The Breakfast Club – #BFC530 – is a 15 minute, 1 question Twitter chat every weekday. We chat in 4 timezones Mon-Fri – 5:30am Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Times. The mission of BFC is to empower participants to make a difference in education by engaging in consistent reflective practice in a supportive community that inspires and challenges one another.
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
Official observations at most 2 per year: one scheduled/pre-obs meeting and one drop-in. Only consistent feedback is if a T asks an IC to visit regularly. #bfc530
Good morning friends! Happy Thursday! Love our global connections!
Off with my Kinders to Storybook Gardens (Springbank Park) today...our final field trip of the school year! Should be fun! #bfc530#JoyfulLeaders#pln365
I try to observe all the classes in my level a few times a week and thus the teachers. i then have a chat with the teachers and provide advice to their questions... they have to feel I'm there to support not observe #bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
Good morning everyone- #bfc530
I think we need to shift the culture so Ts can observe/be observed to work on skills of their own choosing. They can choose colleagues who they think could support them in their growth toward certain goal- could be short/long-term relationship
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
I barely ever got observed, so when it happened it was an "event" Wow! The principal is here. Are you in trouble? Observation should happen regularly, admin should know what's going on in classrooms - with teachers and with students. #bfc530
Here in NC it varies from 2-4 formal observations. I am also in each of my classrooms once and sometimes twice per day. Visibility, positivity, and encouragement. #bfc530
In Nj we have 1 long & 1 short for tenured teachers. It would be helpful if Admin, didn't go by a check off rubric, but what they saw based on the individual Ts and class Honest feed back #bfc530
My goal is always to get into 10 classes every day (we have 95 Ts). We use a Google form to provide feedback for Ts. These are informal walkthroughs #bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
Invite colleagues in to observe using Pineapple Chart on your door. Admin need to also let you know exactly what they are looking for. Our Observations page https://t.co/7whu1a4E8S Our Pineapple Chart page https://t.co/21CRRzgAKG#bfc530
Agree w/informal over formal & that formal can be more stressful. Stop in from time to time, highlight something you see for critique, both good or bad. I dont mind if my admin stops in to take a look, but I know some who would find that more stressful than the formal. #bfc530
As a reading specialist, I observe every single teacher during small group instruction.I them meet, hold a post conference, discuss reflective questions & then follow up with resources and/ or suggestions & provide copies of everything discussed. #BFC530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
Agree w/informal over formal & that formal can be more stressful. Stop in from time to time, highlight something you see for critique, both good or bad. I dont mind if my admin stops in to take a look, but I know some who would find that more stressful than the formal. #bfc530
This is a great ? tough to answer. I think we need to be careful that one or two observations don’t define a teacher just like one or two tests should not define a student. But we also don’t want teachers to feel like they aren’t trusted and being watched all the time. #bfc530
One way that could help is to better ensure that those who are doing the observing/providing feedback are in classrooms on a regular basis so that it becomes a normal part of the learning journey...not an ‘event’ where ‘best lessons’ are dusted off. #bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
Today I walked in on a colleague's class because I knew she wanted some help in a limited time.
Then she asked if i'd stay while she grabbed something off her desk.
1/2
#bfc530
We are actually shifting our system next yr to many short, targeted obs and debriefs throughout the yr based upon teacher goals and reflection. I can't wait...had that in the past and loved it. 1-2 big obs during the year aren't nearly as effective in terms of growth. #bfc530
I get observed 1-2 times a year. I feel like our school is too big for more than that number. Honestly, I believe that a reflection log and feedback from Ss is also powerful. We need more time to reflect and so do Ss. #bfc530
This is a great ? tough to answer. I think we need to be careful that one or two observations don’t define a teacher just like one or two tests should not define a student. But we also don’t want teachers to feel like they aren’t trusted and being watched all the time. #bfc530
After she left the Principal walked in and decided to help the students too.
Then the original teacher came back and the Principal couldn't work out whose class it was.
#bfc530
Today I walked in on a colleague's class because I knew she wanted some help in a limited time.
Then she asked if i'd stay while she grabbed something off her desk.
1/2
#bfc530
I think the most profound impact for Ts is to have peer observation as a SMART goal.
Powerful learning from each other without judgment from a supervisor.
#bfc530
I switched schools this year and my new principal pops into classrooms all of the time. She will settle right in, work alongside the students, and often spend 20+ minutes. It definitely took some getting used to but I love it. #bfc530
I get observed 3 times per year on either a 2 or 3 year cycle. I observe the Ts in my directorship in the same schedule. If admins and teachers make the process reflective and collaborative it most certainly can be a good thing. #BFC530
The paperwork for the observed and evaluator needs to be cut down. Less about bureaucracy; more about reflection and conversations. Not only would frequency increase, but meaningfulness as well. #bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
And not to expect to see everything on that rubric in a 50 minute class or shorter because they couldn’t get there on time to see the opening or can’t stay till the end. #bfc530
And not to expect to see everything on that rubric in a 50 minute class or shorter because they couldn’t get there on time to see the opening or can’t stay till the end. #bfc530
After she left the Principal walked in and decided to help the students too.
Then the original teacher came back and the Principal couldn't work out whose class it was.
#bfc530
Today I walked in on a colleague's class because I knew she wanted some help in a limited time.
Then she asked if i'd stay while she grabbed something off her desk.
1/2
#bfc530
I would like to see these changes made to T observations: 1)more frequent and less formal 2) culture of observing each other for the purpose of learning and growth 3) Ts identify areas for personal growth 4)observations are followed by effective feedback AND coaching. #bfc530
I get observed 1-2 times a year. I feel like our school is too big for more than that number. Honestly, I believe that a reflection log and feedback from Ss is also powerful. We need more time to reflect and so do Ss. #bfc530
Fairfax does ask teachers to set goals for themselves, and then during an observation year they turn in evidence to show what they did to reach the goal. Better, but sadly I think a lot of goals focus on state testing results because they are easy to measure. #bfc530
We get observed by the P or VP once every 5 years (I think?) for our TPA . Get formal feedback in writing.
Should be way more often, Ps & VPs should drip by classes often for short bursts & offer constructive feedback regularly.
#bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
My 1st year teaching, I was across from principal's office & he was in my class a lot & I needed it. He left quick notes in my mailbox of the good or bad. Helped rid me of a lot of bad practices that may ended my career quickly while encouraging me when I was doing right #bfc530
Showing up at the last minute here to say that I wish observations were used to reflect on practice and build some institutional knowledge about what people do. They can be so powerful. #bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
Good morning everyone- #bfc530
I think we need to shift the culture so Ts can observe/be observed to work on skills of their own choosing. They can choose colleagues who they think could support them in their growth toward certain goal- could be short/long-term relationship
And not to expect to see everything on that rubric in a 50 minute class or shorter because they couldn’t get there on time to see the opening or can’t stay till the end. #bfc530
I was with a teacher on an excursion and bumped into someone.
I explained I'd known him since 1994 and y colleague told me she was born in 1994. I'm working with babies! #bfc530
I do 2 short observations for tenured and 2 short and 1 long for non-tenured. I would rather see classroom walkthroughs as observations rather than what is presently a formal observation. #bfc530
I would like to see these changes made to T observations: 1)more frequent and less formal 2) culture of observing each other for the purpose of learning and growth 3) Ts identify areas for personal growth 4)observations are followed by effective feedback AND coaching. #bfc530
I agree with you but all of this depends on relationships being built and believing the feedback being given is meant to help you grow and not not punitive. If you only see admin a few times a year and only in observations then this will not happen. #bfc530
Anyone want to bring their students to Federal Hall NM in NYC July 4th? (....eh, to learn what the other side thought?) James Ackerman is my loyalist alter ego. Federal Hall is where GWashington took his oath of office as our 1st President #bfc530#sschathttps://t.co/AS6z4XSkgh
There are 6 classes at Year 8 and I just weave in and out of them, to the point the students are used to me and I can get a feel for how I can support the teachers. #bfc530
I was with a teacher on an excursion and bumped into someone.
I explained I'd known him since 1994 and y colleague told me she was born in 1994. I'm working with babies! #bfc530
Observations that are continuous throughout the year, involve engagement w/Ts&Ss during visits provide opportunities for feedback that is relevant & most importantly, relationship building w/all stakeholders . #bfc530
I've always thought our supervision duties should be to act as a support in other T's classes. Different ones throughout year. Bonus get to observe different T strategies all year. #bfc530
Good morning everyone- #bfc530
I think we need to shift the culture so Ts can observe/be observed to work on skills of their own choosing. They can choose colleagues who they think could support them in their growth toward certain goal- could be short/long-term relationship
The feedback is key. I had one principal who actually very skilled at observations and I thought her feedback was spot on, but that was in another school, a number of admins ago... #bfc530
The #observeme movement is great for this. Put a poster outside your door with teaching goals and a QR code leading to a teacher-made google form evaluation. Anyone is invited to come in to observe any time. The tricky part is getting the whole school on board with it. #bfc530
How can teacher observations be changed so teachers can have consistent feedback and growth throughout the year?
(How many times do you get observed or observe teachers?)
via @drknicki#BFC530
& add to the question bank: https://t.co/16LoC5oIgb
When I started teaching I came across a teacher who had been at my school when I was a student. We used to think there was something going on between her and another teacher and I jokingly said this... she nearly killed me #bfc530
That's IF they get everyone done. Often they have too many to get through and push it back another year or two. So some go 6 or 7 years between. #bfc530
Yes! I tell my teachers that I am there to support them in their clsrms and not to "get them". As an admin I try to remember what it was like to teach and identify with the tchrs. #bfc530
We're (finally) getting a new school leader who doesn't plan to hide in her office! Can't wait to have and work with a visible, interested leader again and the energy she's going to create! #bfc530
I see my role as preventative. If I can walk through, see a kid who needs a quick word to refocus, and move on, I've avoided a lot of pain for a lot of people down the line #bfc530
We have 1 formal a year, but I constantly invite the principal and assistant principal to my room to see different activities that I'm attempting with my students. Some have been improved for other periods that day due to their feedback. #bfc530
Or longer in some cases, which is very sad. A big part of the challenge is the size of the evaluation; it involves commenting on 11 separate competencies w/ several look-fors within each one. It’s very overwhelming for both Admin & T due to the time req’d for completion #bfc530
I love the "drop in visit" from admin. Makes me (and the kids) know we are on the radar, someone is interested in what we are doing, and gives the kids a chance to show off their stuff. All good, as far as I'm concerned. #bfc530
Having to keep our doors locked for security reasons put the flicker of the impromptu visit out pretty quickly, though. I like open doors at all times, but that is just me. :) #bfc530
I get observed for evals 2x a year. Got no other feedback this year, but love when observers engage as if they were students, with students, etc. Had a principal do that in 2012 and it les to a much more rich conversation about teaching and learning.
#bfc530
Once tenured, I was every other year observed 1 formal observation and 1 pop-in. We use Charlotte Danielson model. I try to keep my door open and welcome anyone in. I’d love to create a pineapple chart (@cyndiod13) at my new school for observation opps. #bfc530
