History Of Teacher Observation And Evaluation

One of the most crucial parts of education is qualified and enthusiastic teachers who are willing to dedicate their time. Would Aristotle have revolutionized philosophy if he was not taught by Plato? And would Plato have done the same if he was not a student of Socrates? Educators who are hired in the Appoquinimink School District appear to be hired simply because of their qualifications, not because they are passionate about teaching. Specifically, a teacher last week refused to teach the required material and called me “cranky”, and the week before that an Advanced Placement Language and Composition teacher said to me “maybe if you participated in class more, people would like you better.” Although both teachers have a Master’s degree, they clearly act unprofessional which ultimately affects my learning experience. Emerson describes the modern educational system and compares it to how teachers should be, “Hence the instruction seems to require skillful tutors, of accurate and systematic

Mr. Rose presents many descriptive vignettes of teaching professionals in his life who have influenced him both positively and negatively and whom he has retained for emulation or distinction. These characters in his life include teachers from grammar school throughout his college experience. All have in one way or another left a considerable imprint on his recollection of school and learning.

The differences were connected with a teacher’s original preparation for the teaching profession, licensing in the particular subject area to be taught, strength of the educational experience, and the degree of experience in teaching along with the demonstration of abilities through the National Board Certification, in which all of these facets can be addressed through policy (Darling-Hammond, 2010).America has not produced a national method containing supports and reasons to guarantee that teachers’ are adequately prepared and equipped to teach all children effectively when they first enter into the career of teaching. America also does not have a vast collection of methods available that will maintain the evaluation and continuing development of a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom, or support decisions about entry into the field of teaching and the continuance in the profession of teaching (Darling-Hammond, 2010). n order to reach the belief that all students will be taught and learn to high standards calls for a makeover in the methods our system of education in order to be a magnet for, train, support or uphold, and cultivate effective teachers in more efficient ways. A makeover that is contingent in a certain degree of how the abilities or skills are comprehended (Darling-Hammond, 2010).In the last few years there has been increasing

Mrs. Lawrence: When planning a lesson, I start with the objective. What is it I am supposed to be cover. Once I know, I start with a hook. I access their prior knowledge then I move on with either an example or model. All along I ask questions to make sure the students

By 1958, the California Legislature proposed a joint committee-legislative and citizen- commission on education “instructed to analyze all facets of education-finances, goals, curricula, the teacher problem, equipment, etc.—and to conduct public hearings on education in various geographical areas.” (Sacramento Bee, March 24, 1958). The Citizens Commission was charged by the Legislature to collect public opinion, report the summary of findings, and make recommendations. Among the five recommendations, four credentials were to be established: the Standard

America has encountered a change within the teaching profession: concerning, experience, age, credentials, and ethnic background (Feistritzer, 2011). It is almost as if the year of 2005, overturned the trend of older employed teachers (Feistritzer, 2011). A six-year survey shows that the amount of teachers under the age of thirty has increased drastically, and that most teachers have earned master degrees. Also, although teaching has been a predominately white profession, more Hispanic and African American teachers were hired between the years of 2005 and 2011 (Feistritzer, 2011).

Norma Everist in the book, The Church as Learning Community purports all of us are both teachers and learners. She further assets teaching and learning takes place in every facet of our lives. I have embraced from an individual perspective the premise that learning is a life-long vocation but had not considered the enormous possibility that all of us teach and learn from each other both formal and informal settings. I agree with her regarding the local congregation’s automatic separation of teachers and learners. In my context, that was entirely the case in the past. There were a group of persons who had been designated teachers and everyone else was considered learners. Recently, there has begun to be a shift whereas the church is intentionally becoming more intergenerational in its approach to developing relationships, thereby providing greater opportunity for teaching and learning. One challenge is to ensure that those who teach in the formal settings are gifted and adequately equipped to teach the curriculum.

