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EDL725 : The Class : Rating Scales : Rating Scales | |||||
Rating Scales are used by most school districts to evaluate the competence
of teachers for the purpose of retention or termination. Teachers should become
familiar with the evaluation instruments and the process used in their respective
districts and schools during an orientation. This helps to diffuse some of the
anxiety associated with evaluation for teachers. For school principals and district
administrators, orientations meet the requirement of oral and written communication
for due process.
We will examine four scales that are typical on any evaluation. This one is
based on the areas identified by the Arizona
State Teaching Standards. Although the scales apply to all teachers, these
will also apply to student teachers since you may want to qualify as a "Professional
Mentor" for student teachers. Some universities such as Arizona State University
require that mentors are qualified. This course will accomplish that goal and
you will receive a certificate. You will also receive a certificate stating
that you are a "Qualified Evaluator" which is required by Arizona
State Law 15-537 before you can evaluate teachers.
Do you remember your own student teaching experience? How about your first year
of teaching? Now let me ask you this: Are you a better teacher today than you
were then? I am certain that you said "yes." With time and experience
you have been able to connect a variety of skills with the content you are teaching
and the needs of the students. Many of those skills along with their connections
are missing for beginning teachers. Compare the mentor’s brain with the student
teacher’s brain below.
Beginning teachers have information and some experiences, but they do not have
the synaptic connections between the separate compartments that experienced
teachers have. You can help to bridge these connections for your beginning teachers.
For example, teachers experiencing classroom management problems do not necessarily
realize how much it is tied to careful lesson planning and clear objectives.
We also know that learning to teach is a developmental process. Most agree that
it takes about five year of continual teaching to approach mastery level. The
first stage of development finds the teacher concerned mostly with oneself.
The second stage is marked by the teacher’s concert with content, information,
and organization. The last stage is an on-going concern for the teacher’s impact
on student learning and achievement. Naturally, some arrive at stage three earlier
than others; some get stuck on content and do not relate to students as learners;
some never get to stage three, blaming the students for their own lack of success.
As an evaluator, you are often part of a team that may include a department
head, grade level chair, instructional specialist, resource specialist, etc.
When you have a student teacher, you are also part of a team: the triad consists
of you as the mentor, the student teacher, and the college supervisor. The supervisor
will visit with you and the student teacher at the beginning of the semester
and again at the end. In between the visits, the supervisor will complete three
classroom observations of lessons from beginning to end. As a true partner,
the supervisor is there to provide support, guidance, and resources to both
the student teacher and the mentor.
Mentors have student teachers for a required fifteen weeks. Some will come earlier
and stay longer depending the their circumstances and the arrangements they
make with their mentors. It is nice to have them arrive before the semester
begins, help set up the classroom, get to know the campus, faculty and staff,
and attend all meetings. They usually spend a few weeks in the beginning observing
the mentor and gradually accepting responsibility for teaching. By the end of
the student teaching experience, the student teacher should have responsibility
for a full day of instruction and planning.
You can use the handy forms provided to by the student teacher to guide your
planning for each of the fifteen weeks. In fact, ASU provided a Mentor Handbook
that the student teacher will bring to you. They are in the bookstore if you
or your school librarian wishes to purchase a set.
An initial conference with the student teacher is necessary to determine what
responsibilities he or she will have, when each will be assumed and for how
long. It is also very important to determine the exact ending date of the student
teacher. Will it be the end of the college semester or the end of the placement
school semester? The college requires the student to meet the college calendar;
if you wish to extend these dates, it is necessary to obtain agreement with
the student teacher. This is a critical meeting, so have it early and make copies
of the agreements for both you and the student teacher. It serves to structure
the semester, reduce anxiety, and provide a source of ready recall should any
questions arise, as they often do. So don’t make any assumptions --- put it
in writing.
Mentors are special people, some designated and some voluntary, who are guardians
of the profession at a time when the nation faces a critical teacher shortage.
In addition to being good teachers, they are good communicators and nurturers.
They help to form a supportive network and their involvement helps both parties
feel valued. Many have been known to say," To be honest, if it hadn’t been
for my mentor(s), I wouldn’t be teaching today."
We have had mentors throughout our lives in the form of parents, coaches, sponsors,
leaders, etc. Perhaps we have already performed some of these roles ourselves.
If so, we already know some characteristics that are important to have as mentors.
Let's share some of them with our colleagues in the VCC by linking to module
ONE below.
Objectives:
This module is divided into 5 topics. To complete this Module successfully, please complete the topics in the order shown below:
Go on to Coaching and Conferencing
or
Go back to Supervision and Evaluation of Instruction
E-mail Dr. Gloria Smith at
gjs8@jan.ucc.nau.edu
or call (480) 854-7673
Copyright 2001
Northern Arizona University
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED