It's Not a Dog-and-Pony Show:
Tips for Teachers
So you're a teacher who is about to be observed… Your first thought is to prepare the "lesson of
your life." Do something that sizzles! Break out the manipulatives so the principal can see that
you work hands-on activities into your lessons. Be sure the lesson includes a technology
component too.
Or maybe not.
If you listen to the advice of most principals, the day you're going to be observed is not the day to
pull out all the stops. Think back to the first time you tried to use Cuisenaire rods to teach place
value, or the first time you had students try a new cooperative learning strategy, or the first time
you tried anything else… Do you really want to be working out the kinks in front of the principal?
The day of a scheduled observation is probably not the day to be teaching a brand new -- and
potentially confusing -- concept either.
With a few exceptions, Education World's "Principal Files" team of principals suggested a
conservative approach to observation-day lessons.
Click here to view a list of the "principal contributors" to this article on teacher evaluation.
DO WHAT COMES NATURALLY
"Don't change your routine just because you're being observed," said Pat Green, principal at
Cedar Heights Junior High School in Port Orchard, Washington. "Do exactly as you always do
every other class period. Allow your evaluator an opportunity to watch a typical class and give
you feedback.
"Remember that these observations are for your instructional
growth. Let your observer know before the visit the types of things
you'd like him or her to observe. Do you want to know if you are
leaving enough wait time between questions? Do you want to know if you are using higher-order
questioning techniques? Are your students making appropriate choices as you transition from one
part of the lesson to another?…"
"A teacher should definitely not plan any 'fake' activities or things that are not a part of the normal
class learning and teaching styles," advised Teri Stokes. "Teachers should do something they
feel comfortable doing, something they can do well.
"I would prefer to see the teacher doing an excellent job, rather than a mediocre job. Then I know
what the potential is."
If Stokes is doing an unannounced observation, she expects that she will see a lesson that is
pretty typical. "It may not be a 'Wow!' presentation," Stokes told Education World, but that doesn't
matter so long as there is quality teaching going on.
"But if I'm doing an announced observation, there is no reason I shouldn't get to see a top-notch
job," added Stokes.
From time to time, Gretchen Schlie has walked into a classroom to do an unannounced
observation and seen activity come to a screeching halt. "Like a conductor who lifts a baton to
call the orchestra to attention, the teacher stops what he or she is doing and brings the class to a
stop," she said.
Schile prefers that the teacher just keep going. "I want to see what happens in the middle of a
lesson too," she said. "My advice is to be natural... Don't perform for me."
PUT AWAY THE DOG AND PONY
Karen Mink wants her teachers to do what they do best. She wants to see them teaching and
interacting with students. "I ask them not to do a dog-and-pony show for my benefit," she told
Education World. "I would rather just see good teaching as it happens every day. That means
that they are teaching a lesson they have looked over to be sure it includes the big components
of teaching: setting a purpose, direct instruction, modeling, guided practice, independent practice,
evaluation, and closure.
Les Potter, principal at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange,
Florida, doesn't want to see teachers drag out the dog and pony
either. "I want them to act as if I'm not there in the classroom," he
said.
"Most teachers are capable individuals who really want to do well so that their students are able
to learn," said Heather Nicole Hamtil, assistant principal at St. Vincent de Paul Academy in
Kansas City, Missouri. "There is no need to impress me as a supervisor by doing extreme things.
I want to see a teacher be natural, effective, and engaging. A teacher can do that best by
preparing a lesson well with the individual needs of her students in mind."
"You should conduct a lesson that can be seen on any given day," added Michelle Gayle. "If you
know in advance that you are going to be observed, it is a good idea to warn students that others
might come into to the room to observe the teaching and learning process." That way, students
won't be surprised; and that element of surprise won't alter their focus from the lesson.
Of course it's always good to have a back-up plan. "I would suggest that the teacher definitely be
prepared for the lesson and have a back-up plan in case things don't go as planned," said Addie
Gaines. "That is especially important if the lesson integrates technology, because technology
does not always cooperate."
If things don't go as planned, teachers should try to be themselves and roll with what happens,
added Gaines. "As an observer, I don't expect things to go perfectly, but I do observe how those
imperfect situations are handled."
Principal Marie Kostick has four quick pieces of advice for a teacher who is about to be observed
at Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery, Alabama. "Most important, have a well-developed
lesson and be prepared. Be sure to address different learning styles and learner needs in that
lesson. Have a good classroom management plan. And don't waste time -- teach from bell to
bell."
STUDENTS WILL KNOW
"Be yourself" is principal Paul Young's advice. "Make sure to smile, stay relaxed, use correct
grammar, and don't do anything different than when I am not in the room," he suggested. "The
students won't know how to respond if you are 'different.'"
Marguerite McNeely agreed. "Do what you do daily," she said. "Students' reactions will tell the
observer if it is a daily routine or a staged performance."
"The students will recognize it and resent it," added Dr. Lee Yeager, principal at S & S Middle
School in Sadler, Texas.
"Changing your style for an observation is transparent to students," added Brenda Hedden, "and
you want students to know that each and every day you are giving them your best, not just when
you are formally observed."
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World® Editor-in-Chief
Copyright © 2006 Education World