Observing and Providing Feedback to Teachers

Video Transcription

Hi. My name is Ashley, and today's lesson is titled Observing and Providing Feedback to Teachers. In today's lesson, we'll discuss the best practices for effective observations. Then, we'll review the types of feedback.

What are best practices for effective observations? What is the best way for the observer to make sure the observation is effective? First, the observer must prepare for the observation. This can be done by asking the teacher to review his or her lesson plans.

You may ask questions that may help guide the observation. This will be a good time also to ask about goals, teaching strategies, and assessment methods or any other area the teacher may want you to focus on. You may also decide to focus on a specific area that you have previously observed from the teacher.

Make sure to arrive a couple minutes early to get situated and have materials available to take anecdotal notes or complete the rubric. The observation is not an opportunity for you to ask questions but instead to act as a fly on the wall without disrupting the lesson or flow of the classroom. Asking questions and interrupting the lesson will be disruptive to the students.

When the observation is over, reflect on what was observed. Decide what specific feedback you will provide to the teacher and whether it will be informal verbal feedback, informal written, formal verbal, or formal written feedback. Make sure to invite the teacher for a post-observation conference to help the teacher reflect on the lesson and assist with setting goals for improvement.

What are the types of feedback? There are many choices of feedback an evaluator can provide. Informal feedback is something quick and brief and often not planned. Informal verbal feedback may consist of a quick chat after the observation, or the evaluator may stop the teacher in the hallway to briefly tell them how the lesson went. Informal written feedback consists of a note may be placed in the teacher's mailbox or a short email.

Formal feedback is usually planned and thorough. Formal verbal feedback is the post-observation conference where specific information is given based on what was observed in the classroom. Formal written feedback may consist of a form or rubric that includes detailed information of the observation and evaluator's conclusions. This is something you should keep in your teaching files.

Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. Best practices for effective observations are being prepared for the observation, reflecting on what was observed, and inviting the teacher back for a post conference to reflect on the lesson. There are two main types of feedback-- informal and formal. Informal feedback is brief, whereas formal feedback is very specific and extensive. Both forms can be written or verbal.

As the evaluator, what practices will you utilize on a continuous basis for your observations? Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The Additional Resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description, so you can easily target the resources you want.