Praise, Question, Suggest Critique Protocol

Focused on Providing Growth-Producing Feedback

Purpose

This protocol can be used to offer critique and feedback for revision of work. It is appropriate to use during a draft phase, so that participants have the opportunity to revise based on the feedback they receive. This process will help participants to see what is working, and then consider questions and suggestions that will lead to revision and improvement of the growth-producing feedback each person has crafted. It is important that participants understand that the focus should be on offering feedback that is beneficial to the author/creator.

Getting Started:

  • Organize yourselves into triads at the table.
  • This protocol will last 30 minutes (10 minutes per member of the triad to read and receive feedback).
  • Each person will rotate through three roles:
  1. One member of the triad reads his/her feedback to the group.
  2. One member acts as the timekeeper
  3. One member acts as the facilitator of the process and ensures all members offer praise, questions, and suggestions to the author/creator.

Procedure

  1. Read the following questions together. These questions will guide your praise, questions, and suggestions:
  2. Is the written information clear and accurate?
  3. Is there a strong evidence base for leader conclusions?
  4. Are specific examples of instructional practice used in the feedback?
  5. Does the feedback indicate clear language regarding the standards and the required shifts in instruction that are necessary to implement the Common Core Standards?
  6. Does the feedback have a balance of praise and suggestions for improvement of practice?
  1. The first person reads the draft of his/her feedback. The process of reading and receiving feedback should last 10 minutes per person. The presenter may ask the group to focus on a particular criterion or revision question that s/he is struggling with from the list above.
  1. Feedback is best written on post-it notes and given to the creator after s/he is done reading. Peers first focus on what is praiseworthy or working well. Praise needs to be specific. Simply saying, “This is good” doesn’t help the presenter. Comments such as, “I notice that you used descriptive evidence to support your areas of growth for the teacher,” or, “You have captured specific language from the lesson to offer praise to the teacher” are much more useful.
  2. Next, ask questions and offer helpful suggestions. For example: “This part is unclear. I wonder if it would be better to change ______?” or, “I don’t know what evidence you had to support your claim to the teacher. What evidence or details would help the teacher to clearly understand your suggestions for growth?” or, “Consider adding specific data points to your feedback.”
  3. Feedback should relate to the revision questions listed above or a specific question identified by the presenter.
  4. After each member of the group has offered feedback, the presenter discusses which suggestions s/he will try and thanks the group.
  5. Others then present their work in turn and cycle through the feedback process.