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Halloween is a time for us to have some fun, and the Network for Educator Effectiveness has taken that opportunity in recent years with timely blogs exploring The Monsters of Feedback and comparing the NEE indicators to Halloween candy.

Let’s continue the tradition this year, and what better way than exploring connections between NEE and Halloween costumes!

I remember years of donning plastic masks to complete my yearly trek to get all the best Halloween treats. Donald Duck, He-Man, and a St. Louis Cardinals player are some costumes I remember most.

But Halloween costumes can be for adults too, and not just for late-night or weekend parties but also for your … feedback conversations?! That’s right – each of NEE’s four paths to effective feedback lends itself to a corresponding Halloween costume, and hopefully, that feedback path costume leads to abundant treats of teacher growth!

Let’s explore.

Micro Feedback Path: Genie

For the Micro Path costume, may I suggest going as Aladdin’s Genie! Like a genie, school leaders who use the micro feedback path are supporting the teacher’s actions and wishes. Remember, it’s best to use the Micro Path with teachers who demonstrate a strong command of the instructional practice. In micro path conversations, the teacher takes the lead, suggests adjustments they would like to try or wishes they have for what they may do next, and celebrates all that is going well. A genie can help with this! The genie can make wishes come true, can celebrate with the best of them, and can take on any number of tasks to help. So, paint yourself blue and pick up the most ancient lamp you can find.

Descriptive Feedback Path: Yoda

Maybe blue isn’t your color, but you still want to go as a magical character with an unusual skin tone? Look to the Descriptive Path, and everyone’s favorite diminutive yet wise mentor – Yoda.  Lead the teacher to reflection, you must do. As Descriptive Path Yoda, you will help the teacher take the opportunity to reflect on an instructional strategy and look to the future. You help your protégé stimulate ideas for their own improvement. Like Yoda, you don’t give the straightforward answer, but you provide enough opportunity for teachers to reflect on your advice in a way that makes sense to them. There may be times you offer your own suggestions, but it’s most important in this path to be the guide and to let the teacher grow through their own reflection. Find some pointy ears, some green paint, and a lot of wrinkly facial prosthetics – and you will be dressed for success to lead teachers down the Descriptive Path.

Prescriptive Feedback Path: Mr. Miyagi

Or, are you looking for the opportunity to be a tad more hands-on than Yoda? Maybe you are looking to provide practical skills and strategies that can help a teacher succeed. I have the costume for you: Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. As Prescriptive Path Mr. Miyagi, you have seen your protégé take their licks and not have the best experience. Now, they need some help, and you’re the one to do it. They need direct processes, active learning, and follow up. Whether it is catching a fly out of midair to improve hand-eye coordination or waxing cars to improve defensive blocking, Mr. Miyagi taught specific, menial skills and strategies that culminated in larger success. Like Mr. Miyagi, the Prescriptive Path conversation helps the teacher see the need for improvement and allows the evaluator to suggest specific resources and strategies that the teacher can focus on to improve their classroom environment. As those skills progress, so too does the success – and, in no time, you have mentored an All-Valley Champion.

Diagnostic Feedback Path: Ms. Frizzle

The last option in the costume closet is one focused on teaching new material in engaging ways that build passion and the desire to learn more. This costume aligns with the Diagnostic Path.  In this feedback path, you are working to build a teacher’s understanding of key concepts surrounding a specific instructional practice and the best methods for its use. No better costume here than Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. In this path, we need to be a teacher who can take someone on the ride of their life. You see the need for the teacher to learn some basic traits and foundations of a specific instructional practice, and they need you to open up that world to them. Provide them with resources and deliverables, but make sure they are having fun and experiencing joy through the process. Ms. Frizzle makes learning fun, and that’s what you need to do the best you can on the Diagnostic Path. You should be on the school bus with the teacher and be there to watch them learn and grow.

No matter the feedback path you find yourself on, there is a costume you can suit up with and some role models for how to interact. Have a Happy Halloween, and may it be filled with the best treat of all – teacher growth and school success!

To learn more about the NEE Feedback Paths, read our previous blogs on feedback and download the NEE Guide to Effective Feedback Conversations.

Tom Hairston is the Managing Director of the Network for Educator Effectiveness and has worked with NEE since 2011. Prior to his work with NEE, he worked as a Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports Consultant for the Heart of Missouri Regional Professional Development Center at the University of Missouri. He began his career in education as a high school special education and language arts teacher and football coach at Moberly High School in Moberly, Mo. Tom received his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri in 2012.

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.