As a teacher, I have a responsibility to ensure that my students receive a quality education, and the core of this education is based on active and effective teaching. Getting different data and feedback is vital to my personal and professional growth, and it will motivate me to improve my performance (Mandinach & Gummer, 2016). Data is facts and statistics collected formally or informally from various stakeholders for reference and analysis that can be used to improve the quality of teaching in the classroom which will include evaluations, surveys, observations, etc. (Mandinach & Gummer, 2016). Teacher evaluations are designed to help students have a better learning experience while also allowing me to grow professionally. Therefore, I will collect different types of data from various stakeholders, including students, parents, and my colleagues, to evaluate my classroom management and teaching.

In my future classroom, I will be teaching lots of students every day, even if it is only for a short period of time. Because my students are often with me, they are more familiar with my teaching methods than anyone else; therefore, their feedback is the most accurate. Throughout the school year, I will get a lot of feedback from students through exit tickets, conversations, and even from the suggestion jar that allows students to provide their suggestions and any feedback anonymously. In addition, every quarter, after the report cards come out, I will ask the students to do a survey. Through the student survey, students can express their concerns, needs, and desires, providing input on how I can improve my teaching to help them do better in class (Minero, 2016). Student surveys can help me understand what is effective in the classroom and what can be improved. The more detailed the survey (about homework, pace, tests, etc.), the more information I can use when redesigning and improving the class. Students’ inputs are crucial in the growth and development of my teaching, which can help the students succeed in their education.

Furthermore, parents and families can provide feedback to me, which is critical in improving the quality of education for my students. As mentioned in the documentation and communication plan, throughout the school year, I will have regular talks with the parents through email and phone calls to get information that will help their child succeed in the classroom. These feedbacks allow me to effectively modify my way of teaching in the future. Because parents can’t always observe my classroom and teaching, they have other sources of information that assist them in evaluating my performance, including grading policies, assignments, feedback on students’ work, syllabus, conferences, and other contacts. Every month, I will send out a Google Form through email in which parents can give their thoughts of strategies to support students’ learning, issues that may interfere with students’ learning and growth, suggestions for improvement, and things that are going well (Google LLC, 2021). This shows to parents and families that I appreciate and value their inputs.

Finally, my colleagues can help me improve my methods that promote student learning. Every year, I will have one of my colleagues come to my class to observe my teaching. Before the observation, I will decide on an area to focus on for the observation. During the observation, my colleague will write down any information relevant to that area. After the observation, we will meet to discuss and reflect on the collected information. Having my colleague observe me is crucial to improving my teaching. It gives me the time to think about how I teach. It is also important that I don’t just reflect on what I need to develop but also my strengths and what good ideas I can share with my colleagues. Based on the observation, we can determine how I can continue to grow.

Teaching is very important, and it can be very complicated. Teaching requires constant reflection, which is the key to being a good teacher. Reflecting on what, why, and how to adapt in teaching makes me perform well in my job. To do this, I will have to collect different types of data from my stakeholders (Mandinach & Gummer, 2016). Reflection never stops and will continue to accompany me in my journey of teaching.

References

Google LLC. (2021). G Suite. https://gsuite.google.com
Mandinach, E. B., & Gummer, E. S. (2016). What does it mean for teachers to be data literate: Laying out the skills knowledge and dispositions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 60, 366-376. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.07.011
Minero, E. (2016, June 14). Improving teaching with expert feedback—from students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/practice/student-surveys-using-student-voice-improve-teaching-and-learning