
The role of teacher feedback in shaping educational resources
At Haremi, it's our belief that learning resources need to be more than just theoretically sound; they must reflect the realities of modern teaching methods and technologies. While academic frameworks and research remain crucial, real-world insights from teachers and other practitioners add a dimension of relevance and applicability that theoretical foundations can't always achieve on their own. Teachers bring first-hand knowledge of what does and doesn't work, giving them a unique perspective on the strengths and limitations of educational materials.
We've found that incorporating this feedback into the development of both printed and digital products guides the creation of materials that are not only pedagogically sound but also effective and adaptable across different learning contexts. Here are some of our ideas about how to build teacher input into the design cycle.
Why teacher feedback matters
Enhancing usability and accessibility
Teachers are uniquely positioned to identify usability challenges that may not be immediately obvious to publishers, developers, authors or editors. This includes aspects like the flow of content, the ease of resource navigation on different devices and the content's appeal to people with varied learning styles. This feedback sheds light on how accessible and user-friendly resources are, guiding modifications that make them intuitive and adaptable.
Fostering inclusive and culturally relevant content
Inclusive education means ensuring equal learning opportunities for all students, including people with disabilities and people of different genders and ethnicities. Teacher feedback has helped Haremi gain valuable perspectives on how to incorporate diverse viewpoints, making content relevant and relatable to more students.
Improving engagement and motivation
Feedback from teachers has helped Haremi understand which types of activities, visuals and learning strategies resonate best with students. Educators often note which resources spark curiosity and which fall flat. With this feedback, we tailor materials to boost student motivation, ensuring they are both educationally effective and engaging.
Keeping pace with curriculum changes and standards
Qualifications and standards frequently change and feedback from educators helps us to keep up with these shifts. Teachers often help us interpret the latest curriculum requirements, which influences how we write and review our content.
Methods for gathering teacher feedback
Surveys and questionnaires
We've found surveys to be a scalable way of gathering a broad range of insights from different stakeholders. We've created questionnaires for use during market research to ascertain teacher need for an education product or service. Questionnaires can also be distributed after a product launch, on completion of a digital module or course, or at the end of an academic period, to gather quantitative data on satisfaction, usability and effectiveness.
Focus groups with educators and administrators
Haremi often conducts focus groups during the early stages of educational book, course and application design. Our in-depth discussions with small groups of participants have uncovered lots of detailed, qualitative feedback on specific elements of learning resources, offering nuanced insights into how they function in the real world.
Immediate feedback
When publishing content, we make use of the direct feedback mechanisms in many of our customers' learning platforms. For instance, inviting teachers to rate lesson plans or leave comments after use, providing instant, actionable feedback. Student engagement, activity completion rates or assessment data also provide us with quantitative insights.
Classroom observation
The strengths and limitations of educational materials can be seen by observing teachers and students using resources in real time, often revealing patterns in learner engagement and teacher facilitation that might not be evident through other means. By observing classroom interactions with learning resources, we've identified subtle challenges or opportunities for improvement, such as resource usability or alignment with diverse learning styles.
Turning feedback into actionable improvements
The value of feedback lies in how it can be used to shape the development of educational resources. Here are our suggestions about how to incorporate feedback into improved learning materials.
Analyse and prioritise feedback
Not all feedback will be equally impactful. It's usually best to prioritise feedback that identifies recurring themes and then address the most common or pressing issues. For example, if multiple teachers report difficulty with a specific module's complexity, addressing this issue should be prioritised.
Be iterative
Educational resources benefit from iterative design: a process of continuous improvement based on regular feedback. This approach involves making small, progressive changes rather than large overhauls, allowing learning content providers to test and refine changes incrementally.
Incorporate data-driven decisions
Combining qualitative feedback with quantitative data enhances the decision-making process. By analysing feedback alongside metrics like engagement rates or assessment outcomes, learning providers can ensure that improvements are data-driven and meet students' performance goals.
Be transparent
Once changes are implemented, it's essential to communicate these updates to educators, letting them know that their feedback has been acted upon. This builds trust and fosters a sense of collaboration, encouraging teachers to continue providing valuable insights in the future.
Pilot test new versions
Before fully launching an updated learning resource, we recommend pilot testing it with a small group of target users. This allows for final adjustments based on real-world feedback, ensuring the resource meets expectations before its full release.
We believe a feedback-driven approach to educational resource development benefits all stakeholders involved. For both learning content providers and their service partners like Haremi, it reduces the likelihood of costly revisions after a product launch. For teachers, it ensures that materials are relevant and aligned with their needs. Ultimately, students benefit most, as they receive resources that are engaging, accessible and designed to enhance learning outcomes effectively.
By systematically incorporating customer feedback, learning content providers can develop resources that are not only robust pedagogically, but also practical and impactful in diverse classroom settings. As the educational landscape continues to change, feedback from teachers remains an invaluable tool for Haremi when creating high-quality, adaptable resources that truly support teaching and learning.
Contact us to find out more about how the Haremi team has used teacher feedback to shape the development of market-leading educational resources.