4 ways to Ace your Teacher Evaluation

Acing your observation / evaluation 

My principal would tell us that our observations were not a dog and pony show. And I believe him. However, it is important to put on a good show when you are being observed. If for no other reason, it shows respect for the hierarchy by taking the time do something special when you know he or she is coming to see you.

1. Prepare like a comedian

No, don't do any Eddie Murphy jokes (no matter how much you enjoyed Delirious). You should look at your observation the same way that an entertainer prepares for a show. When a comedian does a one hour special they do not come out with untested material. They practice the jokes at other earlier shows to find out which jokes work best. This is how you should prepare for your observation. Try out new teaching methods first to see which ones the students like. And use the most effective ones on the day that you are observed. And don't focus on the content, focus on the presentation. How will you deliver the lesson?   How will students be seated?  Will students work individually, in pairs, or in groups?  These questions are much more important than the exciting information you will discuss on MacArthur’s tactics in the Pacific Theater.

2. Let the students do the heavy lifting 

Your principal does not want to watch you lecture for 45 minutes. No matter how interesting you think you are!  They want to see your ability to engage students and get them to work. Create a hands-on lesson where students are building, creating or discussing. This takes the pressure off of you and also allows students to be active. It also gives you some time to interact with your evaluator instead of watching him take notes wondering if he has noticed a kid shooting a spitball while you were explaining the military ingenuity of MacArthur to a group of disinterested 7th graders!

3. Bell ringers and Exit questions 

Start your lesson by activating prior knowledge.  Find out what students know about the lesson. This works in a couple of ways for your observation. First, if you are in the middle of a unit, you can show off to your evaluator what students know so far. Or, if students do not know very much, you give merit to the lesson because you will be teaching them new information

Exit questions are great because you can demonstrate to the evaluator how much new information the students have gathered during the lesson. Make the exit questions simple enough that students will know the answers.  This will give the students confidence as the leave class which could reflect well on your evaluation.  Also, if possible have students take notes during the lesson or activity, that way they will be able to refer to the notes for the exit questions.

4. Teach like every day you will be observed
Obviously you should use best practices every day. We all have bad days, and we all have lessons that don't work. We have students who are disruptive, wi-fi that goes down at the worst time, and copy machines that break down twice a week! But if you are using good strategies all of the time, you will have new and exciting lessons every day.   And when you are evaluated, you will have plenty of tricks up your sleeve!