Comments | cmt2779: Teaching Self-Evaluation

cmt2779

Teaching Self-Evaluation

Feb 15, 2007 18:36

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.

( Here it is! )

school, work, teaching

Comments 6

thecourtness February 16 2007, 19:33:01 UTC

Are you sure that those examples were two different classes? :)

cmt2779 February 17 2007, 00:43:36 UTC

Ha!

Most definitely. The first class was only occasionally too talkative and unfocused. The second class made me want to hurt people. *grr*

thecourtness February 19 2007, 06:21:28 UTC

really because i was almost certain that the subject of the first example was a certain someone that talks loudly about squirrels at inappropriate times and i was subject in the the second example. along with loud squirrel boy, the boy always caught somewhere in between being drunk and hungover and the boy who hails from canada of course.

cmt2779 February 19 2007, 14:48:01 UTC

Well, I didn't interpret your comments in class (yours or those by the others you describe) as hostile or intentionally disrespectful to me. (Maybe I was wrong and I should reconsider...hmm.) In the other class that I describe, however, the worst of the talkers would look me straight in the eye and keep talking. He was deliberately challenging my authority and disrupting the rest of the class.

But yeah, the individual who liked to talk loudly about squirrels at inappropriate moments? He's described in the first example, but the second has nothing to do with you guys.

particle_mann February 18 2007, 23:20:58 UTC

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 ( ... )

particle_mann February 18 2007, 23:21:33 UTC

As far as engaging the quiet ones more, that one is a toughie, and it's one I still struggle with a lot...almost certainly because it's outside of my experience. Even when I was the shy, quiet kid, before I became the loud, obnoxious adult that I am today, I never felt uncomfortable sharing my knowledge or my opinion in class. I think I have a tendency to try too hard to yank kids out of their shells, and that can be counterproductive too. I think it will be easiest if you establish early on that anyone can and will be called on at any time (by calling on anyone at any time :) ); that will get the students used to it as par for the course in your classroom. That will be facilitated by something you seem to already do, which is creating a healthy, friendly classroom environment and culture where the students can feel comfortable. If a student balks a bit, I usually ask the class as a whole "We're still gonna like her, however she answers, right?" It usually gets a laugh and puts the student at least a little more at ease. Also, ( ... )