Dev Bootcamp goes to great lengths to not only raise awareness of the importance of feedback, but also to educate students on how to properly give and receive this valuable form of communication. DBC discusses feedback on their website, requires prospective students to watch a Vimeo introduction on the subject matter prior to interviewing, and it's emphasized heavily throughout the entirety of the program- integrated into every student pairing session. Though I had no doubt this would be a useful exercise, I underestimated how the anticipation of giving and receiving feedback would influence my study habits, behavior, and emotional stability.
Each week of Phase 0 calls for a minimum of two pairing sessions- student collaborations on weekly assignment where driver and navigator roles are assigned to mimick "real-world" working environments. Following each pairing session, students review their pair's behavior and contributions to the session. In the beginning, I must admit, I showed up to the session 100% fresh to the material and expecting my pair to have the same level of proficiency as me. Getting to meet someone new and comparing notes- figuratively and literally- is always the best part of pairing during Phase 0. Because we are all working off-campus battling the feelings of isolation, pairings are the rare chance to talk face to face, even if it is just webcam. But, not soon after checking in to my first couple pairings, I quickly found myself feeling as though I missed something. Was there a reading assignment I was supposed to read before this? How did he know how to do that??? Knowing that I would be judged for my performance in the session, I suddenly felt insecure, unprepared, and a little embarassed. Oh, the power of feedback!
You see, the way I understand it, there are three known perceptions: the way we perceive others, the way we perceive ourselves, and the way we perceive others to perceive us. Without feedback, we have very few ways to access the way others perceive us- it is an incredibly powerful tool, but when used carelessly, it is potentially very harmful. Following DBC's guidelines for good feedback, I make an effort to give comments that are actionable, specific, and kind (A.S.K.). It wouldn't be useful to tell your pair something that they can't take action on after processing- I want them to either continue, improve, or stop whatever behavior I have observed if they agree it would be beneficial to do so. Additionally, if I'm not specific, they may misunderstand my message and take action that is unnecessary, ignoring the behavior that was supposed to be addressed. Especially for someone who may be more sensitive, the more clear I am giving my feedback, the less I have to worry that my message will be lost in translation. Finally, I avoid any language that could be hurtful- I can say something constructive without putting the other person down, which would likely discourage them from accepting my feedback.
Around Week 2, I finally received feedback from my pairs- they were kind and honest acknowledging that I was a little shy to ask questions or make bold statements. I agree. I realized that perhaps I could have been more actionable and specific in the feedback I gave to my pairs... but, unfortunately, my fellow students did not feel the same! (Side note: Before our pairs receive the feedback we've given them, other students read and rate it anonymously before the pair reads it.) The ratings I received from other students on my feedback was shocking, almost comically so. Students "strongly disagreed" that I was specific, kind, or actionable... what?? If you didn't know this already- I'm Texas-born and having good manners is more than habitual, it's in my blood. I reread everything and decided- not to be dismissive- that I didn't agree with the initial feedback, resigning to check back once more students had reviewed it for a more accurate, and hopefully positive, consensus.
This is when feedback starts to do its work. Equipt with a new perspective on what I bring to pairing sessions, I made a conserted effort to increase my preparedness, ask questions with confidence, and equally contribute to solving the challenge. Likewise, the feedback I submitted was given with special attention to be kind. The efforts paid off in better feedback in the following week, just as expected. The bonus- not only did my pairs respond to my changed behavior, but I did as well. I felt more confident in my understanding of the curriculum and happy that I could, on occasion, lead us to a solution.
Just five weeks deep into Phase 0, feedback has revealed its many faces, transforming what I considered a basic exercise into an experience.