December 16, 2019

Focus: On Student Evaluations of Teachers

Dear Colleagues:

If the late fall is a time for giving thanks, posting pictures of Turduckens to social media, and receiving turkey-themed crafts from the young children in our lives, then early winter is a time for taking stock of where we are and determining the changes we'd like to make in the new year. As Phyllis Grinspan likes to remind us in mid-November, "Thanksgiving is a working vacation [for teachers at Loomis Chaffee]." But winter break provides an opportunity for renewal and, for many, making resolutions. Why not include changes to your teaching routine in your 2020 resolutions?

When considering how to improve our teaching, it's imperative that we take the students' experience into account. The best tool we have to measure students' experience in the classroom is the student evaluation of teachers [SET]. University of Illinois professor Michael Theall notes that no one else is as qualified to report on what happens in a class as the students "simply because no one else is there for the entire [class]." Theall adds that, while students are not qualified to rate a teacher's content knowledge (peers must do this), they can report on their satisfaction which is strongly linked to "effective teaching and learning."

It's also essential, however, that we keep in mind the biases inherent in student evaluations and the potential anxiety they may cause teachers. Research shows that women and faculty of color fare worse than their white, male counterparts; harsher graders also fare worse than more lenient ones. Teachers must keep these biases in mind as they analyze SET data, and the SET should always be paired with observations and self-analysis during an official evaluation.

Recognizing that you aren't required to share your SET results with anyone in a non-evaluation year should help mitigate any anxiety you may be feeling about the process. In fact, you can create your SET using this template; just be sure to make a copy first. Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching website provides many resources related to the SET, from how to encourage your students to give helpful feedback, to how to analyze the results. That said, you may want to ask a trusted colleague to help you process the student feedback. In fact, why not pair up, commit to soliciting student feedback, and help one another analyze?

Note that those who are part of Eval A or B this year may have already completed their SET and that those who will participate in Eval C next year will do so this spring. (PSA: If you've taught at Loomis Chaffee for four or more years and are interested in participating in Eval C next year, please speak to Adnan.)

Happy holidays to all. I look forward to hearing about your resolutions!

Rachel, on behalf of the Kravis Center, @kravisteaching

_________________________________________________________

Looking for something new to try in 2020? Check out these tips from James Lang's Small Teaching.

Interleaving: mixing up the teaching and assessing of similar but disparate topics. Sara Markman has been experimenting with this technique since Thanksgiving Break. While it's too early to measure the success of this experiment, Sara notes that, "if you tell students explicitly why you're doing something and ask for their feedback frequently, there's a lot of buy-in [even with] something as counter-intuitive as interleaving." Feel free to ask Sara more about this!

Minute Thesis: a way to review material and explore connections various units and/or texts

_______________________________________________

Professional Growth Opportunities mentioned in December 9 faculty meeting.

Present your PD!

The Kravis Center is looking for 15-20 volunteers to create poster presentations to be showcased during the March 23rd Faculty Day about the PD they've completed. We will offer two work sessions (January 30 and February 20) on how to create an effective poster (you can also do it on your own time); we also take care of the printing. Most faculty who participated last year were able to finish their posters in under two hours. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on your PD (part of the PD process) and to share with, and learn from, others what exciting opportunities are available! Email Sara or Rachel if you are interested in this opportunity.

Get a team of colleagues together to spend some time at St. Andrew's at the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (The CTTL). Sara Deveaux, Lena Sadowitz, and Rachel Nisselson have all attended over the past two years. Read their comments in the external PD opportunities document (linked below).

Klingenstein Summer Institute application is open.

If you have 2-5 years of experience, consider applying for this amazing fellowship. See Sara if you have any questions.

Reminder! The link to the external PD opportunities is always available. Once in the document, click on the bookmark to find conferences that may interest you. Let Sara know if you would like to add a omment or provide feedback next to a conference that you attended. Please excuse the "expired" dates. Most conferences do not update dates until January.

_________________________________________________________

Looking for a good read for the holidays?

In Search of Deeper Learning by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine is one that has generated a lot of discussion and just won the 2020 Grawemeyer Award in Education.

"How can American high schools move away from rote learning and testing and help students become critical thinkers ready to take on the challenges of modern life? Professor Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine, Ed.M.'13, Ed.D.'17, who spent six years researching the issue at 30 U.S. high schools, have co-won the 2020 Grawemeyer Award in Education for ideas set forth in their book, In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School."

_________________________________________________________

Resources to bookmark

Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching is an invaluable resource which includes a plethora of topics ranging from grading student work, to teaching statement to student evaluations of teaching, to writing good multiple choice questions. Check it out!

Deans for Impact and the pdf of The Science of Learning - a must read on teh neuroscience of learning.

Academic Tenacity by Dweck, Walter, and Cohen The New Faculty Cohort (NFC) read excerpts for orientation. A must read on creating a sense of belonging and increasing classroom motivation.

Leadership and Design's monthly newsletter is a great window into current conversations in independent schools