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July 06, 2007
Workplace Issues-Reflective Evaluation
Hello Readers,
Do you dread the days when your head teacher or academic manager knocks on your classroom door to distribute evaluation forms to your students? While evaluation time can be frightening, especially to new teachers at a school, it is an important part of each school. Giving students a chance to voice their opinions about a course is something every professional school and teacher should do to ensure quality. So how can you...
... feel more prepared?
The most important thing to remember is that you don't need to wait for the 'official' evaluation forms to find out what your students are thinking. In fact, evaluation should be done on an on-going basis. More importantly, while evaluation forms, class discussions, and informal chats with students after class are all effective ways to get feedback from your students, Sylvie Donna (author of "Teach Business English") suggests that simply reflecting on your current situation can be just as effective.
Some things that you might want to ask yourself:
Teachers:
*Do you always act professionally? If not, think about what you might need to change.
*Do you need any further training? How could you get it?
*Do you take advantage of other resources at the school (teachers, books, training manuals, etc.)?
Course Program:
*Are students given a needs analysis before they start?
*Is the program well-planned?
*Are your lessons well-planned?
*Do you adapt your course depending on the students' needs?
*Are the students well-informed about what to expect before coming to class?
Materials:
*What do the students think about the materials?
*Are you well-informed about new textbooks being published?
*Do you supplement your class with materials from different sources?
Methods:
*Are your students comfortable with your teaching method(s)?
*Are your teaching methods appropriate?
*Do you feel well-informed about different teaching methods?
*Do you share your teaching methods with other teachers?
Questions adapted from Sylvie Donna (2000). Teaching Business English. Cambridge: CUP.
Can you think of any other important questions that might be useful for reflective evaluations? Feel free to add your comments below.
Hope this helps!
Carol Rueckert
Writer, ESL Lesson Plan
E-mail: crueckert@eslemployment.com
Blog: www.esl-lesson-plan.com
"I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand." - Chinese Proverb
*Looking for more articles that focus on workplace issues specific to ESL? Click HERE!
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About the author of this entry:
Carol, a native English-speaker who hails from the small town of St. Joseph in Minnesota, USA, worked in China for more than 7 years. During that time, she worked with students of all ages and levels. She worked at universities, private language schools, grade schools, international schools, and did private tutoring as well. Besides teaching, she also worked as a head teacher, an education manager, and a material development manager. In addition to working on this newsletter, she also writes a monthly column for Time Out Beijing. Carol is also currently working on her MA in TESOL at Oxford Brookes University in England. Look for her posts on the ESL-Jobs-Forum discussion boards!
Posted by crueckert at July 6, 2007 03:59 AM
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Comments
Evaluation should be an ongoing process and managers need to be evaluated too. Teachers should observe each other in order to swap ideas and best practice. Teachers should have a chance to evaluate DOS's and Principals.
If a teacher feels under threat by the idea of evaluation, then the whole ethos of the organisation is wrong. If the process of evaluation causes anyone to feel nervous then there is something basically flawed with that organisation. Evaluation is a process that should help everyone feel happy about building on existing strengths and developing their full potential.
If evaluation is used to intimidate and censure, then it is meaningless. Teachers are "internal clients"; they also need nurturing. Any school that uses evaluation punitively is really not worth working for!
Posted by: Brenda Townsend Hall at July 6, 2007 03:21 PM
Great practical tips for finding out what you and your students think about your teaching. My problem with the whole feedback things as it stands though is how unscientific and overly direct the process all is. We don't ask students how good their English is or what level they are and just take their word for it, so surely there should be some kind of filter we can also put these kind of comments through to find out what the things are saying really mean. Just an idea...
TEFLtastic with Alex Case- All the truth that's fit to teach
www.tefl.net/alexcase
Posted by: Alex Case at July 8, 2007 03:38 AM
Random checks as to students' progress, characterised by surprise visits that startle, embarrass or intimidate the teacher in ANY way at all are clear evidence of a failing system. The evaluators should themselves BE evaluated. It is always a grossly flawed system that does not go all out to offer every manner of assistance to its teachers outside class, in order to facilitate smooth delivery of material to students by that teacher, but has to wait for some kind of show-down to assert itself.
Posted by: Nina at July 10, 2007 05:19 AM
What is your suggestion then on evaluation?
Many thanks,
Fouad Haidar
Posted by: fouad m. haidar-ahmad at July 12, 2007 12:15 PM
