Teacher Evaluations

Overview

In this blog I am going to discuss my notes on the Teaching Channel Video we watched in class. I will then talk about my clinical feedback process followed by an overview of the process at my school for evaluations. I plan on comparing two approaches and then proposing elements on which I think I should be judged as a teacher. 

Teaching Channel Video Review

In this video I was able to observe a formal evaluation process for a new teacher at a high school. This observation happens four times a year and involves a pre observation meeting, the actual observation and then a post observation meeting. I think that the new teacher in this video conducted herself very well, especially with all of the expectations given to her for this process. She was required to take extra time to meet with an evaluator and then go over her planned lesson and objectives. Overall, the new teacher was very well prepared and handled herself exceptionally well given the pressures of managing her classroom, the lesson and having an evaluator in the classroom. For the post observation lesson, the new teacher was given a chance to explain her decisions, be self reflective and she was very open to constructive criticism. 

Clinical Feedback Process 

For my clinical feedback process, I feel that it bordered between formal and informal. I taught the class for the whole day while my mentor teacher observed. If there was a certain lesson she was observing for standard requirements, we would talk about it during a free period or after school. My mentor teacher and I had a great relationship and had a very open communication relationship. It was really great for my good days and my bad days. For tape recorded feedback requirements we would tape record what we had already talked about earlier in the week. I never felt the pressure of worrying about my job with evaluations. It was nice to have someone sit in and watch me teach because I got used to having someone there. Being nervous gradually went away and I was able to watch myself on recordings more and more as time went by. When I first started my clinical I was extremely nervous and took every criticism personally because I thought I was constantly failing. This was not the case at all and that is why I valued my experience so much. The feedback was all meant to help me and to help me grow as a teacher. This became easier to do as time went by and I think my clinical experience was perfect! 

Comparing Evaluation Approaches 

When comparing the first formal approach with what I experienced at my clinical school, there is a huge difference to be noted. In Oregon, at the Santiam Elementary School where I did my student teaching, when they hire a new teacher that teacher meets with the principal a few times informally and the principal will pop in at a scheduled time to observe a new teacher. There are no pressures and there is not a fear of losing a job unless it's warranted. Santiam is very laid back and the staff rely on open communication and the open door policy. The principal holds staff meetings every week and she has built a personal relationship with each one of the teachers at this elementary school. According to my mentor teacher, everyone is comfortable going to her about anything and they are open to her popping in to observe when she has the chance. This approach compared to the first approach is what I would want when I start a full time job. I totally understand the need to be formal but I also think this can impact the students in a negative way. If there are too many pressures on a teacher to perform and to second guess themselves, then this will eventually impact that teachers style in teaching. I believe there are better ways to go about evaluating teachers that are not as strict but also allow the teacher to feel comfortable and open with their evaluator. 

Proposed Elements 

As a new teacher, I would hope to be judged on how well I communicate with my peers and superiors. I would hope that I could build a great relationship with my fellow staff to where I felt comfortable welcoming evaluations and observations. I am open to constructive criticism and know there are always areas for improvement when it comes to teaching. I would hope that in my future, my evaluations could be a little less formal so that whoever is observing me gets to see the real me. If I feel that my job is on the line or if I feel that I need to be stressed and worried, then I know that will come across in an observation. I want to come across as comfortable and confident to both my students and anyone observing me. I really think there are ways to achieve this evaluation process and Santiam Elementary School utilizes this process and it really works out great for them and the staff. I hope to work in an environment like that someday. 

High Stakes Assessments

For my student teaching placement, I taught at a title I school. This school district is located in the middle of nowhere in Oregon and has a very depressed community. While teaching there, I heard a lot of comments like “this is where all the bad kids are sent” and “don’t expect any help from parents, they don’t care.” It was hard to see. I taught second grade with my mentor teacher and it was an amazing learning experience for me. I soon realized though, that those comments above were true. A lot of the parents are not involved in their students school and home life. The impact is tremendous in the classroom. A lot of my students suffered from horrible at home experiences but this is just how it was. As teachers, my mentor and I reported and documented everything. Unfortunately, CPS had already investigated a lot of these cases but there was nowhere for these kids to go. No support and very limited resources. A lot of these students lived with grandparents or in foster homes because their parents were in jail, too young to care or addicted to drugs. These students all had a lot of stress in their young little lives.

