Feedback Literacy Resources for Educators

đź‘‹ Hello, fellow educators! I’m excited to share this set of resources designed to enhance your students’ feedback literacy. Below, you’ll find:

  1. Definition document
  2. Visuals
  3. Mini-cases
  4. Discussion questions
  5. Reflection worksheets
  6. Role-playing scenarios

All materials are available as free PDF downloads. These resources complement my feedback literacy article and webinar with Harvard Business Publishing Education. Thank you for helping to spread the word to other educators and supporting the growth of effective feedback skills!


Feedback Literacy Definition

I developed and refined this definition by studying academic literature and gathering feedback from my students and from my colleagues in the corporate sector. Additionally, I have included my definitions for each of the five dimensions of feedback literacy, based on my comprehensive research and practical experience. Below are those definitions in PDF and text form:

Feedback literacy: the capacity to effectively seek, give, receive, process, and use feedback

Seeking feedback: The proactive pursuit of constructive, specific, and actionable insights from others to enhance one’s own performance and development. Effective feedback seekers are open to and capable of learning from positive and negative feedback. They seek feedback indirectly through observation and directly by asking questions. They clearly articulate their need for feedback while ensuring the feedback giver has the space and context to deliver it effectively.

Giving feedback: The ability to provide constructive, specific, and actionable insights to others in a clear, respectful, and supportive manner. Effective feedback givers can offer both positive and negative feedback. They clearly state the context and observed behavior, working toward mutual understanding by inviting the feedback receiver into a dialogue that feels psychologically safe for all participants.

Receiving feedback: The ability to actively listen, acknowledge, and use constructive conversational techniques to understand what a feedback giver tries to convey in the moment. Effective feedback receivers are receptive to and capable of extracting value from positive and negative feedback. They seek clarification when needed, refrain from agreeing or disagreeing with the feedback until they fully understand it, and spend time reflecting on the conversation.

Processing feedback: The ability to explore the feelings that arise, mindfully analyze, and ultimately decide whether or not to adopt received feedback. With particularly challenging feedback, effective feedback processors ask the giver for space to reflect. They strive to develop a fuller sense of the situation and the giver’s intention. To gain a clearer perspective, they may share the feedback with people they respect and who have seen their work.

Using feedback: The application of constructive, specific, and actionable insights gained from feedback to improve performance. Effective feedback users thoughtfully consider if, when, and how to use received feedback. They strategically plan their changes context-appropriately (e.g., fixing typos immediately while gradually increasing meeting participation). They monitor the impact of these changes and seek further feedback on them.

Feedback Literacy Visuals

I developed these visuals to help students and employees grasp the connection between various components and the essential skills required for cultivating feedback literacy. Click each image to get the full size, and be sure to use the associated PDF for guidance on how to introduce each.

Feedback Literacy Relationship Model | Use this PDF for guidance on introducing this to your students.
Feedback Literacy Skills Development Diagram | Use this PDF for guidance on introducing this to your students.

Feedback Mini Cases

These feedback mini case studies are designed to stimulate reflection and discussion among students, helping them to understand and apply the feedback literacy components of seeking, giving, receiving, processing, and using feedback in various business scenarios.

Feedback Discussion Questions

These questions are designed to foster reflection and generate meaningful class discussions around each part of feedback literacy.

Feedback Reflection Worksheets

These worksheets are designed to help students reflect on their experiences with giving, seeking, receiving, processing, and using feedback. It can be printed and distributed to students to facilitate deeper thinking and discussion about their feedback literacy practices.

Feedback Role-Playing Scenarios

These role-playing scenarios intend to provide an engaging way for students to practice and refine their feedback skills.