Post 12

 As far as teachers being observed I would like to start by saying I feel that one time observers can never fully understand the way a teacher runs their classroom. Often times when teachers are aware they are being observed there is something unnatural about the way they go about their normal routine. For example. some teachers who normally are very organized may feel pressured to change the way the class is run to make it seem more exciting to the outsider. On the other hand, teachers who may not be such good teachers may also change their attitude just for that one class period in order to get the "okay" from the observer. I remember one class during high school in particular that may have seemed like chaos to a newcomer, but all the students were learning so much and putting it into practice. It was a controlled chaotic environment to those who knew it well enough. I do think teachers should be observed for feedback on their teaching but I feel the best way is to have another teacher who understands the material and knows the students do it. This way they can interpret more from student's reactions and interactions than a supervisor or researcher. Self evaluation should be an ongoing process and to help, I think teachers should hear feedback from their students. I believe the students hold the most valuable input to teachers. It is just figuring out how to get the information properly and use it to full potential. Considering product-oriented and process-oriented models of observation, I find the process-oriented to be most useful. This is because it is an interpretation of the goings on in a classroom, not only a description. This is helpful because the teacher knows what is going on in the classroom but may not interpret the reactions the same way. Taking into account the M & M model, I think it is helpful to have the pre and post meeting of teacher and observer. This way there can be discussion based on instances in the classroom like the example with the condo misinterpretation. That way, the teacher is made aware of mismatches and miscommunication that the teacher would not normally catch during the class period.