Week 3 Feedback Strategies

(Photo from Cat Planet)

I don't actually feel that way about feedback, but my cat is going to the vet this afternoon to check his thyroid levels and he definitely feels this way (or will when he realizes what I meant by "we're going on an adventure this afternoon"!)

Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback

I really enjoyed this article. I think feedforward makes a lot of sense and would be more useful to most people than feedback. I can absolutely apply this to my situation I mentioned before with the girl who leaves criticism on my fan fiction. She tends to ask why I did something, and point out the reasons why she thinks it is wrong, and what I should have done instead. Once a chapter is published on one or more websites, and people have read it, I am not likely to go back and rewrite something unless I feel strongly about it. So giving me advice on future directions I can take the story in can be really helpful, but most people don't go back and change things after it's published. Even if it were something that were likely to go through revisions like our projects for this class, it doesn't seem like it would be helpful to most of us to get negative feedback on what we've done so far. Feedforward sounds more like helping someone brainstorm ideas for what comes next, and I really like that. I also like that it sounds quick and efficient.

The Difference Between Praise and Feedback

After reading this article I feel in the middle about the two sides. When my daughter shows me her art, I most definitely tell her that it's good. But I also tell her what I like about the technique she used, and ask questions about it if she's done something different than usual. If she asks for advice on what seems off about a drawing, I will try to help her see what she could do differently in a future drawing. But only if she asks for it. I also will share things I know about different art mediums she could try if she was trying to achieve a certain look and I happen to know a way she might go about it. This weekend she plans to borrow my derwent inktense pencils because I told her how cool it was to use them with water on a fine paintbrush, which makes the pencil spread like ink. I told her about it because I had seen her trying to achieve a similar effect with a broken marker. So I think there are times when praise is a good thing, and I definitely agree that asking questions is really important and can help you give positive feedback for the future.