Providing teachers with timely feedback is essential to teachers’ professional growth and development. It is important because teachers should have an opportunity to adjust their performance based on the feedback provided (Wiggins, 2012). Making necessary adjustments should lead to increased student outcomes. Students are the ultimate beneficiaries when teachers receive timely, specific feedback.
There were many positive aspects to this teacher’s lesson. He activated his students’ prior knowledge by using the KWL chart. After students provided an answer, he asked clarifying questions to make certain that all students understood. He also asked guiding questions to make sure that students were specific with their answers. He made effective use of technology to model how to complete the chart. Technology would also be used during center activities to play jeopardy. While talking with students, the teacher made certain that he was at eye level with the students. Instead of telling students everything, he acted as the facilitator of the learning through his use of questioning. This teacher was knowledgeable about his students. He anticipated student responses to the lesson and designed center activities based on the anticipated responses on the KWL chart. The students were in control of the learning. He moved around the classroom and engaged each group of students.
Using the Danielson Framework (2007), this teacher has created an environment of respect and rapport. Students respected one another and the teacher apologized when he got a student’s name wrong. He used a respectful tone to redirect students. For example, a student got up out of his seat. The teacher calmly directed the student to return to his seat without any disruption of the lesson. He also touched a student on the shoulder to direct him where to go for the center activity. There are clearly established rituals and routines. Students knew what to do when they needed a pencil sharpened. They knew what to do during center activity and how to transition. The teacher thoroughly reviewed the expected behavior during center activities as well and the expectations for ending center activities.
According to Westerberg (2013), constructive feedback should be limited to no more than three indicators of teacher performance. Constructive feedback for this teacher would include stating the objective at the beginning of the lesson. He immediately began the lesson by reviewing what students had been working on. I did not hear a clearly stated objective for the lesson.
Too much time was spent reviewing transition time expectations. Students appeared to be knowledgeable about transition expectations, therefore; there was no need to spend so much time reviewing that expectation. This is valuable time that students could use for completing the center activities and closing out the lesson.
In order for a teacher to become the best professional possible, learning must be ongoing. This means that observations must also be ongoing. According to Glickman (2002), teachers improve when they can reflect on, change, and assess their practice. This improvement happens through timely, focused feedback provided after observations and evaluations.
References
- Danielson, C (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching (2nd edition). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Glickman, C. (2002). Leadership for Learning: How to help teachers succeed. Alexander, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven Keys to Effective Feedback. Feedback for Learning pages 10-16. Retrieved August 4, 2018 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/seven-keys-to-effective-feedback.aspx
- Westerberg, T. (2013, March). Feedback for Teachers: Focused, Specific, and Constructive. Principal Leadership, 31
