Weekly and Sessional Peer Feedback
What pleases me most about Acton is the fact that I constantly learn something new. I’m not talking about learning something new from the Eagles because it’s obvious and it happens all the time. I’m talking about new and original tools and methods that I enjoy experimenting with.
Today I want to tell you about Acton’s peer feedback. At the end of each session, the Eagles fill in the feedback found in this link. They need to fill two stars and one wish, regarding two subjects: Work during the session and being a tribe’s member. During the first two sessions, it did not work too well, simply because we were busy with so many other things. In the recent session, we decided to give the Eagles an hour and a half to fill in the feedback and they put a lot of thought into it. The result was great: They gave each other mature and honest feedback. We could see that the Eagles took the feedback very seriously, and this week they made a great effort to change the things they were criticized for.
Since the result was so successful, we decided to incorporate peer feedback on a weekly basis. Every Friday, the Eagles fill out the following form. Since this feedback is weekly and not sessional, we shortened it and asked each Eagle to mark a score of 1-5 on both subjects, as well as one star and one wish. Today, the Eagles filled the feedback in for the first time. It took them fifteen minutes and the result was great. Since this is a short period of time, the feedback was very concrete and relevant. The Eagles read it as soon as they received it, and they went up to each other to ask questions and to understand the points that came up more thoroughly.
It is important to note that Alden and I go over all the answers before we pass them on to the Eagles, to make sure that the feedback is neither offensive nor too sloppy. Until now, to my great joy, we have not touched their answers.
I am a great believer in peer feedback. Usually, in school, we are used to receiving feedback from the responsible adult in the classroom. Here, there is a whole new concept: The ones who give the feedback are the Eagles to each other. This is such an important skill, in my opinion: the ability to give feedback and the ability to receive feedback and learn from it. And here, the Eagles experience these abilities on a weekly basis and also gain instant feedback from the people closest to them. I liked reading the feedback and seeing how accurate it was: The Eagles did not “go easy” on each other: They pointed out in simple and precise words exactly what each Eagle should improve. On the other hand, they were not short with good words, and when there were points for preservation, they intensified them and gave them a lot of attention.
This is such a simple tool, that every educator can adopt in his/her educational framework. I highly recommend!