In addition to this at home stress came the stress of performance in school. I was surprised to see that this school had a canned curriculum and focused a lot on assessments. These students are so young and the resources are so scarce that it was hard to force such pressure on these young kids. One of the major things I noticed about this curriculum is that everything fell to the teacher. The responsibility is huge and the expectations are extremely high. Yet there is not a lot of differentiation in the lessons being taught. This was very hard for me to see and I spent most of my time there trying to help the students by differentiation or by giving them alternate ways to finish assessments. Unfortunately in a school with limited resources, it’s hard for a teacher to find the time to do this when they are on their own. The only reason this worked out for my situation was because it was both my mentor and I doing this work together to try and help our students. The pressures for these students was unbearable to witness. Since the curriculum is canned, the students have to take the assessments when they are planned. This does not account for the students who miss school due to outside factors, or the students who need a little extra help. The students would break down or act out. If they did not complete these assessments then there are punishments. Recess taken, freeplay taken and calls home. Very stressful.

For the teacher, it’s just as stressful. You see your student struggling and there is not much you can do to help if you are on your own. There are expectations set by the school and the district that you have to comply with to keep your job and still be considered favorable as a teacher. The effects of these assessments on the students, teachers, school and district is nothing short of stressful for everyone. It’s very hard because this is an Elementary school where the students have so much going on outside of school. The standards are so high yet they just keep pushing the kids to the next level. Even if they do poorly. They just do not have the resources to help those students who get left behind. When the student is assessed and they need help, a lot of the parents in this community refuse to have their student get any “extra or special” help, due to the stigma. It’s a lose lose situation in this school district and it’s hard to see.

I compared my findings of my school where I did student teaching with the school where I live now. I live in the Bay Area in California and looked into the school district in Los Gatos and Campbell. High stakes assessments there are considered highly amongst the students, families, teachers, schools and districts as a positive. The high stakes in these districts help to enforce motivation and involvement from families and the school. High stakes assessments are viewed as an intervention tool. I think that this is where The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers comes into play. The districts that I looked into down here in California have the resources to make high stakes learning benefit the students and the schools. The students are able to get the help they need where they need it and the school has the resources to do this. This is the only situation where I think the high stakes can work. Teachers are valued highly and judging by the public records of compensation they are rewarded for their students performance. Not all school are like this but these two districts have phenomenal ratings and really utilize all they have to benefit their students. I really feel that these two districts value their teachers which prompts an amazing performance and less burnout. It’s incredibly sad to compare these districts with the one I did my student teaching at in Oregon. The teachers are burnt out, the students are stressed and don’t get the help they need and it just seems like a vicious cycle.

Works Cited

About. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2016, from http://www.parcconline.org/about

The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing

Planning Assessments

Overview

In this blog I will be creating formative assessments for a learning objective in my lesson plan. The objective that I have picked for the formative assessments is from Standard RL.2.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

Performance Objective: 

Students will be able to identify story elements and record story details using a story grammar organizer. 

Formative Assessments 

1. Teacher Evaluation
• I picked teacher evaluation because in my performance objective I asked my students to complete a story grammar organizer. Specifically, I am asking my students to identify and write the setting, characters, problems, events, and solution on their worksheets. Once the students have finished their story grammar organizer I will be able to see where they are in understanding the story and the key concepts. Once I have evaluated the students responses for the worksheet, I can see where each student is in terms of learning for this standard. 
2. Hand in, pass out 
• For this formative assessment, I would ask the students questions about the story elements and details and have them respond on a piece of notebook paper anonymously. I would then have the students pass in their papers to me. I will then pass back the papers randomly for grading. As a class we would go over the answers and I would take a poll on many questions the students answered correctly. I picked this formative assessment because it allows my students to answer honestly and gives me a way of seeing how the majority of the class is doing. 
3. Exit Slip
• Before class ends I really like the idea of having out an exit slip. This exit slip will have a few simple questions for students and they would give this to me before they leave. The questions could be "Things I learned today....", "Things I found Interesting....", or "Questions I still have....". Or it could be questions about the story elements or details. I really like this formative assessment because it would give me a chance to see where the student is in this lesson and I could have time after school to adjust my lesson accordingly for the next day. 
4. Quick Nod/Body Language 
• For these two formative assessments I really want to incorporate them in every lesson. Since I will be teaching a younger age, I really feel that this will be beneficial to finding out how students are doing during the lesson. This will also help as I get to know the students as well. If there are certain students I know and I know their signs when they are bored or struggling then this will greatly help me with my lesson. I also think asking a question to the class or to an individual helps because I can know if I need to repeat myself or describe something in a different way. 

