeling and a significant learning environment that promotes this perspective both in spirit and in structure.

You will find a very useful Fixed vs Growth Mindset graphic and a short comparison of how the Fixed Vs Growth Mindset is equivalent to the Print Vs Digital Information Age on the blog post Fixed Vs Growth Mindset = Print Vs Digital Information Age

Obviously Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is definitely worth the read and should be one of those books that all educators have on their bookshelf or in their Kindle or Audible library.

Learner’s Mindset
Learner’s Mindset – a state of being where people act on their intrinsic capacity to learn and respond to their inquisitive nature that leads to viewing all interactions with the world as learning opportunities. This state enables one to interact with and influence the learning environment as a perpetual learner who has the capacity to use change and challenges as opportunities for growth.

To fully explore the Learner’s Mindset and see how it is different than the growth mindset or the Innovator’s Mindset consider the following:

Learner’s Mindset Explained
Reignite Your Learner’s Mindset

Going Deeper…

Growth Mindset | Never vs Not Yet
Feedforward: Coaching For Behavioral Change
How to Give Feedback to Students
Feedback & Feedforward
Why CSLE+COVA
CSLE+COVA Research

References

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Penguin Random House.

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. Jossey-Bass.

Goldsmith, M. (2009). Take It to the next level: What got you here, won’t get you there. Simon & Schuster Audio/Nightingale-Conant.

Goldsmith, M. (2003). Try feedforward instead of feedback. Journal for Quality and Participation, 38–40.

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(81), 81–112.

Hirsch, J. (2017). The feedback fix: Dump the past, embrace the future, and lead the way to change. Rowman & Littlefield.

Stone, D., & Heen, S. (2015). Thanks for the feedback: The science and art of receiving feedback well (even when it is off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and frankly, you’re not in the mood) (Vol. 36). Penguin.

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Change Your Breath, Change Your Life | Lucas Rockwood

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Why the majority is always wrong | Paul Rulkens

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Innovation Proposal & Planning Tips

Dwayne Harapnuik —  April 13, 2020 — Leave a comment

Change Starts With You

Moving your organization forward or encouraging your colleagues to join you in implementing innovation or change is an ongoing and challenging process that includes multiple steps and continued effort. Most innovation initiatives start with a proposal.

Your innovation proposal should focus on your specific audience who may include, but may not be limited to, the administrators who will be affirming the completed innovation plan, your colleagues or peers you are hoping will be inspired to join you, and/or other stakeholders who have an interest in how the innovation will impact your learners.

Ideally, your innovation proposal should take the form of a 1-page letter because it will become part of your overall plan that you will be sharing with your audience.

The innovation proposal should address the “Why” or purpose of your innovation initiative which is expanded on with the following 5 key points:

  1. Opportunity or problem that you have observed – always focus on the opportunity perspective rather than the problem.
  2. How you will address the opportunity or solve the problem.
  3. What you are proposing to do (1.2. adopt a Blended Learning initiative…).
  4. Benefits of this solution (summary of your why).
  5. What are you asking for? (I am asking to pilot blended learning in my classroom… over what time frame)

Be prepared to revise and update as your ideas develop and your situation changes.

Letter Format Examples

Document Format Example – Depending on your audience and their expectations more detailed documentation may be required and the following example followed the format that was required by these student’s district. Remember, this proposal must be developed for your intended audience.

Innovation Proposal Planning Tips

  • Begin with the end in mind, 100k view, learning outcomes, be clear about your purpose
  • Understand that the proposal will change based on situations, personnel, circumstances
  • Be flexible, adaptable, and patient, rest assured that things will not go as planned
  • Collaborate with others–get others on board with your ideas, key influencers
  • Start with a pilot/trial/focus group, don’t extend too far too fast
  • Plan forward, but do not map every step; fail forward opportunities are automatically built into innovation planning
  • Consider how you will measure success; what will be happening and what will others be doing

Completed Innovation Plan – Looking Ahead

Your innovation plan will include the following

  • Media Pitch – 2 minutes or less, capturing your project and Audience
  • Innovation Proposal Letter to District/Principal/School Board/Administration/Management
  • Literature review support
  • Implementation Outline, plan ahead for next steps over the next 12-24 months
  • Innovation Plan – your final post that narrates and summarizes your plan and includes links to all the above

Examples of how the innovation proposal will fit into the final innovation plan:

Revised October 2021

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SITE 2020 Conference Presentation

Dwayne Harapnuik —  April 9, 2020 — Leave a comment


Attending academic conferences is simply part of conducting and sharing research into improving the learning environment. Over the past few years, I have often used Zoom to join my colleague who has taken the time to travel to the conference. Most often we have simply added this virtual function to our presentations and since I have been working fully online since 1995 being brought in via some form of video-conferencing tools has been what I have been doing for over two decades. Quite often session the moderators are simply surprised by how easy it is to have someone join the session virtually.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic I was able to attend the SITE conference fully online via Zoom and did a presentation on the paper Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Factors that Contributed to ePortfolio Persistence Beyond the Program of Study. Other than a few minor glitches in getting their slides screen shared all of the academics in my session were able to present without any major problems. Yes, some will point to the fact that OLC and other organizations have offered a virtual attendance option for a couple of years now.

Makes one wonder if we will ever go back to the way that is was where we have to spends dozens of hours and hundreds or even thousands of dollars to present. Yes, there is the serendipity of large collaborative environment but as we are seeing with the lock down or stay in place situations there are other ways for us to communicate and collaborate. I have to admit I didn’t miss the 2 hour trip via bus, seabus, and then train to the airport. I didn’t miss the long lines and the hours of waiting to check in and get through security. I didn’t miss the jet lag or the cold that I always seem to catch from a sick passenger that I sat next to on the plane. I didn’t miss the taxi or shuttle bus ride to the hotel or conference center. This morning I logged onto the system 15 minutes early, ran a last minute test on my audio and video, and waited for the rest of the conference participate in my session to join. Everyone was on time, each session stayed within the allotted time, and the Q & A session was as good if not better then in many face2face sessions I have experienced. Yes, I do miss the chance meetings of colleagues I haven’t seen or simply experiencing the power of the crowd, but this morning presentation and session was much more efficient, less costly, and still a really good experience. To answer may own question at the start of this paragraph…I liked the virtual conference experience and I wouldn’t mind if we do not go back to the way that it was.

One more thing it is also easier to share my conference files online – go ahead and download a copy of the paper that we submitted and the slide deck I used this morning.

Enjoy!

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