Giving students practice with constructive criticism

Mark Mulligan, Associate Professor in Practice of Architecture, requires students in Tectonics Lab to work collaboratively on design-build projects of increasing complexity over the course of the semester that are subject to critique by peers, guest experts, and Mulligan himself. For example, with an assignment such as construction of a simple joint between two pieces of wood, “I tell them that we’re actually going to test the joint to its breaking point, so they know that they have to build something that can withstand real force;and to make it fun, I get everyone to predict where it is going to break”—a metaphor for gaining practice with receiving constructive criticism.... Read more about Giving students practice with constructive criticism

Research: Discouraged by Peer Excellence: Exposure to Exemplary Peer Performance Causes Quitting

Professor Todd Rogers co-authored a paper that showed subjects were more likely to quit an online course when they reviewed exemplary peer work, suggesting that exposure to exemplary peer performances can undermine motivation and success by causing people to perceive that they cannot attain their... Read more about Research: Discouraged by Peer Excellence: Exposure to Exemplary Peer Performance Causes Quitting

Research: Making Student Feedback Work

Collecting student feedback and making it work creates an engaged, differentiated, and respected learning environment for students

Research: Seven Keys to Effective Feedback

Providing students with formative feedback promotes student motivation, retention, and performance.

Research: Student Feedback Matters—and It Goes Beyond Grading

Students benefit from clear guidance on areas of improvement, allowing them to reflect on and increase confidence in their learning.

Case studies in formative feedback at HGSE

Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Teaching and Learning Lab showcased how three different instructors use feedback in their courses.

Conducting in-class polling and peer discussion (Instructional Moves)

Dan Levy (HKS) uses technology to spark vigorous debate while keeping track of students’ progress with key concepts.

Assessing and Reflecting (SLATE)

The Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence (SLATE) Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School provides guidelines and strategies for gathering feedback from students.

Lending structure to collaborative work

Kathy Boudett, Into Practice Kathryn Parker Boudett, Lecturer on Education, carefully structures the way students learn to collaborate with one another in her course, Data Wise: Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning. For example, she models collaborative learning through an open discussion of student feedback, or “pluses and deltas,” collected in the previous session with the whole class. She also makes sure students receive plenty of experience putting into practice the ideas from one of the core texts for the course, Meeting Wise: Making the Most of Collaborative Time for Educators. She does this by teaching them to use “rolling agendas” (which can be used by student groups working in any discipline) via Google Docs. The template makes it easy for students ... Read more about Lending structure to collaborative work

Identifying knowledge gaps through illustrations

Carl Novina, Into Practice Dr. Carl Novina, Associate Professor of Medicine, and his co-instructor Shannon Turley, amended the traditional graduate seminar Critical Reading for Immunology to teach students comprehension and presentation skills essential to a career in biomedical science. To introduce a topic, students read research papers and present a focused background on the field the paper sought to advance. Then, rather than discussing the paper linearly, students select a key figure that best highlighted the main point. Throughout the semester,students revisit central points of papers and diagram them on the white board—“an effective means to help students better process... Read more about Identifying knowledge gaps through illustrations

Intervening selectively in a student-led discussion (Instructional Moves)

Instructional Moves featured faculty member Timothy McCarthy describes how he leverages active listening with the aim of intervening selectively... Read more about Intervening selectively in a student-led discussion (Instructional Moves)

Modeling norms for actively listening and building on comments (Instructional Moves)

Instructional Moves featured faculty member Timothy McCarthy reflects on how he fosters a responsive culture. Read more about Modeling norms for actively listening and building on comments (Instructional Moves)

Active Listening: Seven Ways to Help Students Listen, Not Just Hear (Faculty Focus)

A 2012 issue of Faculty Focus lists seven ways to encourage active listening in courses.

Questioning, Listening & Responding

The Harvard Business School’s Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning offers guidelines for questioning, listening, and responding for faculty leading class discussion.

Techniques for Responding (Bok Center)

The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning offers tips for responding to students.

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