How To Get Student Feedback in Spanish Class

Teachers grow when they are reflective. This is drilled into us in our teacher preparation! Learning how to get students feedback in Spanish class is one way to reflect on your teaching practice so that you know what to keep and what to improve!

So how should you go about getting student feedback? There are so many ways! And when should you do this? I always try to get student feedback at the end of the year, but there are many other times in the year you can do this as well.

Some shy away from asking teenagers for the truth, but in my experience, students are often honest without being cruel. They appreciate being asked about their opinion and often have great suggestions!

Get Student Feedback in Spanish Class At the End of the Year

One thing I always do, every year, is solicit student feedback at the end of the year. There are many ways to do this, but I will share just one way.

I create a format (paper copies or Google Forms are 2 methods) and I organize it by the themes we covered during the year. Under each theme, I include some of the anchor activities and/or the activities I specifically would like feedback on.

I ask students to fill out their thoughts on each topic. Yes, some students simply write “Good” or “Bad”, but others will take the time to explain what they liked or didn’t like.

This kind of feedback is especially helpful when it’s a curriculum re-writing year!

Solicit Feedback After Trying a New Activity

Another great idea about how to get student feedback in Spanish class is after you’ve tried something new. Recently, I asked my students to be my guinea pigs in a new activity that I called Speed Counseling. It turned out to be a hit, but I wasn’t sure what the kiddos would think. After we had 5 minute meetings where students shifted seats, listening to the “problems” half of the class had been given on their cards and giving advice, I asked them to turn their papers over.

What did you like about this activity?
How would you change this activity to improve it?

You can see their responses below! Based on their feedback, I was happy to see that they enjoyed the activity AND found it helpful for their learning.

Get Feedback After a Unit Test

Do you have fast finishers in class? It’s one of the givens of teaching, right? Some kids only need 10 minutes (no matter what the task) and some kids need the entire period to complete the same task!

Having a feedback form about the unit or activity is a great way to keep those fast finishers engaged in their learning. While it’s still fresh, you can ask questions like: What activities that we did in this unit helped you to improve your speaking? Which activity was the least helpful? Do you think the homework given during this unit was too much, not enough, or just right? Why? How would you change this activity to improve it?

If the students that needed more time to finish their test want to give feedback, they can complete the form during a study hall!

Get Feedback in Spanish Class Via Exit Tickets

Let’s take it down to one class or one activity. You can judge how effective your lesson or activity was with a quick exit ticket! Usually, I don’t prepare these ahead of time. We use a scrap piece of paper and I ask them to summarize the learning in 2 sentences, as if they needed to explain to a student who was absent yesterday. Or I ask one or 2 questions. Teachers are good at thinking on their feet! Tailor your questions to what you need to know and reflect on!

The moral of the story is, most of the time, students have valuable insights about what helps them learn. Teachers who are willing to ask and listen to their students will grow as educators, and their students will be the beneficiaries! Win Win!