Teacher Walk
Just
a quick note on what we saw last class.
I really did learn a lot form going out on the walk
with the other
teachers to observe different classrooms.
Seeing how other teachers rate their peers
was eye-opening. It was also eye-opening seeing how a rating
system, the chart that the groups used
that ranged from not seen to 4, was
flawed even though it was designed by teachers and I am
assuming the
administration.
Going
out and observing was nothing new for us as we have been doing this all
semester.
Going out with other teachers,
observing different teachers and then essentially grading those
teachers we
observed was different. For the most part
we observed a room for about ten to fifteen
minutes then went into the hallway
and graded them on certain items. The
teacher I was with pointed
out that the system can be flawed and I saw that
first hand. One question asked about relating
to a
previous lesson. The teachers I was
with did not see anything and the teacher would have received a
low score. However I did see and hear the teacher going
over with a student, in a far area of the
room, a previous lesson on how to
draw in a grid, this was an art class.
If I had not heard this teacher,
who was doing an excellent job, she would
not have done well at least on this part of the
observation. This showed the frustration that some of
teachers have. They are doing the job,
doing it
well, and it’s not just being seen.
I know there are teachers that are not doing the work the right way,
but
the ones that are doing the work are still getting hurt by the process. I also know that statistically
it should even
out, that they will be seen doing the right thing, but the operative word is
should.
In the debriefing with the entire
group I saw just a small part of the politics involved in
teaching. They want to get the information across but they don’t want to be seen as going against
other teachers. It puts them the teacher involved in this process in a hard place. They seem to be
caught in the middle. It just brings to light, to me at least, that the politics of teaching is just another
aspect that I must think about along with everything else. If this process is used correctly, as a way to
improve teaching, and not seen as a way to “get” teachers I really think it could be a good tool. Take
the politics out and make an assessment protocol that is not as flawed and I think this process can
really help facilitate change for the better.
teaching. They want to get the information across but they don’t want to be seen as going against
other teachers. It puts them the teacher involved in this process in a hard place. They seem to be
caught in the middle. It just brings to light, to me at least, that the politics of teaching is just another
aspect that I must think about along with everything else. If this process is used correctly, as a way to
improve teaching, and not seen as a way to “get” teachers I really think it could be a good tool. Take
the politics out and make an assessment protocol that is not as flawed and I think this process can
really help facilitate change for the better.
Is the system as flawed as your depicting it though? You were able to see what a good job the teacher was doing and then change the opinions of others through the insight you had. Yes, I admit, it is problematic that others missed the observation you saw. However, I think the fact that the school is trying to encourage as much participation as possible is so this "flaw" becomes negated in the manner I described above.
ReplyDeleteI am not saying this to slight the issue you mention either. I just think the issue had more to do with who goes out to judge classes. As we found out in our class discussion, not all groups were as observant as others. If some groups are just going to fly through the protocol without really reflecting and observing, then the results will be poorly affected as you mentioned.
I think this calls for a change in how the protcool is viewed. I am not quite sure if teachers actually think the protcool is being used "to get" them since I can't recall that being said (although I may have missed that. So please do correct me if I am wrong). Regardless, the politics we did see showed that teachers are not thrilled about them for some reason. Until that changes, I don't think there is enough enthusiasm to negate the flaws given the amount of staff members who actually participated.