Classroom Strategies: Tips for Growing Teachers
Jessica Allen, Teacher of Mathematics in Puebla, Mexico
Growth is the term that marks our job as educators. We seek to help students grow by providing them with information, skills, social contexts, and creative outlets. However, along with our hopes and expectations to see our students grow, we too must model improvement as we pass weeks and years in the classroom. While our growth may not fit into a social studies exam or a band performance, it will have long-term benefits for the students under our care. To bring about growth, it is important to allow students to come into relationship with us and provide valuable feedback for our future lessons.
It is true that coworkers, other experienced teachers, and even parents can give a valuable assessment of one’s work. However, many times what we learn from the students, the individuals directly affected by our teaching, will take us even further. These are the individuals who have seen us in action from day to day. They cannot be falsely impressed by a 30-minute sit-in. They are the ones who have worked through our assignments and all the scaffolding opportunities we work to provide. Students themselves provide valuable clues into student motivation and perspectives about one´s teaching.
Some Characteristics of a Growing Teacher
Yet, it is not simple to ask for student advice nor accept it. This requires a great deal of character. Growing teachers are humble, teachable, and intentional. Without these traits, an individual is not able to accept input from others, especially from students, and put it into practice in their daily lives.
To even consider soliciting feedback from others takes a certain amount of courage and humility. One must realize that their specific methods may not be the best in all situations. Teachers looking to grow often know each generation brings new challenges to instruction. They must understand that their experience in the classroom cannot speak for all teachers nor all students. A humble teacher asking for input from others is able to apologize for their errors and share with their students that even they have room to improve.
A teacher must also be teachable or else they remain stagnant in their ways or grow in experiences that do not lead to improvement. When a teacher is provided constructive criticism, they must allow others to help them improve their skills. They must listen, ask for help, and follow instructions. This is often what we hope for in our best students, so what a great opportunity we have to be a model. Along with this comes the idea of being intentional to change. We must create a plan, goals, and a method for improvement based on feedback and the guidance we found. Without making intentional moves, it is easy to stay stuck in old patterns.
Ways to Elicit Feedback
We have all experienced the students who complain about their teachers and tell their friends that their teacher hates them—at times, we have even been one of these students. The reasons behind this may be poor grades, their own feelings of inadequacy, or an actual poor relationship with the teacher. It is no surprise that students’ perspectives of teachers are very subjective, and as educators looking to grow, we must proceed with caution when seeking feedback from students.
Feedback can take many forms, and all of them are valuable. When looking for non-subjective feedback, it is good to use anonymous classroom surveys. These can be given quarterly or on a semester basis. When creating a survey, one will want to consider several key areas of teaching to include. Here is a brief, non-exhaustive list of areas one may wish to include in a survey.
- Teacher instruction and clarity
- Teacher provides various methods of explaining
- The teacher wants students to fully understand the work, not just do it
- The teacher is respectful and approachable
- The teacher gives helpful and prompt feedback
- The teacher is engaging
- The teacher is fair to all students
There are many great resources online for creating questions to address these topics, but make sure to word them so they do not come across as offensive. The questions should also be specific so they do not confuse your students.
Another method of getting student feedback is by directly asking students what they think. This could be asking about what part of an explanation was confusing or by encouraging students to come to the teacher when they have an issue with the teaching. When eliciting such feedback, there are many factors to consider. First of all, students will only give constructive feedback when they feel heard and have a good relationship with the teacher. If individuals do not feel comfortable, they may remain quiet or only make positive comments. On the other hand, one may receive helpful feedback from a few students and not from the whole class. This does not discredit the commentaries, but it does mean one will have to use anonymous surveys as well to get a better understanding of what students think.
Using Feedback
When dealing with quantitative data, a few statistical tests can key one into where a teacher´s biggest holes are. It can also show whether student responses are spread out or whether all students responded similarly. This can help a teacher decipher whether their teaching style is beneficial to only some students and can reveal key areas to improve. With qualitative data, one may also find common themes within student comments revealing an underlying issue.
The first time I gave my students an anonymous 30-question survey, I was honestly taken aback by the responses. I love teaching and have a desire for all students to feel competent in my math classes, but the results of the survey showed the opposite of this desire. My biggest area of concern showed that students did not feel comfortable asking questions and felt like they could not be successful in my class. At the same time, it was obvious that students noticed my passion for mathematics and my ability to explain themes in a variety of ways. While it hurt my ego a bit to accept their perspective, it was so important for me to know their thoughts so I could improve my teaching for them. I was able to see that their feelings of failure were not related to my explanations, but to my behavior and harshness. I would have never been able to intentionally change my methods if I had not known how they were feeling.
When students give feedback it needs to be honored and acted upon. As a teacher, one needs to accept the results of the critique and create a game plan to change and improve. In some instances, this may be simple; in others, it may not. One may need to seek help and guidance from coworkers or you may need to transition to new teaching materials. In the end, when invoking this student feedback, you will continue to grow as a teacher. Let’s not forget to ask the very people who watch us day in and day out how we can serve them better!
Click to discover tools designed to make life easier for teachers.