Comments on: Evaluating Teacher Performance

By: Stephen Ransom

Stephen Ransom — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:52:11 +0000

Karen, it is so nice to hear from a teacher who is willing to be involved in a process that puts everything out in the open. So many teachers would rather just shut the door. It is also interesting to think that one’s physical door could be shut, yet one’s virtual door could be open to many!

By: Karen Southwick

Karen Southwick — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:13:03 +0000

I would love to get involved in such a process. I have been teaching for 28 years and have just started working toward and administration endorsement. Please keep me posted.

By: Stephen Ransom

Stephen Ransom — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:16:11 +0000

Yes… I would like to be a fly on that staff room wall!!

By: tracy

tracy — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:49:59 +0000

I like it, too. Though the issue about students being viewed online could be a tricky one to deal with. At the same time, I imagine that most parents, when presented with such an idea, may like the notion of ongoing teacher evaluation! (at least, I hope they would!).

So, we like it. Though I don’t mind if people pop by my classes unannounced. I like it when other teachers come in, or when admin drops by. I know a lot of teachers who have a strictly closed door policy when it comes to their classrooms…I can only imagine the staff room conversation around this!

By: Stephen Ransom

Stephen Ransom — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:41:42 +0000

Tracy, I fear that your story is none to rare. Thanks for sharing it. The importance of self-evaluation, communities of practice, and personal learning networks afforded by new communication technologies become even more essential for continued professional growth. But, what about teachers who don’t consider any of this their responsibility and remain cloistered away in their own manila folders year after year?

I wonder if we could set up virtual teacher evaluation with UStream, for example, where those in our own PLNs would be willing to observe and evaluate us? It is used by some who are presenting… but what about using it as a tool for evaluation? Certainly takes putting your neck out there, huh!

As I am writing this, I am envisioning a wiki where willing victims… I mean participants… could add their teaching time schedule and others could add themselves as evaluators and scedule an evaluation time. Teachers would just need to subscribe to event updates to receive notification that they have an evaluator or evaluators. And, imagine the backchannel information that could also be beneficial from multiple evaluators as they reflect on what they are seeing. Hmmmm… I like it. What do you think? Of course, there would be the issue of filtering and having students viewed in their classrooms to deal with.

By: tracy

tracy — Sat, 31 May 2008 10:58:40 +0000

“Who said education reform was simple? Are new models of teacher growth and evaluation needed?”

Big time. Get this – I have been teaching since 1996 and have NEVER been evaluated (though I think at least 2 were scheduled). The last time I was evaluated as a teacher was when I was a student teacher (and even then it wasn’t by a building administrator but by my advising teacher and university advisor!)

By: Teacher Evaluations « TeachBreakthroughs

Teacher Evaluations « TeachBreakthroughs — Thu, 29 May 2008 23:31:43 +0000

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