Teaching Self-Evaluation

[cmt2779]

I had to write this self-evaluation up prior to a meeting with my boss to discuss my teaching. I spent a couple of hours on it, so I thought I'd post it here, too. Read away if you're interested.

Comments

[particle_mann]

Congradulations on a successful evaluation! And though we deal with vastly different age groups and scenarios, it's quite cool that you care so much about it, and that you're introspective enough to try and make yourself better. You have a lot of strengths that I wish I had, especially in terms of being able to create a comfortable environment for them. I don't know that I'm all that good at that yet. As far as your weaknesses go, perhaps some suggestions from the Land Of The Young'ns might prove helpful.

For the discipline problems, I think you're dead on in wanting to identify them much earlier in the semester. It will save you headaches, and possibly even get them onboard enough to actually teach them something (which is the goal, yes? Rather than just not having them be pains in the ass?). There are a couple of things you might want to look at to engage them more.

• When you see them being disruptive, call on them. Don't be rude or angry about it, just make sure that your next Are you listening/Do you understand type question is politely directed at them. Call them by name when you do it too. Either way it lets them know that you're paying attention, and you notice what they're doing, and if they answer correctly, it means they might be smarter/more engaged than you thought. If not it provides a good opportunity to either quickly upbraid them a bit about listening and paying attention, or to do my next suggestion, which is to separate them. Never underestimate the value of a polite request to have one of them move to an unoccupied seat in another part of the room.
  
• Make sure to balance your groupwork between groups they pick and groups you pick. The first gives them ownership, the second stretches their comfort zones a bit (which addresses what you see as your other big weakness) and is more likely to put them with people that will actually keep them on task and working.
  
• How's your movement in class? Do you move around, and speak from different parts of the room, or are you always lecturing from the front or the board? Proximity is wonderful for discipline, the movement forces the kids to pay attention to you, and on a positive note you may notice something you wouldn't have seen just hanging out up front all the time.
  
• Finally, my master teacher was really big on assertive discipline, and on a pretty strict 3:1 ratio of 3 positive comments before each negative one. Granted, this has diminishing returns the older the student, but never underestimate the value of positive reenforcement to the students, or to your sanity.
  

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