The Skillful Teacher

Immediacy
Give any evaluative judgments you make as soon as possible for the
learning events on which you are commenting, before the pressures
of life outside the classroom (or other teachers’ evaluations of the
student’s work in other courses) flood in to distract the learner’s
attention.
Regularity
Try to comment regularly on students’ work. Even if all you do is
acknowledge that learners are doing their best to follow your sug-
gestions, this is still important for them to hear. When you are ask-
ing the learner to make major changes in her work, you need to
monitor her efforts closely, especially in view of the learning rhythm
of incremental fluctuation (two steps forward, one step back)
described in Chapter Five’s discussion of roadrunning.
Accessibility
Give your comments in language and with examples people under-
stand. Also, provide opportunities for students to discuss with you
the meaning of your evaluations. Students may misinterpret your
comments or be so demoralized with impostorship that they focus
only on the negative aspects. For students reeling from the shock of
Giving Helpful Evaluations
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negative evaluations, it is important to know they have the chance
to respond to your comments, to seek clarification, and to discuss
with you any aspects of the evaluation that disturb them.
Individualized
As Chapter Four established, the more individualized the feedback
the student receives the more she feels it is important to learn the
abilities or skills the teacher is trying to develop. Giving detailed,
clearly individualized attention to learners’ efforts makes it clear
that you consider it important that they learn the desired content
and also shows that you respect the effort they have made. Of
course, when individualizing evaluations it is important to focus on
the student’s actions, not her personality. People should not feel
their whole being is under assault.
Affirming
Always try to acknowledge students’ efforts and achievements, how-
ever slight these might seem to you, before making critical com-
ments about their work. At times it might seem like a stretch to find
something positive to acknowledge, and, if someone clearly has not
taken an assignment seriously, there is no point dishonestly prais-
ing something that is not really there. But effort should always be
acknowledged, even if you feel it has been badly misdirected.