Imagine that you are a supervisor at an ESL academy watching a teacher give a class. They correct a student’s grammar, but there’s something about how they did it that causes alarm bells to ring in your head. You pause to think: what exactly did they do, and how should they avoid doing it next time? You want to make your feedback firm without being harsh, and specific enough to be useful to the teacher. You’ve received enough vague feedback in your working life to know what doesn’t work — but what exactly does useful feedback look like?
Why Observation Feedback Matters — And Where It Goes Wrong
Feedback is the primary development tool that a mentor has. It has a huge effect on the quality of a mentee’s teaching, and therefore their students’ progress. And yet, there are numerous common ways for it to go wrong:
- Feedback that is too vague to act on (“Rapport needs work.”)
- Feedback that is a long list of problems without any suggestions of what to do instead
- Feedback that reflects personal style preferences instead of pedagogical principles
- Feedback that is unbalanced — all praise or all critique
Falling into any of these traps can cause teachers to be confused by your feedback, feel offended, or ignore what you say altogether. By giving useful feedback, you are providing teachers with concrete tools to improve their craft.
The “Glows and Grows” Framework
The best way to organise your feedback is to separate it into Glows (things that were done well) and Grows (things that should be improved). It’s always best to start with a genuine Glow — not as a way to cushion the blow of the Grows to come, but a real observation about something that worked and why. It’s important for teachers to know what they are doing well so that they continue down that same path.
When it comes to giving Grows, they should be specific, single, and actionable — one clear thing to try next time. While the impulse to explain oneself is admirable, avoid packing in as many observations as possible on a single point. Instead, anchor both Glows and Grows in observable classroom behaviour instead of your general impressions. This could look like saying “I noticed that students were looking at their phones during the listening exercise” instead of just “The listening task fell flat.”
Making Specific, Actionable, and Useful Feedback
When observing an online class, we have tools at our disposal that are unavailable in an in-person class. One of the best ways to give useful feedback is to provide a link to the recording of the class, and include timestamps for each item. For example, “At 12:40, when you asked the whole group to respond at once…” This allows the teacher to go back and rewatch that moment, and see with their own eyes what worked or didn’t work.
Another important tactic is linking your observations to the impact on students. In the aforementioned example, you could include the fact that “This caused several quieter students to stop participating for the rest of the activity.” Sometimes teachers are so concerned with getting through the material that they do not realise exactly what is happening in their class! This should always be followed up with a concrete alternative to try: “Next time, call on one student at a time by name for each question in order to give those quieter students a chance to answer.” This way, teachers know what happened and when, its impact, and the way to improve moving forward.
Tips for New Mentors on Generating Useful Feedback
If you are just beginning your journey as a supervisor, choosing exactly what to focus on may seem like a daunting task. There are so many aspects of a class — how can you possibly include everything? In this case, creating a short mental checklist of observable dimensions is helpful:
- What was the balance of teacher vs. student talking time?
- How clear were the teacher’s instructions?
- Did the teacher employ CCQs (Concept Checking Questions) to test students’ understanding?
- How did the teacher handle student errors?
- How was the pacing of the class and the transitions between activities?
- Did the teacher ensure that all students were participating at similar levels?
Many times, it isn’t necessary to focus on every single aspect of a lesson. If you don’t specifically say that the teacher’s rapport with students was good, they won’t suddenly start snapping at them rudely! Instead, be precise with giving useful feedback in order to not overwhelm the teacher with information.
The Post-Observation Conversation
Many times, sending the feedback email isn’t the end of the story. Teachers will inevitably have questions, and in the case of a Grow that is urgent or recurring, a coaching session will be in order. It’s important for a mentor to remember that their job isn’t to evaluate, but rather to develop — helping a teacher to improve and deliver quality instruction every time. To this end, ask the teacher to reflect on their performance before jumping in with your recommendations. There may be a reason for what they did that you were not aware of, or a misconception they had that can easily be corrected. By listening first, you can ensure that your carefully crafted, useful feedback results in a positive change rather than being ignored.
Giving useful feedback is one of the most important — and most underrated — skills a mentor can develop. It takes practice, intentionality, and a genuine commitment to the growth of the teachers in your care. If that sounds like the kind of professional culture you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you. Craving is always looking for passionate, reflective educators who want to do more than just teach. Apply to join our team today!