In Comprehensive Faculty Development—both our book and our workshop—we talk a lot about approaching professional development from a coaching perspective. It's your role as Division Head to keep the ongoing conversations you conduct with faculty focused, honest, and reaffirming of goals and strategies.
These conversations require delivering constructive criticism in a way that brings problems to light while maintaining a positive, productive relationship. It's a tricky balance, but it can be accomplished.
Time and Place
Avoid trying to catch teachers for a “quick word” in the hallway between classes or during recess. Sure, doing so might seem more convenient and less intimidating, especially for minor suggestions, but there’s a time and a place for everything. You never know who might be rounding the corner in a seemingly empty corridor or if a student will suddenly need his/her teacher.
Offer feedback in private, when the individual isn’t pressed for time or otherwise preoccupied with other matters. Having such sessions frequently—not only when serious improvement needs to occur!—will go further to putting teachers and other administrators at ease than any other tactic.
Also don't drop hints that an issue has arisen, and then forget to address it right away. Telling someone that Ms. Jones, a serial complainer, called again and then not discussing the incident soon after the mention will cause worry and distraction. So when you mention an issue, be prepared to discuss it directly, rather than letting it linger.
Offer “compliment sandwiches.”
A “compliment sandwich,” or the “Praise-Improve-Praise”/PIP tactic, is often used to give constructive criticism. In essence, you’d “sandwich” a critique between two “compliments” or other positive comments, thus easing the potential sting of the feedback.
For example, you might say to a new teacher, “Hey, Martha! Wanted to catch up and say that I loved how you used the new laptops to bring your lesson to life. You might want to watch out for information overload and give the students a chance to ask questions, but the concept was great and I know they enjoyed the chance to participate.”
In this instance, you tell Martha something you liked about her new teaching method, but also give her some useful feedback for her next lesson. Compliments like these also show that you aren’t just looking for problems when it comes to evaluation; you’re looking at the whole picture, good and bad.
Avoid personal "attacks."
People who take pride in their work can be difficult to critique in a way that's both professional and kind. They become emotionally attached to projects and ideas, taking any criticism personally. When this happens, they become defensive instead of receptive to integrating your feedback into their work.
It takes time to create a culture of trust, in which these fears aren't an issue. You can start by focusing your feedback on the situation or end product, removing the other person as much as possible.
So instead of:
“You’re too loud. Try toning down your voice when you’re lecturing in the courtyard.”
Try something like this:
“The weather’s been lovely lately and folks have been opening their windows. It's great that you're giving the students some fresh air, but I wanted to mention that we’ve had a few complaints on the volume of your lessons when you’re teaching. Again, I know the students are glad to get out of the classroom and the bit with the tomato was inspired, but it's disrupting some of the other classes.”
See what we've done here? Instead of saying that the teacher, personally, is too loud, the speaker emphasizes that the lesson itself is too loud. While there’s still the opportunity for the recipient of the criticism to take it as a personal insult, the “blow” is softened to the point where it’s easier to talk about the situation rather than someone’s reaction to it.
Offer solutions, not (only) problems.
Constructive criticism works to build skills, not tear them down. Relating problems without any solutions only disheartens the listener. Before you go to someone with important feedback, brainstorm a few solutions to the problem he/she faces.
It’s up to the individual to determine whether his/her actions will change and set goals accordingly. However, having a few ideas on how things could change for the better offers hope and a chance to improve where before, there was little but negativity.
Asking the other person to think about possible solutions works to build a camaraderie—“We’re gonna solve this problem together!”—but don’t expect a revelation in every session. Your criticism might be the first time he/she has been made aware of the issue. Offering suggestions might help jog some answers loose, but don’t be surprised if he/she needs more time than a short meeting to think of potential remedies.
Be specific.
It’s great to identify problems and solutions with someone, but it’s difficult to communicate effectively when only vague terms are used. For example, let’s suppose you want to offer a colleague some feedback on a presentation they recently gave:
“Hey, Bob! Can we talk about your presentation? I found it really confusing.”
Well, what’s “it”? The whole presentation—why Bob gave it, the format, the timing, the whole enchilada—or a smaller portion of the presentation? Bob’s confusion over your confusion will do nothing to remedy an already unclear situation, and may set him
Next time, avoid using pronouns like “it” or “they” or even “this” wherever possible. If you’re aware of the need for specificity before you speak, you’ll be more likely to say something like this:
“In your next presentation, could you spend more time on learning differences? I had some trouble following when you got to that slide—the animations were a bit distracting.”
Listen.
Finally, one of the best ways to give criticism is to listen to the responses you generate. If you show concern over a teacher’s slow adoption of the new online homework management system, then listen for potential reasons behind the delayed response. Perhaps he/she needs more training in the system to feel comfortable, or bugs have popped up that prevent a more enthusiastic embrace.
As a leader, you as Division Head must ensure that your teachers and fellow administrators have all the support they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability. By listening to another’s perspective on a problem, you become empowered to provide the resources that will best improve the situation.
How have you handled offering constructive criticism? Share your experience with your fellow Division Heads in the comment section below.
Additional ISM resources:
Research: Effects of Peer Teacher Coaching and Observation on Student Achievement
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads Vol. 9 No. 1 Management by Walking Around, Coaching by Asking Questions, and Other Tips for Division Heads
ISM Monthly Update for School Heads Vol. 10 No. 9 Coaching the Coaches and Mentors
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 10 No. 5 Constructive Conversations, Coaching, and Mentoring
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 38 No. 12 ISM's Relational Coaching Model
