Source: Image light, Public Domain, http://tinyurl.com/p4pfjr7; Image teacher recording, Public Domain, http://pixabay.com/en/camcorder-camera-digital-equipment-15944/
Welcome. I'm Tricia Fyfe. And in today's video lesson, we'll cover the lesson titled Feedback Tools. . In this lesson, we will work towards one main learning objective, and together, we'll answer the following question to guide our learning. What are useful tools that can be used to provide feedback?
Let's talk about tools that can be used to provide feedback. What are they? When going through the process of giving feedback, there are many tools available to consider that are beneficial. Feedback forms, video review, student data, and feedback content standards, and teacher evaluation rubrics, or professional teaching standards, are the tools that we'll be covering in this lesson.
Let's start with feedback forms. Feedback forms can be a great resource for evaluators that are required to give feedback. There are various forms available for providing feedback. The evaluator may choose one of these, or may create their own.
Blank templates are often used for feedback forms. There are many categories, topics, tally tables, and/or questions that can be used. This feedback form can be shared with the teacher prior to the observation, so that they know what to expect. It may be used during the observation.
This feedback is shared when the observation is complete. This tool provides structure for the feedback, and helps the teacher to understand expectations. Let's look at an example. Here's an example of a feedback form that's blank and not yet filled out.
You can see here, this is just a very quick observation form. Some are more detailed. Here, the coach will look for the following things that are in the lesson. Observe and make comments at the end. Let's now look at one that is filled out. Here's a sample observation form. You can see here that most of the categories are marked with a yes, there are a few that are marked with a no.
The evaluator has chosen to focus mainly on the ones that are marked no, and the comments are geared mostly to those. Take a moment to look over the comments that this coach chose to make on this feedback form.
Video review can also be a great tool in some situations. Here, a video of the teacher's instruction is used, and the teacher is generally the one to record themselves. Together, coach and teacher view the video play by play. This allows for stopping, pausing, and discussion throughout.
We can use this technique through the entire coaching process. Maybe coach and teacher used the video early on in the school year, and then as the teacher develops and grows, they use the strategy again in the middle, and maybe one more time at the end of the school.
This helps compare all different stages in the process. We can analyze differences and help make comparisons. This strategy can also provide the coach and teacher concrete evidence and observations. This can lead to more efficient planning and reflecting, as well as the ability to make changes and improvements.
Student data and feedback is essential. Performance data of students or feedback from a survey, or other source that comes directly from the students can be useful when the coach is putting together the information for the feedback to provide.
This student data and feedback is not information that should be kept from anyone in this relationship. The teacher should see this data. The coach's job is to walk the teacher through the connections between the data and their feedback recommendations. Improving student achievement is often a starting point for feedback, as is one of the main goals for professional development plans.
This data can also be used as the foundation for implementing changes to an instructional coaching plan. Data that we get from students can also give us solid reference points for digging deeper and understanding the impact of the changes a teacher makes in an instructional approach, or other changes.
Let's look at an example. According to a student survey, 16 out of 24 students are feeling as though they could use more practice on concepts of this current unit. 14 out of 24 feel they don't have enough time to complete in-class work. 15 out of 24 feel the pace of concepts is too fast.
Best data from student surveys will show the teacher and coach that students are in need are some changes. Possibly the teacher can slow the pace, or add additional learning activities with each concept to work on at home. Or maybe the teacher can look at the types of instruction used in activities that help the students make more connections.
Content standards can be a great resource for coaches and teachers in this process. Standards that are relevant to the lesson or situation can be referenced when a coach provides feedback to the teacher. Coaches can use standards, such as grade level content standards, to direct planning for professional development.
This is more so the case when student performance in certain areas is weak. Standards and any available and relevant student data can be used together to track performance of students as far as measuring the impacts of the changes that have been made in instructional approaches throughout the entire coaching process.
Let's look at an example here of a content standard. Here's a third grade content standard. Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division. If this were the standard for the lesson, and the students were, in fact, making connections and understanding relationships between multiplication and division, it would be an opportunity for that coach to provide positive feedback to the teacher in this area.
Teacher evaluation rubrics or professional teaching standards can be is by the coach to form a starting point for communication and collaboration. It's essential for teachers to understand teacher evaluation rubrics, as teacher evaluations and the rubrics related are used by most schools and districts today.
Introducing these standards and rubrics within the coaching setting is a great approach, even when the coach will not be using them to evaluate the teacher, as this relationship between coach and teacher is non-evaluative in nature. The teacher can use these tools, however, to self-assess to reflect according to the details and information on the rubrics and within the standards.
The coach can also use the contents of these tools to help guide in areas that could potentially use some improvement. If it's desired by the school or district, they can align goals for coaching and teaching standards or rubrics. Let's look at an example of a professional teaching standard.
Here is one. Teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect a respect for the diversity of learners and an understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning. Let's say this teacher was having a difficult time creating activities for lessons that included all different types of learning styles.
The coach noticed that some students were showing signs of frustration here. This standard could help the coach remind the teacher of the importance of these ideas. It could also prompt discussion on what to do to become more effective. Let's talk about what we learned today. We looked at the following question in this lesson.
What are they useful tools that can be used to provide feedback? In this lesson, we looked at some tools used for providing feedback in the coach-teacher relationship. The tools we looked at today were feedback forms, video review, student data, and feedback, content standards, and teacher evaluation rubrics, or professional teaching standards.
I took you through each of these tools, and gave you examples of each of these. Now that you're more familiar with these concepts, let's reflect. Think about the feedback tools we have discussed today. Which of these tools have you experienced using? Which do you think will be the most meaningful to you in the coach-teacher relationship?
Thanks for joining me today in discussing the lesson Feedback Tools. I hope you found value in this video lesson, and are able to apply these ideas and resources to your own teaching. For more information on how to apply what you've learned in this video, please see the Additional Resources section that accompanies this video presentation. The Additional Resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource.
Overview
(00:00- 00:17) Introduction/Objectives
(00:18- 00:41) Tools to Provide Feedback
(00:42- 02:01) Feedback Forms
(02:02- 02:50) Video Review
(02:51- 04:22) Student Data and Feedback
(04:23- 05:21) Content Standards
(05:22- 06:45) Teacher Evaluation Rubrics and Professional Teaching Standards
(06:46- 07:15) Recap
(07:16- 07:56) Reflection