9.4: Examining One's Practice
I think this is a very contextual question. Certainly teachers are highly personally motivated, because at the end of the pay period, the personal rewards far outweigh other means of compensation. Teaching has become such a regulated profession, both financially and creatively, that much of the art and inspiration have been lost. The potential effectiveness of a teacher has been impaired by standards, schedules, high-stakes assessments, etc. Examining one's practice as a teacher is a reflective process rooted in asking questions about the overall, long-term effectiveness.
Just as we emphasize the importance of inquiry-based instruction, we must turn the tables on ourselves as teachers to ask challenging and revealing questions about the nature of our teaching. The very first question you must address in order to align your priorities is, "What questions should I ask?" In other words, how do scrutiny and accountability align with your teaching values, and where do you seek the most reliable feedback? Once you understand these priorities, a more comprehensive list of inquiries can be developed. Some questions to consider are included below.
Is my teaching consistent with the standards for my content area?
Several layers of standards come into play, and it seems a bit overwhelming at times. But there are some threads of consistency throughout that emerge as the "big ideas" of content and become major themes in a course. Standards that currently effect me and my student teaching come from The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) which largely defaults to the Indiana Department of Education, and the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township (MSDLT Standards). In addition to mathematical operations, they all emphasize the importance of "problem solving, reasoning and proof, connections, communication, and representation" (NCTM Standards: An Overview).
The struggle with standards comes from achievement. Success or failure is largely based upon standardized test performance. The balance between Best Practices (that include writing, creativity, differentiated instruction, collaboration, etc.) and standards becomes tilted in favor if that assessment.
Does my teaching address the objectives of my school/department?
Hopefully you are teaching in a classroom where your values align with the objectives of the school. Schools seem to have a tendency to promote everything that is both required and "best" about teaching without offering much support in either area. Throwing standards, achievement, research and professional development opportunities at teachers, does little to enhance learning if teachers get left to fend for themselves--to be resourceful in a resourceless (financially or otherwise) world. Schools must recognize that teachers need hands-on leadership and require time and support for sharing and developing their skills. At the same time, teachers must realize that the classroom is not an island. They will be most successful if they learn to balance and appreciate the autonomous management of their students learning with creative and collaborative methods that engage and challenge students and other teachers to relate other disciplines to their content areas.
School or self-assessment rubrics, such as this example from Pathways to College Network would be helpful in aligning the ideals and values of schools/teachers with their actions. Demonstrating progress and and having a system of accountability in place are key components of evaluating one's practice, just as they are for our students.
In preparation for this reflection, I asked the Math Department Chair and the Assistant Principal who oversees that department for some commentary on teacher evaluations. I had asked each one of them to comment from the perspective of teacher and evaluator. Fortunately I sent a copy of this request to my mentor teacher, and, although the questions were not addressed to him, he was the only one to respond. His response was somewhat open-ended (no doubt so that I could formulate my own objective and reflective opinions), but I sense the resounding disappointment and frustration with which it is delivered. I mentioned to him in class recently that his was the sole response, and he did seem a bit surprised. The Assistant Principal has not set foot in my mentor's room all year. Everything I have bought into about the impending changes at Lawrence North, including the decentralization of the Assistant Principals and the beginnings of "housing" the school into a Small Schools model seems fuzzy now. In a day and age of professional accountability and paper trails in corporate America, it is quite astonishing to me that teachers are given such little guidance and attention once they have been established in the classroom. It's like hiring a manager in a store and not following up with a plan, paying visits, or even noting their progress. The management style of the administrators should be to communicate frequently and observe first-hand how their teachers and students are performing.
How do my students feel about the education I provide?
As stated in the expectations 1.1: Subject Matter, and 1.4: Teaching Reading and Writing, I will expect my students to provide honest and reflective feedback about my teaching--feedback that goes beyond the demonstration of learning the content through testing. I will incorporate expressive, content-related, written assignments through journals, etc. about lessons and units. Questions can range from simple ones such as "What was easy/fun/hard about this unit?" to "Based upon what you have learned, what would make a lesson on area/volume more engaging?"
