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60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+55 XP

Reflecting on Placement Feedback

In this lesson you will sort placement feedback into vague praise, evidenced comments and actionable changes. You will apply a reflection framework to your own notes and conclude with a specific plan for what to do differently.

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    1 - Getting Started ~5 mins

    Illustration for Getting StartedIn this lesson you are reflecting on placement feedback you have already received. If you do not have host feedback yet, use mock-interview notes, feedback from part-time or voluntary work, or the sample note in the next activity — the skill is the same. Most people misread feedback before they ever choose a framework: they either dismiss the whole note or treat every warm line as proof they are sorted. Today you sort a real supervisor note into vague praise, evidenced comment, and actionable change. Then you take the actionable part of your feedback and run it through one framework once, ending with what you will do differently.

    2 - Key Terms ~5 mins

    Three labels you will use on every feedback note from today on:

    TermWhat it means for youReal example
    Vague praiseWarm words with no behaviour attached. Feels good, but you cannot put it in a plan or a personal statement"Great attitude throughout"
    Evidenced feedbackA specific moment or result named. This is the material you can quote when you need proof of a skill"Handled the delivery mix-up on Wednesday without escalating"
    Actionable feedbackNames what to change next time. This is the only part that belongs in a development plan"Write instructions down the first time rather than asking twice"

    A lot of supervisor notes lean heavily on vague praise. Spotting that stops you either dismissing the whole page or over-reading a throwaway line.

    3 - Sort the Note, Then Your Own ~40 mins

    First, annotate the sample supervisor note. Pick a label (vague praise, evidenced, or actionable), then click the phrase it fits. When the class is ready, reveal the model and notice where you differed.

    Then create or open Placement Feedback Reflection in your Strand 2.2 folder (doc or PDF). If the document does not exist yet, create it now with these required headings:

    1. Feedback source (host, mock interview, or other workplace voice) and raw feedback pasted or rewritten
    2. Three columns: Vague | Evidenced | Actionable
    3. Framework used (STAR or What / So-what / Now-what) with one short phrase under each beat
    4. What I will do differently (one clear sentence, with a real next occasion if you can name one)

    Sort every line of your feedback into the three columns. Take the strongest actionable line and work it through one framework only. Either framework is fine once; do not compare them.

    Scaffold (fill one phrase per beat):

    • What / So-what / Now-what: What (the feedback point) / So-what (why it matters) / Now-what (the change)
    • STAR: Situation / Task / Action / Result — one phrase each, applied to the feedback and your response to it

    Micro-model (actionable line: writing down instructions the first time rather than asking twice):

    • What / So-what / Now-what: What — I asked for the same instruction twice. So-what — it slowed the counter during a busy spell. Now-what — keep a small notebook in my apron pocket and write steps once on the next shift.
    • STAR (same line): Situation — busy counter, multi-step restock task. Task — follow the supervisor's instructions accurately first time. Action — write the steps down immediately. Result — one ask, faster restock, less interruption.

    End the page with one clear sentence: what you will do differently, with a real next occasion if you can name one. If your note has almost no actionable lines, say so honestly and write what question you would ask that supervisor next time to get one.

    This sorted page and do-differently sentence are raw material for the later workplace-feedback plan (ALT 4) in this strand.

    Reading a supervisor feedback note

    4 - Think About It ~5 mins

    Only once your do-differently sentence is on the page — then talk these through with the person beside you, or sit with them quietly:

    • Which column of your own feedback was fullest — vague, evidenced, or actionable — and what does that say about how that person writes, not only about you?
    • If you had to defend one evidenced line in an interview tomorrow, which sentence would you take, and what follow-up detail would you add out loud?

    Optional Digital Portfolio note in your Placement Feedback Reflection document: one short paragraph for future-you on the difference between being praised and being given something you can act on. This page is raw material for the later workplace-feedback plan (ALT 4).

    5 - What You Covered ~5 mins

    Illustration for What you coveredToday you reflected on real workplace feedback by reading it carefully before deciding what to do with it.

    • You labelled vague praise, evidenced comments, and actionable lines on a sample supervisor note
    • You sorted your own feedback the same way
    • You ran one actionable line through a single reflection framework
    • You finished with a concrete sentence on what you will do differently

    Your Placement Feedback Reflection document (Placement Feedback Reflection in Strand 2.2) is the record. It is raw material for the plan responding to workplace feedback (ALT 4) later in this strand.

    Optional stretch: rewrite one vague line from your host as the evidenced sentence you wish they had written, based on a real moment you remember from the placement.

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