Many states across the country are experiencing teacher shortages. Without enough teachers, we can not successfully educate our children. According to Glori Chaika “Forty-two states issue emergency credentials to people who have taken no education courses and have not taught a day in their lives. Many teachers are hired based solely on their experience leading church or camping groups.” (Chaika) Due to the shortages, States are allowing those who are not even qualified to teach. One can not believe that children are being educated as best as they can be, if those teaching them have no experience or training before hand. Another problem is that teachers are not being place in the fields were they can perform at their best, Glori Chaika also states that “One-fourth of new teachers -- if they are licensed -- are not licensed to teach in the field they are teaching.” (Chaika) Many teachers have very little knowledge on the subject they are teaching, “About 55 percent of students taking physics in the United States, for example, are taught by someone who never majored or minored in the subject.” ( Asimov) As a result of the current teacher shortage, the quality of America’s educational system has gone down. People are being hired with no teaching experience and teachers are being forced to teacher subjects that they are not familiar with. Adding to the current teacher shortage is the problem of teacher

past decade or so since the demand for teachers far increases the number of qualified applicants. The career of teaching has become less desirable for college educated students - Many teachers are aging and leaving behind many turnover jobs, and benefits from unions and tenure simply do not draw in potential educators like they did before the Great Recession of 2008. According to Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post,

In the United States, starting salaries for teachers who have completed a four-year degree are far lower compared to many other professions, which also require a four-year degree. In most states, teachers must undergo testing and other rigorous certification requirements, but they are given the same consideration or status as beginning professionals in other areas. Although attractive incentives are offered, the compensation does not compare to the long hours of work and schooling required for a teaching career.

Teaching, according to the Teacher’s Training Agency, “…is a job for those who like and respect young people” (2005). Andrew clearly from his responses, suffered during his schooling, and perhaps felt disrespected as a result of being labelled. His position as an educator a number of years later, enable him to look quite critically upon his educators, almost, one could argue with an expert eye.

It is this approach by the government, over the years, which has shifted the views on teacher professionalism. The erosion of creativity and autonomy reduces the need to reflect and as the ATL states ‘Review and reflection may be pointless in an environment where the teacher is or feels powerless to innovate, where decisions and changes are always imposed from above.’

The focus of this paper is to analyze the supervision and evaluation of teachers at my Catholic school, and suggest a model program that better meets the needs of all teachers, regardless of their years in service. My experience teaching at the same school over the last 15 years indicates that supervision and evaluation of teachers is either a perfunctory task, or designed as a “gotcha” activity. In either case, there is never the expectation that the teacher and the administrator will collaborate to ensure teacher professional development, and no one would call it a meaningful process. Research shows that teachers do not become better teachers based on passive participation in an evaluation process they do not value. Charlotte Danielson (2010) argues that professional growth occurs only when teachers engage in “self-assessment, reflection on practice and professional conversation.” (p. 38).

The following data was gathered while fulfilling duties as a principal intern at Theresa Bunker Elementary School. The data was observed during five to seven minutes of classroom observation as part of a walk-through in the spring of the current school year. My cooperating supervisor for my internship was able to go on these walk-throughs with me in order to have a productive reflection meeting afterwards. This elementary school has two of each grade level from Kindergarten to sixth grade. Since it was more feasible in this small school setting, I actually was able to do a walkthrough in eight classes. Here I will report my observations from five of those walk-throughs. As I went in to each room I was looking for four

When I think about teachers that I have had in the past, several different ones come to my mind. Each of these educators stands out in my mind for a variety of diverse reasons. Whether it is their sense of humor, their tactfulness, their love of the subject matter, their fanatical and sporadic behavior, or their yearning to be childish themselves, I can still remember at least one quality of every teacher I have ever encountered. Every one of these teachers conveyed subject material to their students just as they were educated and employed to do. However, I trust that every professional in the world has an abundance of opportunity for improvement; teachers could discover and improve themselves merely by having