Accountability is also important from the students' perspective. A list of student goals and objectives should be democratically created and utilized throughout the course to keep everyone on task. Students should be aware of what needs to be accomplished and where today's lesson is useful or required in the future.
A tool I have developed for my student teaching classes will be called Feedback Fridays. Every Friday, I will ask each of my classes to complete, either online or in class, an evaluation of my performance and our progress as a class. I want to know how they assess my skills, style and rapport as a teacher. I also want to know what activities they find most fun, most engaging, most understandable, most valuable, etc. I hope there are things I will do that will give them "light-bulb" moments, and I want to know about them. Likewise, I hope their feedback will provide the same "Aha!" moments for me.
Do I recognize parents as stakeholders and value their input?
Teachers cannot address the question of their performance without considering the parents' perspective. Communication is the key. Parents want to be involved, but rarely engage the teacher unless they have some indication of a problem. Teachers can be proactive in addressing student issues with parents and invite their involvement, but must be prepared to be caught off guard from time to time as well. Parents can make or break a teacher's confidence by implying doubt and incompetence. They can disrupt classroom time and destroy a students motivation to learn. Their influence can become widespread and may often be more impassioned than a professional evaluation.
Teachers must keep the parent's feedback in perspective. By that I mean school, learning, content, assessment, etc. are much different than most parents experienced or remember. Being fair, clear, articulate, professional, polite and proactive with parents will set the tone to receive that type of feedback in return. Parents generally have the greatest insight into their children. As our students, we owe it to their children to value that insight and adapt our teaching accordingly.
Have I set/met realistic goals for myself? What are my limits as a professional?
My goals and expectations for my teaching and my students' learning will likely be the most difficult part of the examination process. Mathematics always came naturally to me, and I never encountered any major obstacles to learning or achieving while in school. The wide range of student achievement or the prospect of having to fail one of them seems unacceptable to me in the content area where my comprehension is so high.
This mind-shift from being a student who enjoys high motivation and achievement and maintains those expectations for myself, must now change as a teacher to a more realistic expectation developed for each student. Average or "C" work may be high achievement for a student with a weak background, a genuine distaste or dysfunction toward mathematics, or any number of other reasons which include just being "average." There is nothing wrong with that if it is a student's best effort. My student teaching experience will require me to raise my awareness of this sensitively and hold realistic and individualized expectations for each student's performance.
Understanding that students perform at various levels (many lower than I may deem appropriate) and becoming comfortable with the fact that I cannot "save" every student from academic demise will come difficult to me. I will tend to project my level of mathematical understanding onto them. I know my mentor teachers will serve as firm models in dealing with this frustrating and emotional issue. I know that my self-worth and well-being as a teacher will suffer less through a purely realistic and individualized set of expectations.
How can I improve my effectiveness?
I believe that, regardless of how limiting or stifling your administration may seem, there are opportunities to ask questions and tap into sound techniques that will strengthen any weaknesses you discover. Many high school and college mathematics departments are posting fine work on the Web, and learning-style or content-based keyword searches can inspire workable solutions for all teaching situations. Being adaptable and modeling learning and problem-solving is an important part of the school process. Students should at least witness their teachers engaged in the learning process if not actively participating in the improvement project collaboratively with them.
Final question (The original question restated): Where do your priorities fall?
When examining your teaching do you hold yourself accountable to the hard, standards-based assessment of your performance or do you tend to subject yourself to the more personal and internalized rewards that teachers enjoy? While some teachers are employed to advance other interests of a school (athletics, etc.), I believe that most teachers have a genuine passion for student achievement and success and will go to great lengths to secure it.
Teaching is analyzed, researched and critiqued by all circles of life, and the results range from representative to confusing to dynamic ideals like Best Practices. Statistical, theoretical and extra-curricular interests aside, I believe that teaching is an art that is best experienced in the presence of those with the authentic, God-given talent to teach. Some people are just naturals. Many aspects of teaching are intangible and incommunicable and have such lasting impressions on students. If we could all look back from five to ten years in the future to survey the true impact of today's teaching on the content knowledge, study habits, socialization and well-being of our former students, we would see the true, lasting fruits of our labors. But our schools and our government make decisions about our teaching for next year based upon this year's performance.
What will be your criteria?
Where do you fall on the circular continuum?