Feedback System

Feedback is a response in a systemic-constructivist view referring to behaviour from out of the context. Feedbacks mirror the requirements of a context and serve as an orientation for one’s own behaviour. Within the framework of competence development a person learns situational successful behaviour through context-related feedbacks.

Feedback is authoritative.

Authority is then appropriate when the feedback relates to exactly described requirements in the sense of right or wrong.
The recitation of factual knowledge uses a third instance for the feedback – information set in writing. The trainer legitimizes his authority using the information which is available to all those involved.

Coaching itself is a context interpreted by values. If all participants have the same understanding of these values then this is a basis for the legitimacy of authority. If no benchmark exists which is shared by all participants in the feedback then authority loses its legitimacy and becomes arbitrary. Orientation is no longer possible.

The benchmark for feedback must be known to all involved.

If the provider of feedback is not aware which feelings, motives, needs, values and abilities influence him as a provider of feedback then his feedback is usually not legitimate.
The feedback provider gives a response to that what is important to him. In so doing he declares himself as a benchmark. The reason behind feedback , the context and the interests of his opposite are not registered.

The feedback provider has to have developed personal competence in order to achieve competence for actions as a feedback provider. Within the framework of his social-communicative competence a feedback provider has to take the interests into account of all those involved in the feedback as well as the reason for feedback.

Feedback methods mainly try to curb the emotional damage of random authoritative behaviour.
Authority is softened by formulations containing a wish. Interest in the person opposite is shown through appreciation, that means appreciative in the sense of respecting the values of the feedback recipient.

Common to all methods is the fact that only what has been observed can be a matter for feedback.

Within the development of competence, a requirement of learning is that a person is able to assess himself with regards to the requirements of the context. The feedback from another person is a control for one’s own situational successful behaviour as a result of a self-evaluation.

The better a person can evaluate himself in a context or give himself feedback, the more successful his situational behaviour becomes. In order to be able to assess oneself in a context, a person must be able to understand the requirements and the meaning of the context.

A successful self-evaluation contains the necessity for developing one’s own systemic benchmark.

Viewed in a constructivist way, one’s own benchmark is an expression of one’s own feelings, motives, needs, values and abilities. By using one’s own benchmark one runs the risk of acting arbitrarily, even against oneself.
Only by using a model does the benchmark obtain a structure which allows the user not to act from within (authoritative) but to act mainly dissociated.


Teaching and learning feedback according to the Hamburger Schule

• Feedback is part of the method of the curriculum.
• Feedback is based upon models.
• The curricular allows a transfer from use of the model as a coach to the use of the model as a feedback provider.
• The development of personal competence has priority within competence development.
• All those involved are used as feedback providers, whether directly or indirectly.
• Feedback as a method is conveyed and practiced.
• Learning objectives and the degrees to which competence has been gained are principally assessed using feedback.