Conclusion

Overall, I think that having numerous formative assessments in place really helps to see where students are in lessons. I also really like that if I have a few planned out that I can change them as the lesson progresses. I want to make sure I am aware of what is going on in my classroom and really help my students. These formative assessments will also tell me if I have certain students who need a more challenging lesson or if I have certain students who need the lesson broken down a bit more. In these situations I can split my students up in groups and have certain groups working on different levels of the lesson while I go around the classroom making sure that everyone is getting the lesson figured out. Overall I think these formative assessments for this standard will really help my students. 

Understanding and Applying Standards

Reflection 

This week was very new for me. I have never looked at the Common Core State Standards in detail before and have only skimmed what will be required of me when I start my teaching. I loved getting the opportunity to go onto the District Website where I will be teaching and seeing exactly what I will need to do for my grade level. I really liked how detailed the standards were and how organized the California Common Core State Standards are. This made it extremely easy for me to read through them all and get aquatinted with the ones I felt comfortable with for this module. 

In the first assignment this week where we did unpacking of standards, I felt that I struggled with figuring out projects for my standard. It was easy to think of fun things to do but I was more focused on finding the nouns and verbs and reflecting on my own learning experiences as a student. I think it would be beneficial to sit down and think in more detail about activities and projects that can reflect the standard I am teaching. I plan on doing more research to help break down activities for this standard so that I am more prepared when I student teach next month. 

The second assignment, backwards mapping, was my favorite. I felt that I had adequate resources to understand this assignment and this really helped me to focus on the planning of lessons for this standard. I really like to plan and think in detail when it comes to lessons because this means I will be more prepared. In previous modules we learned a lot about being prepared and planning ahead. I really feel that planning ahead and being organized is a strength and if I also understand the lesson in detail, I feel that I will be successful in teaching my lessons to my students. I also really liked being able to visualize what exactly the students would be doing when breaking down this standard. I thought of so many ideas in terms of worksheets and group activities. 

The third assignment for me was definitely a struggle. I am not used to writing SMART objectives and do not feel confident in the five objects I wrote for that assignment. I tried to do research and read  the required material but I just feel that this is a very weak point for me in applying standards. I hope to see more examples in the future or find resources that will help me be more confident when writing SMART objectives for my lessons. 

Overall this week was a great learning experience for me. I am very new to lesson planning but can't wait to get everything planned and ready for when I teach. I hope that in this module I will be more prepared for next month in the classroom. I really do feel that the more organized and prepared a teacher is, the smoother a lesson will go. 

Standards and Backwards Mapping

Overview 

In this blog post I will be discussing Standard RL.2.3 from the California Common Core State Standards. Starting next month, I will hopefully be teaching second grade in the Campbell Union School District. 

Standard: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. 

I have chosen to use this standard for the development of my unit because I feel that this was a standard that really had an impact on me as a student. I felt that my teachers really applied this standard in a way that was a benefit to me and I hope to do the same for my students. One of the key things that my teachers did was to make the lessons fun. At this grade level I was always extremely excited to come to school and reading was my favorite subject. I feel that the use of group work, visuals, worksheets and teacher participation really help to understand this standard from different learning capacities. Below, I have outlined three different ways to apply this standard using proficiencies, assessments and activities. 

Application of Standard 

Proficiency 1 - The student will be able to describe characters. 

Learning Activity - Student will describe a character by using a graphic organizer. Student will be given a worksheet (Character map) and will then name the main character in the story and describe the character by answering questions in each section. 

Assessment: Teacher evaluation to help understand if student is meeting the standard. 

Proficiency 2 - The student will identify similarities and differences between characters. 

Learning Activity - Students compare characters using a graphic organizer. Students will work in teams of two and be given a worksheet (Character map). Students will name the two main characters and write specific character attributes under the names of the characters. They will then write the shared characteristics between the two figures. 

Assessment - Teacher will evaluate a presentation given by each team of students. 

Proficiency 3 - The student will be able to identify story elements. 

