tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post6668278601796687738..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: Teacher Quality and Student EvaluationsJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-64155669390021467462013-02-24T14:33:25.042-05:002013-02-24T14:33:25.042-05:00I would hope that what the videos revealed was tha...I would hope that what the videos revealed was that teachers who get the kids actively involved in learning, making their own meanings, etc were the ones whose students not only enjoyed the teachers but did well on tests.<br /><br />I agree that observations are essential.<br /><br />I spent well over a decade as a trainer of mentors for novice educators, a mentor myself, and also as an evaluator for the state of CT of novice teacher performances (which required documenting a unit of instruction day by day with teacher materials, student work, assessment materials, and several videos of lessons, along with teacher reflection on the effect of instruction on student learning).<br /><br />What I learned, watching videos of exceptional second year teachers and (to be candid) abysmal second year teachers, was that only when the students are active participants in the teaching/learning process-- and only when that process requires higher order thinking, not just concrete level Q&A-- will student work show growth and progress.<br /><br />So often, the teacher's written documentation would describe lessons as higher-order and students as deeply engaged but the video would show bored students while the teacher did drills or lectured or focused only on plot-level discussion: "what happened next?"<br /><br />We did not see standardized test scores on the students being documented; we did see their final assessments, however: the teacher "test" and the student product in response.<br /><br />While I am somewhat suspicious of someone who's a test advocate producing this study rather than someone w/o an agenda, I do find the results interesting.<br /><br />I will need to read the actual study to see if he actually randomized his sample. Did he account for differeing socio-economic statuses? for differing student skill levels? for learning disabilities? for teacher experience?<br /><br />I am certain I could have hand-picked colleagues with whom I taught to come up with precisely the same results :)pootrsoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05975929246429466067noreply@blogger.com