Peer Review #1

 I enjoyed the process of giving peer feedback this week. It felt like I was able to reflect on my own writing when considering different aspects of others’ work. The article ‘Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback’ was very helpful when I was figuring out how to structure my comments. The general idea of ‘feedforward’ is intriguing to me, as it seems to have a more productive goal in mind. Feedback has almost no consideration for how the receiver should progress, whereas feedforward leaves the receiver with something to aspire towards. As Marshall Goldsmith suggests, “Feedforward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past” (marshallgoldsmith.com, 2015). This optimistic outlook is more effective than focusing on past experiences.

This style of thinking seems to extend into other methods of advice, as shown in ‘Be A Mirror’ by Gravity Goldberg. This article suggests that in education, students primarily have either a ‘growth’ mindset, or a ‘fixed’ mindset. By fostering a growth mindset, students can feel optimism in their learning trajectory. Another interesting note I found in this piece is taking oneself out of the feedback. By removing personal pronouns, it gets rid of the notion that the feedback is to appease the speaker’s wants, and instead focuses on improving the listener. “After all, a mirror stays focused on what is in front of it” (literacyworldwide.org, 2015). Both of these articles gave me a great deal of insight when writing comments for peer feedback this week.

Reading the posts this week allowed me to reflect on my own work. While the objective was to analyse the writing of others, it had opened my eyes to other styles of writing and how I can improve my own.

 

Sources:

Blogger (2021) Digital Media [online] Available from <https://nellyla.blogspot.com/2021/10/digital-media.html> [accessed 19 Oct 2021].

Blogger (2021) Digital Media [online] Available from <https://tarasthoughtsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/4-video-task-introduction-to-digital.html> [accessed 19 Oct 2021].

Marshall Goldsmith (2015) Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback [online] Available from <https://marshallgoldsmith.com/articles/try-feedforward-instead-feedback/> [accessed 19 Oct 2021].

Literacy Worldwide (2015) Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset [online] Available from <https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-now/2015/12/08/be-a-mirror-give-readers-feedback-that-fosters-a-growth-mindset> [accessed 19 Oct 2021].