Learning Activity - Student will record story details using a story grammar organizer. Student identifies and writes the setting, characters, problem, events and solution on the sheet provided. 

Assessment - Students will be quizzed and the teacher will evaluate the results. 

Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

Introduction 

When applying my rules and procedures for my classroom in the future, one of my biggest tasks will be staying consistent with consequences. These consequences can be both positive and negative but as a teacher I need to focus on being consistent with all of my students. My first test of this will come in the spring when I do my student teaching for elementary aged children. I have experience working with children under the age of five but I do not have experience with groups of children who are older. I have approaches that I use but I also have other ideas that I will list below pertaining to positive reinforcement and students not meeting rules and procedures. 

Positive Reinforcement 

One of the most important things I can do as a teacher is show how much I value my students following the rules and procedures in the classroom. I plan to do this as a class and individually. I want my students to know that I can see how they are performing in the classroom as a group and by themselves. 

Examples and Application

1. Using verbal and non-verbal acknowledgement
• If I see that my students are doing something great then I plan to tell them. A couple of things I plan on implementing are:
• Praise ("Great job!", "Fantastic!", "Keep up the great work everyone!", "I'm so proud of you", "Thank you!") and changing my tone when giving the praise. 
• Nonverbal (Smile, nods, high fives, thumbs up) 
2. Using tangible recognition when appropriate. 
• This can directly be tied in with my rules and procedures project a couple of weeks ago when I displayed an example of how to track behavior. I used a chart in the front of the room with popsicle sticks. This same concept can be applied for rewarding good behavior with tangible rewards such as prizes, stickers or a group activity. 
3. Involve the home. 
• One of the biggest take aways that I took from my professor this week was her example in sending a letter in the mail to one student a week who had excellent behavior. This really struck me as a great idea especially with elementary aged students. I think it is vital to include parents and let them know how great their child is doing. 
• Specific examples I could use would be phone calls home, emails, notes sent home and the letter sent in the mail. 

Not Meeting Rules and Procedures 

One key factor to consider with students is that not everyone is perfect. Everyone has off days and there are times that students (and adults for that matter) act out when they have other aspects of their lives that are causing stress. This however is not an excuse to act out or break rules. With that being said, as a teacher I will do my best to be as patient as possible, but I know there will be days I might need to have steps in place for a situation that gets out of control. I have listed some strategies I can implement for students who are not meeting rules and procedures below. 

Strategies and Implementation 

1. Be with-it. 
• One of the biggest things as a teacher that I need to do is be aware of my classroom and everyone in it. After the year begins and I have started to get to know each of my students, I should then be very aware of any signs that problems will be occurring. I will also need to have an understanding about what is going on with my students outside of the classroom. 
• Stimulus cueing: If there is a student that I know is prone to certain behaviors during class that are disruptive, I need to be able to form a certain cue for that student so that it does not disrupt the class. Some examples of this could be tapping the desk as I walk by, maybe a shake of my head with eye contact, or marking a note that students desk. 
• Noticing potential problems and confronting the behavior: In terms of being aware of my class, I also need to be aware of anything out of the ordinary in terms of behavior. Once I notice this, I will need to address it right away to avoid the behavior from continuing. 
2. Using direct-cost consequences: Examples of this are time time out and overcorrection. 
• Time-out: Since I am working with younger children I do believe a time out is appropriate for students who need to take a break. I plan to have a designated area in my classroom where a student can go sit until they are ready to participate appropriately again. 
• Overcorrection: When a student acts out and does something to damage the classroom then having the student fix it is definitely going to happen in my classroom. This can also be applied to emotional outbursts and hitting. I want to make sure the student has time to think about what was wrong with what they did but I also want them to fix it. 
3. Involve the home. 
• If I notice that the behavior of my students who are acting out and not following rules is not improving then I think it is wise to include the parents. This can include a meeting with the parents, a meeting with the parents and the student, a note home, a phone call home and/or inviting the parents to come observe a class. 

Strategy for High Intensity Situations 

Part of handling behavior in the classroom is also being prepared for situations where a student might not respond to the approaches listed above. If a student loses control then as a teacher I need to be prepared with a strategy to resolve the situation. The first thing I can do in a situation like this is to recognize that the student is out of control. Once I do that then I take a step back and make sure I am calm. If the student is able to speak then I will listen and try to come up with a plan of action. The overall goal is to handle the situation in a calm manner. 

