The December 2010/January 2011 issue of Educational Leadership considers what effective teaching looks like and how educators can become more effective.
A Policy Shift
- What do you think is the best way to measure teacher effectiveness? What criteria should be considered in determining how effective a teacher is? What role should such factors as experience, education, and student achievement play?
- How should states and districts use the information they collect on teacher effectiveness? What place might it have in professional development?
- In their article, Stumbo and McWalters list seven challenges districts face when trying to implement a teacher evaluation program on the basis of teacher effectiveness. Which challenges do you see as most significant? How might districts surmount these challenges?
Improving Evaluations
- To truly benefit teachers, evaluations need to involve more than checklists. In "Evaluations That Help Teachers Learn" (pp. 35–39), Charlotte Danielson describes a five-step evaluation process (p. 38) that promotes self-reflection and professional conversation. How does this process compare to the process in place at your school? How would a system like Danielson's work at your school? What adjustments might you make to your evaluation system to foster teacher improvement?
- Can evaluations based on a single class session improve teacher practice? Jenne Colasacco found that she could not get enough in-depth information from a single observation. In "A Week of Evaluations" (pp. 59–62), she explains how a weeklong observation process enabled her to provide more useful feedback to teachers, especially those who were already effective. How might a process like the one Colasacco developed work at your school? What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach?
- In the online-only article, "A More Complete Evaluation," Etta Kralovec says that evaluations based on classroom observation often leave out a great deal of important information. To get a complete picture, administrators need information on grading practices, rubrics, lesson design, and more. What kinds of information do evaluators collect at your school? What additional information might they use to improve their evaluations?
Qualities of Great Teachers
- Educational Leadership asked several educators to describe the most important quality of an effective teacher. Their answers (pp. 74–75, 91–93) included such qualities as humility, enthusiasm for learning, self-reflection, strength, and flexibility. How would you answer this question?
- In "The Flexible Teacher" (pp. 46–50), Leila Christenbury tells how she changed her plans when her students did not meet her expectations. Have you ever found yourself in a situation like Christenbury's? How did you respond? How can educators adapt their plans to their students' needs and abilities without lowering standards?
- Several authors in this issue stress the value of continued professional growth. Make a list of areas in which you would like to grow as an educator. Perhaps you would like to learn to use technology more efficiently or improve in your ability to connect with students. Choose one area from your list and create a plan for improvement. You might want to ask colleagues for advice or solicit suggestions on online networks.
