There’s a lot for new teachers to soak up in the weeks before school starts–this I’ve learned in my PD/In-service (Professional Development) Days.
The focus of this week’s PD was centered on staff norms, walk-throughs, and feedback (how feedback should be continual and allow for progress rather than a final grade).
This is the first page of my handout on feedback, with the complete article here: ASCD Feedback
It was super beneficial for me to be refreshed about feedback and for me to think about how my classroom can be effective if I walk around and talk to students, give them assistance along the way, and provide feedback at different checkpoints.
As for Staff Norms, each faculty member was given this sheet and asked to provide insight on the list of expectations. Should they be changed? Should they stay the same? Do they cover anything/everything?
I looked at the ‘Preparedness’ section and added ‘purposeful’ to the learning. I thought this was important and encompassed the idea of the ‘real world’ or a student’s future plans–whether college, trade school, craft, career, etc. there needs to be learning pointed towards that purpose. It was exciting (and scary!) to speak about my ideas, but I think my thoughts lead to productive conversation. I’m glad I spoke up!
One of the other things we discussed was walk-throughs, either by other teachers or by administrators. These are basically times that other professionals come and sit in on a class/walk through and see what’s being taught at that time. There was plenty of discussion about this, especially in regard to what time people would walk through, what type of feedback a teacher would get, and how often this would happen. Though I’m only going to be in MCHS until October, I’m hoping that I can be a part of this program to help grow my teaching skills even more! (Though technically my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Stanton, will be a constant walk-through person, helping me and giving me continual feedback on my teaching! So I’m set!)
Tomorrow is my final prep day and I start with freshmen on Wednesday! I’m excited to finally begin!