Feed Forward

Over the last few weeks I have been a part of about 30 formal teacher evaluations. Prior to all of these “official” observations I have been in all classrooms and provided written feedback, attended team planning meetings and participated in professional learning with my staff. These are all opportunities to make observations, gather evidence and coach along the way. My extended admin team have also visited these classrooms and provided written feedback about their observations. Our teachers have multiple opportunities to receive and reflect on feedback about their teaching practice and have coaching support from both our literacy/numeracy coaches and PYP coordinators. They can co-plan, co-teach and reflect with any of these individuals each week. Support is job-embedded and driven by the teacher.

In addition to the 30 formal evaluations I have completed I have also had one on one feedback meetings with the Extended Administration Team and will be moving on to our team leads next week. The focus of all of these meetings has been to provide feedback for growth. Twenty nine of these thirty meetings have been very positive and the feedback well received. In all of the written evaluations and debriefs I have tried to provide details and examples from the observation with specific areas for improvement. I have made the feedback strength based and without judgement and validated the things that are going well in the classroom.

Prior to giving any feedback I always ask the teacher to debrief. I ask very specific guiding questions about the lesson and general questions about the teaching and learning in the classroom. These questions allow me to see if the teacher is truly reflective about their practice and if they are focused on continual improvement. What I have found through this process is that most individuals underestimate their effectiveness. When I give them feedback about the things I have observed they are shocked and surprised that I have noticed all the things they do well. In this case they are always very open to suggestions that I give for improvement. They view the meeting as a coaching opportunity and enjoy the opportunity for one on one feedback.

I have also had the experience in which the individual has taken the time to personally reflect on the lesson prior to our meeting and has identified all the areas for growth from the lesson and their daily practice that I have also identified. In this case providing coaching for support is easy as the person has already self identified the areas of their practice that they wish to improve. They are open to and want specific feedback for improvement. I find these meetings particularly enjoyable as it feels like an open dialogue without judgement or emotion. I find that these individuals are often my most passionate teachers who are driven for continuous improvement.

The most difficult meetings are always the ones in which the individual has not reflected deeply or has a completely different view of the observation than you do. These are the tough ones! I try to prepare well in advance of these meetings and have specific examples of the areas for improvement. I try and narrow the focus and outline specific goals as well as a plan for support. I have a conversation behind the scenes with my coaches and coordinators to determine the best course of action. The focus is always on providing specific support so the individual can be successful and leave with their dignity intact. I try not to make it personal but professional. I work with the individual to see it as an opportunity for us to work together for improvement.

When giving feedback to teachers who are unsatisfactory I have experienced mixed reactions. People either shut down, give up and feel defeated. They often feel extremely stressed and overwhelmed and have no idea where to start or how to change. These individuals get sick or go on a stress leave. Others become very defensive and angry. They shift the blame to you or others. They will use excuses like they did not know, it was a bad day, I have never received feedback like that before etc. And then there are those who reflect, form a plan and spring into action. Regardless of the reaction we need to work with all of these individuals. We console, empathize and gently nudge the individual who has retreated. We hold up the mirror and draw the hard line with the individual who has become defensive and we roll up our sleeves and work side by side with the individual who is well on their way to fixing the problem. Each of these individuals require a different type of support. Regardless, we do not do is give up on them. Some individuals are more resilient than others but it is our job to coach and support them all for success. Something that my former Director Laura Elliott said that always sticks with me is “Be hard on the problem not the person.” I try and carry this philosophy with me each day and not take things personally. I want my staff to know that I have high expectations but that I will be there to support them if they are falling short of them.

How do you differentiate your support for teachers?

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