How I Survived a Teacher Evaluation Pop Quiz
At my school, there’s a lot of talk about Washington state’s new teacher evaluation system, which will be implemented statewide in Fall 2013. Principals are gearing up to measure teacher performance and teachers are working to strengthen their practice around eight new criteria. Last week, such preparatory efforts became very real to me. At my high school, where I teach American Literature and Mythology, the rubber was about to meet the road in evaluation. Here’s what happened:
8:41 am—I receive an email from my vice principal. He asks if I’d be willing to be on deck for a “quick” observation tomorrow at 8:00 am. He wants to practice using the new evaluation tool in the “real world” (instead of in a training). Specifically, he would like to see how I help students “effectively interact with new knowledge.” Would I be game?
8:43 am—I email back, “You bet. All good.”
8:43 – 11:30 am—I ponder and slightly panic while I wait for the vice principal’s response. Of course I help students interact with new knowledge. But just how effective am I?
11:35 – 11:44 am—During lunch, I watch “Inquiry-Based Discussion,” a Success at the Core video, hoping that it will refresh my understanding of what good inquiry-based discussions look like. The video reminds me that no matter how interesting the conversation in class sounds, no matter how well-behaved the class is while others are speaking, no matter how much time a skilled group of talkers can eat up during class, there are still lots of kids who do not speak. How do I know that the silent students are interacting with the text? How do I scaffold my instruction and activities so they might speak more readily? ”Inquiry-Based Discussion” reminds me to give students focused, direct paths into the text through a good question or two. It also reminds me of the importance of asking students to formulate their thoughts in a reading journal before the discussion.
11:50 am—I change my homework assignment for the night from some “drill and kill” on nouns to a couple of short-answer questions about the text we are reading. Homework that will prepare them for discussion. Homework that will show me what the quiet students are thinking, even if they don’t participate in the discussion. The noun homework was, upon reflection, a poorly thought-out assignment meant to keep kids busy and parents happy with the “rigor” of English class. I need homework that is going to improve class and connect students to our material. So I wrote some questions around the reading. One question was text-based. The other asks students how the theme of the text applies to their own lives.
11:56 am – 12:15 pm—Lesson planning continues after lunch. I know that, in addition to our text discussion, I still need to review nouns tomorrow in class. I wonder, “Does Success at the Core have strategy to help me enliven this part of the lesson?” As I browse the Teacher Development strategies list, I see “Connecting Content to Students’ Lives.” It reminds teachers that to practice a concept as abstract as nouns, I need to connect it to my students’ lives! As the late January sun shines through my window, my eyes come to rest on the soccer ball in the back of my room. I’m inspired.
8:04 am, the next day—I stand in front of the room, holding a soccer ball, and ask: “Who can give me an example of a concrete noun? Name it and the soccer ball is coming to you.” This class is made up almost entirely of soccer players who want that ball in their hands. Quickly, they turn to each other, asking, “Wait, what’s a concrete noun?”
8:12 am—The entire class has just spent ten minutes tossing a soccer ball all around the room, calling out different types of nouns in order to get the ball. At first, I would specify the type of noun (“plural,” “abstract,” or “possessive”) and a student would raise their hand for the ball. Soon, students who had the ball would call out noun types and pass the ball to a peer for an answer. My favorite moment of the morning came when Omar, a student who has only been in the U.S. for about 20 months, easily identified a concrete noun (“soccer ball”). He then called out “pronoun” and tossed the ball to one of the many raised hands.
8:32 am—For the past twenty minutes, students have discussed last night’s story about early explorers landing on the North American coast. They refer to their reading journals to share their thoughts on whether or not survival justifies any action. Most students are highly engaged—as am I. I’ve completely forgotten that my boss is silently observing my instruction. The simple techniques I reviewed in the Success at the Core video reminded me that good teachers do not need to worry about evaluations. Good teachers need to keep worrying about their students’ learning. If you keep your eye on that ball, the rest will take care of itself.
Need help? Need ideas? Short on time? Go to Success at the Core.
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Andrea, I am on the other side of the evaluation coin. I have been working with administrators to prepare them for these observations. Your idea to “prepare” for this observation by reviewing the techniques for student engagement was wonderful. Not only did it help you feel more prepared, I know that your debrief with your administrator will be more powerful. You will be able to articulate the techniques you used and why you used them, which will help your administrator as he or she gains observational skills. The dialogue becomes a growthful experience for both of you. I know administrators need time to “practice” this skill, just like teachers do. I have recommended to my administrators that they watch different teacher development videos for their practice. They are seeing “snippets” of actual classes and they can practice scripting and observing. We can talk about what they saw and what I saw. The advantage is we can “run it again”. The teacher development videos are a great tool to help teachers prepare (review/rethink) AND administrators practice!
Thanks for the comment, Deb. You are right on that the videos give one reminders on how to articulate the instructional choices made in class. I love to have as much fun as possible at work. Having a solid pedagogical bedrock for how I interact with the students–and how I direct them to interact with each other–lets me keep the fun in class.
The time I’ve spent with my administrator and SaC have TOTALLY demystified the changes coming in evaluation, and evaporated any anxiety I have. In fact, I can see how these new forms of evaluation will help me continue to grow as a teacher.
Andrea,
I love the play-by-play of the lesson and what led up to it!
I also love the idea of reaching for a quick grab bag of strategies for inspiration. Makes we wish we always had time to put that kind of planning into every lesson!
I’d love to hear your “post-game” analysis. What worked? What didn’t? How will you change/adapt these strategies for future lessons?
Love this questions, Tyler, because I was just “post-game” analyzing. What worked was the ball. It got the attention of kids fast and early. Gave them a chance to practice grammar and have fun. What didn’t work? Letting the ball go…treating it like a gimmick.
We have continued through parts of speech, and–like everybody–I got busy. I thought getting through a long to-do list was more important than making sure kids were learning a concept deeply. I quit giving them the in-class, low-stakes practice time. It has showed in my last grammar assessment.
The lower-level language users, kids who had done really well on the last three quizes, did not do so well on the last assessment. The only instructional difference? No quick, daily practice with “Fifi” (our soccer ball) before the quiz.
Back to the ball. That’s my change.
I think what you are getting at there is the importance of the right protocol applied correctly at the right time. Teachers with more protocols in their toolbox can easily implement one right when it is needed.
How better to learn a new protocol than to watch someone else use it?
Andrea,
I am one year away from graduating college and you remain the best, most effective teacher I have ever had. Keep inspiring!
Em–budding writer and sports-commentator extrordinarre–this is the best comment I could ever get. Thank you.
Andrea,
As I read your blog, I was impressed by the relationship you must have with your assistant principal and your self confidence as a teacher. It was great that he felt comfortable asking you if he could visit your classroom the next day so he could practice his observation skills using the new evaluation system. It was also great that you felt comfortable inviting him in. Although there is a trusting relationship between you, the idea of the observation prompted you to reflect on your teaching and respond with a dynamic lesson! I hope we can continue to view this change in evaluation as an opportunity for continued growth as principals and teachers for the betterment of our students and their learning. This is a great example of that!
Interesting play by play on how TPEP can impact what we do in the classroom. I appreciate the way you described your approach to lesson planning.
This blog is well written. This is how teachers think EVERY day about their instruction. The constant self-talk and flexible adjustments each moment make our job one of the most difficult, and least boring. It’s nice to have Success at the Core tools to access quickly and know they will hit the mark we are aiming for. Too many times I find videos elsewhere and I wonder, “what’s the point of this?” The lessons on SaC are so meaty, that anyone observing them will gain something to use immediately. Even if they teach Kindergarten.