The
teacher evaluation system used in my state scores teachers on a scale of 1 – 4; 1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Basic, 3 =
Proficient, and 4 = Distinguished. Although
we try to separate coaching from evaluation, inevitably principals or teachers
themselves want to work on areas with the lowest scores. In these cases, we need to be clear that the
number is not a description of them as a teacher, but it can be a helpful part of
the conversation.
If
you feel confident that the evaluation system you are using describes good
teaching, then conversations that are anchored in the system’s descriptors can
be helpful. We can talk about what a 3
is on a particular attribute, giving examples and asking questions to help teachers
recall lessons when those qualities were present. If the teacher is stretching for a 4 on an
attribute, we can support planning with the specific element in mind. Lessons that successfully incorporate
features of high-level teaching and learning lead to replication of these
features.
That’s
what happened when Angie and I planned a lesson on fractions together. Angie had identified the instructional
attribute of student-to-student discussion as something she wanted to work
on, since it had been a low element on a recent evaluation. She’d seen that, frequently, when an
explanation was provided by a peer, students seemed to get it, even when she
had already tried to clarify a concept herself.
So I suggested that students lay a piece of chart paper that had been
split into four quadrants across a group of desks. The class was given a fractions problem and
students worked independently to solve the problem on their quadrant of the
paper. Then they explained to their
table group the strategy they had used for solving the problem. Next, the group decided which strategy they
liked best from their group, and Angie chose a couple of starred examples to be
shared with the class. This approach was
so effective that Angie later applied the quadrant collaboration strategy to
lessons in other content areas, enriching her use of student-to-student
discussion across the curriculum. Student discussion using this approach matched
the number 4 (distinguised) level in our evaluation rubric.
Making the number something that is in the teacher’s
control is energizing and empowering. Although
at times a lesson may exhibit attributes of a low evaluation score, no teacher
is a 2. There is a big difference.
This week, you might want to take a look at:
Learning
walks in blended classrooms:
Mentor texts for “versus” tales:
Using
wordless picture books in middle school:
4
Ways to Build Safety in Coaching:
Flipping
the “I Do, We Do, You Do”:
That’s it for
this week – Happy Coaching!
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