Somewhere along the way, we convinced ourselves that feedback needs to be written, formal and brightly colour-coded to be effective.
Now we’ve got rubrics that read like rental agreements, feedback cycles longer than the seasons and teachers spending hours writing notes that students will never read or care about.
We’ve built our own myth, that formal feedback is better feedback. It’s not. The most powerful feedback is fast, human and in the moment.
“Try it like this.”
“Just for a sec, look at how that change improved your work.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
“You nailed the intro – wanna build the ending together?”
That’s the feedback students actually hear. That’s what sticks. That’s what moves the learning and the motivation needles in your favour.
If we keep turning feedback into paperwork, we risk killing its magic.
So, here’s your feedback permission slip: Be quicker. Be warmer. Be more you.
A nod across the room might just inspire more learning than a paragraph in the margin.
And if anyone asks, just tell them I said your red pen needs a spell.
Keep fighting that good fight,
P.S. My next online workshop is going to focus on teacher consistency. I’ve designed it specifically for school leaders looking for strategies to get every educator on the same page – without killing staff morale! We’ll go through a restorative, resistance-proof system for building real consistency in your school.
The Teacher Consistency Code Online Workshop
Thursday 19 June 2025
4.00pm AEST
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