We have known for some time that feedback can help improve teaching. From students and colleagues. The idea is simple: if you gain insight into what is happening in your classroom, you can make more targeted adjustments. And yet, it happens remarkably rarely. Why is this?

And we do not know this merely anecdotally. In many systems, asking for feedback remains the exception rather than the rule. A recent study by Röhl and colleagues among more than 600 teachers in Germany confirms this picture. Student feedback still gets some attention. But feedback from colleagues lags behind. That is striking, because this is exactly the kind of feedback many consider most powerful: someone actually observing your lesson. There is a reason I have been arguing for more peer observation for years.

The question, therefore, is not so much whether feedback works. The question is: why do we do so little with it, or are we so unwilling to accept it? The study provides a rather pragmatic answer to this. Teachers primarily ask for feedback when they think it is useful. That sounds almost too simple to be true, but it turns out to be the strongest predictor. Not so much whether they think they can handle it well, but whether they believe it will benefit them.

There are other factors to consider, however. Take the social norm, for instance. If teachers feel that colleagues or school management expect them to use feedback, the likelihood that they will actually do so increases. Not necessarily because they are suddenly convinced that it is necessary, but because it is “the done thing.” Schools are, after all, mini-societies where everyone influences one another.

So far, nothing surprising, but useful to see it confirmed. Where it gets more interesting is with the context. Schools that provide concrete support, such as questionnaires, time to observe lessons, or guidance on interpreting feedback, see greater teacher intention to use feedback. Psychological safety also plays a role. In teams where mistakes can be discussed, the threshold for asking for feedback is lower. And the same applies to leadership. School leaders who make it clear that feedback is important and who create space for it make a difference.

In other words, feedback is not an individual skill. It is an organisational choice. This is also reflected in more experienced teachers. They indicate seeking feedback less often. Not because they are incapable, but because they consider it less useful. This fits into a broader pattern in which routines become stronger, and the urge for change diminishes. Also, under work pressure or burnout, feedback quickly feels less like an opportunity and more like a threat.

It is tempting to translate these kinds of results into individual solutions. We need to convince teachers. We need to change their mindset and train them in feedback skills. But perhaps the problem lies elsewhere. Perhaps the main reason feedback happens so infrequently is that we rarely build an environment where it is normal. Where there is time to observe. Where tools are available. And where it feels safe to be vulnerable. And where it is not exceptional, but simply part of the job.