Do This, And You Will Know For Sure Class (or Your Meeting) Was Amazing!
Why wait until the student opinion surveys are tallied or until your dean, department head, or program manager evaluates you to find out how well you perform as an educator? And better yet why let someone else tell you whether you are doing a good job?! Harness the power of self-evaluation to assess your superstar status at the front of that room! (And if you conduct meetings, this is just as relevant! Simply exchange "students," "class," and "lesson" for "meeting attendees, "meeting," and "content/agenda.")
How exactly is this done? Simple! Ask and answer these questions at the conclusion of class (or a meeting!):
Did I start class in a way that immediately grabbed students’ attention? Were they engaged within the first few minutes of class? What might I have them write, read, say, or do at the start of the next class session to transform them into active listeners and thinkers?
How was my pacing? Were there points where I should not have moved as quickly because I needed to emphasize an important point? If so, then how can I share that information with students? Were there points where I moved too slowly?
Did I check to ensure students understood the content? What new classroom assessment activities could I have included to check for understanding? (Visit this link for the why and how behind using classroom assessment techniques.) How can I get students to monitor their own learning?
Did I make an effective use of the time? Were there any lulls? Were there missed opportunities? Did I inadvertently let a student monopolize a portion of the class session? How can I effectively change that the next time it occurs? Did I monopolize at points when I should not have done so? (Read this post to consider how you might teach with your mouth shut.)
Were students engaged and involved? Was there student-to-faculty interaction? Student-to-student interaction? Student-to-content interaction? What activities should I omit or revise?
Did I present the lesson well? If I was a student in this class, would I walk away understanding the concepts? Would it have been an enjoyable experience for me?
How should I start the next class session? In what ways can I conduct an effective and efficient review and summary of the last class session? How can I use activities to connect content we have already covered with new content?
What changes should I make the next time I teach this topic? Were there some portions of the lesson that could benefit from students discussing rather than from me discussing them? Are there other more effective examples I could use to better illustrate a point? Is there a different homework assignment I should make?
To be entirely clear, this does not have to be a formal event; print this checklist and post it in your workspace, so upon the conclusion of a class session, you can effortlessly evaluate your class performance.
Educators (and if you facilitate meetings or presentations you are indeed an educator with an audience of students in front of you) who know student performance can be directly influenced by instructor performance are the educators who engage in ongoing assessment. They are also the ones who embrace this beautiful opportunity to design within themselves the educators they wish they had had before them when they were students.
Educators should assess their performance at least a couple of times a month, and at a minimum, conduct an assessment upon conclusion of the term as a means of reflection and preparation for the next term. And in all honesty, it is not entirely unrealistic to conduct an assessment at the conclusion of every class or even at the conclusion of every week; you can always mentally review during your walk from the classroom to your workspace what worked well and that upon which could be improved … easy as that!
If you are the conscientious educator who sincerely wants to improve for the sake of students’ success, who wants to be the most dynamic educator ever, then you can appreciate the strength in self-assessment, a supremely proactive move to confirm, without a doubt, your class session was amazing.
###
Did you enjoy this post? Get more communication strategies in the award-winning REAL TALK: What Other Experts Won't Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle.
Are you an event planner looking for a speaker who will motivate your team with high-energy workshops, breakout sessions, keynotes, or interactive webinars? Do you need a go-getter speaker for your next business meeting, team retreat, or company sales meeting—a speaker who will engage the audience, make them laugh, and give everyone real takeaways?
Bridgett McGowen is that speaker, and she is currently booking in-person and webinar engagements that will give your audience a different experience.
Click HERE to check her availability and to book Bridgett. It will be the best time you have ever spent in search of a motivational speaker. Guaranteed!
Image credit: Pixabay