Teach Now (Teaching Certification): Reflection on Teacher Evaluation

Module 6 Unit 4 Activity 3

This was a non-graded one...

Reflection on Teacher Evaluation

Evaluations really help people learn where they may be at a certain task or a job. Receiving feedback based on their performance can really help a teacher improve and having constructive criticism can guide the educator in their daily tasks. Teaching is sometimes difficult to evaluate as it is subjective as well as the students may learn better with certain types of personality, styles, or a numerous other factors that involve their teacher. Because of this, it is very difficult to have a one size fits all kind of criteria for the teachers.

When I did my observation/evaluation class in our masters, it really opened my eyes to what an observation is an how a successful evaluation will take place. Before I took that course I really always had a negative view of classroom observations, as if the teacher had done something wrong. I never thought it was the teacher who would initiate this to better her/himself professionally, and grow as an educator.

Reading the links that were recommended by the Teach Now site were useful but they failed to mention the pre-conference which is one of the biggest parts of the observation/evaluation process. There are some observations that are unannounced but there still needs to be a clear goal or purpose as it will be better for the evaluator to know what kind of evaluation instrument would be beneficial and the specific criteria they are going to observe.

I feel the most comfortable being evaluated by my peers or colleagues as those are the people who I usually learn the most from. The pre-conference needs to be established and words need to be carefully evaluated but in the real world it might be a lot harder because different people have different assumptions of words, and degrees to measure words. Recommendations should remain neutral as it needs to be constructive and the observer should refrain from giving their personal opinions when evaluating.

Recording my own classes could also be a great way to self-evaluate as long as I am being constructive, factual and as objective as I can be. Self-evaluation gives educators room to reflect on their own practice and find out if what they teach needs improvement or if it is successful.

Student evaluations or observations from head teachers are equally as crucial. Having surveys and working with students to shape the lessons and classes could be very effective. Having anonymous ways for students to truly voice how they feel they learn best could be a great way for teachers to understand what works or doesn’t work with the students. Also having head teachers observe classes can help give a better perspective by having announced and unannounced observations for more accurate sampling of the teacher’s lesson.

My mentor will hopefully be able to give me feedback about my procedures, management skills and my own feedback to the students. I also would like to get pointers and new ideas on different procedures or transition techniques. I am always willing to learn and I will be open to any constructive criticism or feedback that my mentor has for me. 

Teach Now (Teacher Certification): Voice Thread on Use of Student Learning for Teacher Evaluation

Module 6 Unit 4 Activity 2

Here is our teacher evaluation form: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/162_4G6vYCmHeihNtP65ZvXskrLAJdo-6eA1n2CHGdi8/edit

Here is our Voicethread: 

http://voicethread.com/myvoice/#thread/6218068/31979862/33503800

Teach Now (Teacher Certification): Simulated Parent Teacher Conference

Module 6 Unit 4 Activity 1

Here is my Flipsnack:

This is the only one I didn't get an "Outstanding" in so far, just because I didn't include the student's name as it was supposed to be a scenario. So instead of student, one should state Billy or whatnot. Anyhows, I complained that it was still a scenario, and they changed my grade. Seriously it came down to a name...and THAT is the quality of the teachers in this program. Just putting it out there just in case :)

Teach Now (Teacher Certification): Tackling the Grading Dilemma

Module 6 Unit 3 Activity 4

Tackling the Grading Dilemma

Grading can sometimes be very time-consuming. Some teachers have to do a lot more grading than others and sometimes the workload can be overwhelming. There are ways to make grading a bit easier for the teacher.

Peer Assessment:

It is surprising to think that students are actually way harsher in grading themselves or each other than the teacher. When students assess each others work it allows them to see the work that they had to do in a different perspective. It will not only help their fellow classmates to improve their own work, but they may think critically about their own work as well and clearly see what the teacher is looking for. I have done this many times and it is very surprising to see that the grades they give each other or themselves are very similar to the grades that I would have given them. For peer assessment to be successful, the teacher needs to have a clear rubric or standards that the students have to follow.

One in Four Rule:

When a teacher has over thirty students per class and perhaps even five to seven classes per day, grading all of the homework, tests, and quizzes could become a hard task to complete. Grading a random sample of the students’ work that represents their thoughts and activities could really help cut the load but still be very effective in helping the student and giving them feedback and certain grades. It is very important that the sample should be random and not chosen to favor a certain thought, answer or group of students. If done successfully, it can be very effective in saving time for the teacher, helping the students, and still get the students to practice. Personally, I like this idea but I also like to skim through everything my students write as occasionally there will be pieces of information that the student wanted the teacher to read, or needed help in.

Stamping Method:

I think I would be okay with the stamping method if my students were younger such as kindergartners or lower elementary grade level. Overall, I am not a stamp advocate as I think it is more meaningful for the students to write an extra comment to give personal feedback. Having said that, if they are stamps just to let the students know that they are on the right track or need to develop their essays or answers a bit more, then I would think it could be a faster way to manage lots of assignments provided that the students know that they have to take those papers home and re-do, or improve upon their own papers.

Student Journals:

Student journals or portfolios could be very beneficial. Having the students compile portfolios is a great way to collect students’ work and see how much they have grown and learned over time. It keeps their work in one place, in order, and records their work throughout the year. If the educator checks that the work is submitted in on time, grading the assignments should not be very overwhelming. This method also lets the teacher grade in their own time and the students don’t have to wonder when they will get their graded assignments back from the teacher. If I eventually teach English, I would love to have my students blog everything as it can be looked as an online portfolio and if they continue this throughout the years, they can look back and see how much they have learned over the years.

I have been doing this with some of my students already and it has been very successful. Also it can be intertwined with peer assessments as their fellow classmates can leave comments on their page.

I am usually very organized with my time and like to give myself deadlines. I also make sure that different classes have different papers or assignments due at different times so that I am not overwhelmed with all the work at once. In order for me to give timely feedback on my student assignments I will have to work efficiently instead of in a way that is just time consuming but gives the same results to my students. I would also like to be able to communicate with them letting them know when their work will be returned. I want to start implementing self assessment and peer assessment a lot more regularly and the four in one method would be implemented if I worked in a school where I had a lot more students than I do now or if I were to have to assign a heavier workload.