Diagram for Decisions to Reinforce Rules and Procedures 

Establishing a Positive Classroom Environment

Overview

In this blog I am going to discuss the importance of creating a climate of caring and concern to support student learning. One of the biggest parts of being a teacher is learning to recognize and be aware of what is happening in the classroom and outside the classroom with students. This involves understanding the emotions and non verbals from each student and knowing what is normal for them and what is not. Many students come from different backgrounds and it is important for teachers to recognize that while also maintaining a safe and nurturing environment. I will be teaching second grade and this blog will illustrate examples of strategies I can use in the classroom that reflects a climate of caring and concern to support all students. 

Creating a climate of caring and concern

To support student learning, teachers must create a climate of caring and concern. What does this mean? It means making a student feel safe in their school environment where the students feel they can communicate and be heard. I have listed some appropriate strategies below that demonstrate what I can do in the classroom. Most of my strategies have been incorporated from my first activity which was Developing Positive Relationships with Students. Since I will be teaching elementary school my examples will be aimed at that grade range. 

Appropriate Strategies: 

• Making sure the classroom is student centered: arranging the desks together in groups and making sure my desk is not the focal point of the room. Main goal here is support collaboration and ensure comfort. 
• Making sure the classroom is welcoming in terms of displays: having space for different activities and wall covered with art and projects from the students. My hope is to make all of the students feel proud of their work and know that I value their work. 
• Getting to know the students: Knowing all of the students names and getting to know different things about them. 
• Greeting the students at the door when they come in. 
• Using positive tone, facial expression and being enthusiastic. 
• Consistent communication: Setting clear rules and learning goals.
• Student Roles: allowing students to have roles in the classroom such as gathering materials, handing out papers, setting up activities and bulletin board duties. 
• Having classroom norms: this allows the students to know what's going on this classroom.  

Creating a climate of caring and concern for students with different cultural backgrounds 

In the area I will be teaching there are many students who have different backgrounds. A lot of the students in the area live in poverty, with their grandparents or face the struggles of parents in jail. This is extremely common in this area. There are not very many jobs since it is a small town and it is far from any other town. It is a very depressed community. The prominent ethnicities are Hispanic and Caucasian. Since I will be teaching such a young age (second grade), I feel that I have a perfect opportunity to help guide the students towards learning in a safe environment free of bullying, discrimination and disrespect. The strategies listed below have the activity about bullying in mind since any "difference" in a student attracts bullying. Since the area I teach in has so many backgrounds present, there are many instances that might come up which involve treating others poorly. It will be my job to recognize this and help put a stop to it and help foster positive relationships. 

Appropriate Strategies: 

• Pronouncing names correctly: As a teacher it is my job to pronounce my students names correctly. I also feel that it is my job to get to know that student, understand their background and get to know their family. 
• Exercise sensitivity
• Incorporate everyone's experiences: This could be in the form of student sharing or a weekly bulletin board that features the student and what is important to them. I feel that allowing the student to share this with the class and have it displayed in the classroom helps foster a climate of caring. 
• Outlining the norms for the classroom: This will help the students understand how they are to treat one another. 
• Classroom setup: Having multicultural images throughout the classroom. 
• Addressing bullying and teaching how this is not tolerated: For the grade level I will be teaching with this can be in the from of books, role playing, short videos. Even watching a movie in class where this situation is depicted can be used to teach how bullying and disrespect of any kind is not tolerated. 
• Understanding perspectives: For second graders this can be hard. But one of the key questions I have found effective is asking students how it would make them feel if an action happened to them that they displayed to another. I have found that once the think about this they realize it's not nice to do something mean and they don't do it anymore. Seeing this from another perspective helps to realize feelings of others no matter what their background may be. 

Final Thoughts

Overall this week's activities were emotional to think about. Considering students emotions and developing positive relationships are vital to the success of that students educational career. I hope to be a positive teacher who is also a role model my students can look up to. I want them to remember me as they continue their education and always remember the value of how they treat others. I was bullied when I went to school and it was terrible. When doing the reading for these activities and reflecting on all of the case studies that hit close to home I have realized that being a teacher can be life changing for a student. I want to have an impact on my students. Even though my students are young, I still hope to build a base for them to grow on in terms of positive relationships and treating others with respect.