When getting prepared for an inspection - from line managers, outside educational bodies or other stakeholders - having some experience in evaluating learning can be invaluable as part of teaching practice.
As teachers, we all want to build on our professional development and teaching practice in order, ultimately, to create high-quality learning opportunities for our students. Any evaluation of teaching and learning needs to be positively framed; our focus in this post is on the word “assisted”. Staff will be called on to look at their own experience and their approaches to teaching and learning to consider ways of improving their practice. Ideally, these evaluations should be by teachers, for teachers.
Many teachers are outstanding and this proposal for self-evaluation wishes to celebrate this, allow teachers to develop their practice and feed this forward to other members of staff who might improve their teaching from working with others in the school.
By teachers accepting their status as leaders of learning, they can reflect on where there may be gaps in their practice. These gaps could be identified by referring to HGOIS 4, GTCS Professional Standards, your school’s improvement plan and your faculty or department improvement plan. Teachers should be encouraged to consider their professional knowledge and expertise - the GTCS professional standards is a great baseline for this.
In order to have staff “buy-in”, any self-evaluation needs to be framed positively and with always a nod to the improvement of teachers with targets identified by themselves. If staff use an evidence-informed approach to bolster their practice, supported by others, they will thrive and improve.
Great CPD makes great teachers.
Staff CPD is rated highly by Timperley et al. (2007) and Hattie (2017) as “having a significant impact on pupil attainment” – therefore this needs to be encouraged for all teachers to improve attainment in their classes.
The intention for a Faculty Assisted Self-Evaluation is to run in 3-year cycles, this:
allows time for positivity to flourish and be encouraged;
gives time for quality assurance and CPD to occur in the meantime;
reduces staff burnout (than if it occurred annually);
allows for self-evaluated faculties to (hopefully) inform other departments that the process is worthwhile.
The hope is that it will encourage continued sharing of good practice in order to transition to a more reflective and developed staff cohort. The aim is for the self-evaluation to take place during one week, but this is embedded within teacher development as a school-wide stance, rather than a one-week ordeal. It must, therefore, be given time to develop gravitas and stakeholder buy-in.
When teachers are asked what constrains their practice and prevents them from sharing good practice and reflection, it is time. Faculties taking part in the self-evaluation need to be offered that time to honour the work they are doing - and trust our teachers to reflect on their practice and share their strengths.
What might the self-evaluation look like?
Prior to the Week
Look at the Faculty Assisted Self-Evaluation week in terms of the school calendar; faculties recommend a time in the year to have the review.
Begin to consider data for triangulation: SQA analysis, insight data, virtual comparator, QA indicators, etc.
[Possible] A creation of a group of students who are trained at observing lessons and can attend and inform teachers of how well they met a learning target. This could be great for pupil voice, leadership opportunities and for students to feel they are being listened to and helping shape the curriculum/learning process.
[Possible] Obtain parental feedback to begin to engage stakeholders.
Teachers have experience in sharing good practice and observing each other.
[Possible] Students answer a quiz on their learning every half term.
2-3 Pupil snapshots from the faculty will be taken, focusing on a specific target.
Day 1: Reflection
Department/faculty off-timetable to prepare, discuss, reflect and recognise the importance of the task.
Teachers will reflect on their planned target for evaluation. They will have this first day to work on reflection: individually and as a department. They will also discuss their lessons for the week, share good practice and consider their CPD targets. Finally, the day will factor in a mini-PRD session with the PT to discuss their plans and target(s). Who is involved? Teachers and PT
SLT will interview pupils from the faculty, consulting them on a wide range of questions. (The school could include other stakeholders, such as Principal Teachers from other schools.)
Day 2/3/4: Observations
Teachers will be observed a maximum of twice: once by a promoted member of staff and once by a peer. Both will be with a view to examine one specific target identified by the participant.
Classroom observation sheet will be completed.
Day 5: Feedback (again, staff off-timetable to digest results)
Individual feedback will be given.
Meeting will be held with PTs / SLT to discuss the main points from the various observations and disseminate information from interviews with students, etc.
HT will attend and share identified strengths/developments as a whole department.
Insights will form FIP/PRD opportunities/further opportunities for sharing good practice. CPD opportunities will be created as a result.
This plan could be a way to reinvigorate learning processes in the faculty/department and be an opportunity to boost confidence, skills in the teaching team and celebrate awesome teaching.
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