Interesting! Many things catch my reflections here, but mostly this one: as much as the person who give criticisms as well as the person who receives them, if everyone could think your way and practice it, this world would definitely be a better one. Food for thought in personal growth here! Let me take a bite and meditate! (c ;
As you note, it helps to think of criticism as relational, not as unidirectional. We should critique keeping in mind how it will be received, and ideally make it dynamic, with question and answer, and thus space for real dialogue and shared learning.
I've always clung to the old "three improves, three sustains" mode that I was taught in the army. It turns assessment into a structured game, and criticisms aren't diluted, they're in a separate soft-ranked category. Also helps draw responses from a group, since everyone is just throwing stuff out there.
Don't know that mode of critique - a nice nemonic! Making evaluation a shared activity has the advantage of making it much less personal, and instead collective, but only if the leader doesn't let it become a bullying session ;-) Done well, would be incredible for both learning, team building and mutual trust (everyone helps everyone).
I've never thought about it from the lecturer's point of view, but from the student's you want to know, what works, what doesn't and why. So you can repeat the good stuff and learn how to avoid the bad.
I think your students are lucky to have you Bryn, and in the case of your highlighted group, each other. I only got a bachelors but there was very much an everyone for themselves vibe, even with the mandatory group work. Like grades were mutually exclusive and if I got top marks, it meant they couldn't.
I had a similar experience to yours, Mark, during my bachelors. No sense of the collective, each student alone in the crowd, so critiques were accepted personally, without support. By contrast my experience during grad school was much more supportive, thankfully! So a model I try to replicate, on the principle that everyone learns when we share.
A rising tide lifts all boats. It’s likely the same in academia as here on Substack, nobody else has to lose for me to win, it’s a team game, we can all do well together!
Interesting! Many things catch my reflections here, but mostly this one: as much as the person who give criticisms as well as the person who receives them, if everyone could think your way and practice it, this world would definitely be a better one. Food for thought in personal growth here! Let me take a bite and meditate! (c ;
As you note, it helps to think of criticism as relational, not as unidirectional. We should critique keeping in mind how it will be received, and ideally make it dynamic, with question and answer, and thus space for real dialogue and shared learning.
Great piece, as always!
I've always clung to the old "three improves, three sustains" mode that I was taught in the army. It turns assessment into a structured game, and criticisms aren't diluted, they're in a separate soft-ranked category. Also helps draw responses from a group, since everyone is just throwing stuff out there.
Don't know that mode of critique - a nice nemonic! Making evaluation a shared activity has the advantage of making it much less personal, and instead collective, but only if the leader doesn't let it become a bullying session ;-) Done well, would be incredible for both learning, team building and mutual trust (everyone helps everyone).
I've never thought about it from the lecturer's point of view, but from the student's you want to know, what works, what doesn't and why. So you can repeat the good stuff and learn how to avoid the bad.
I think your students are lucky to have you Bryn, and in the case of your highlighted group, each other. I only got a bachelors but there was very much an everyone for themselves vibe, even with the mandatory group work. Like grades were mutually exclusive and if I got top marks, it meant they couldn't.
I had a similar experience to yours, Mark, during my bachelors. No sense of the collective, each student alone in the crowd, so critiques were accepted personally, without support. By contrast my experience during grad school was much more supportive, thankfully! So a model I try to replicate, on the principle that everyone learns when we share.
A rising tide lifts all boats. It’s likely the same in academia as here on Substack, nobody else has to lose for me to win, it’s a team game, we can all do well together!