9.1 Assessing student teachers on school experience

On your visits to your student teachers, you might complete an assessment form. The grading can differ from one institution to another, but the following list provides suggestions that you may want to consider in your assessment.

Student Teacher’s Attributes

  • professional (e.g. appearance, time keeping, commitment, organisation)
  • attitudes (e.g. enthusiasm, respectful of all learners)
  • self-awareness and ability to evaluate
  • self presentation? ie. Dress code – doesn’t need to be in elegant or expensive clothing

Lesson Preparation and Planning

  • detail in the lesson plan
  • accuracy, adequacy and sequencing of subject content
  • objectives appropriate to the class
  • coherent lesson design involving appropriate active learning strategies that help learners to achieve the learning objectives and outcomes
  • preparation and selection of appropriate materials and resources

Lesson Presentation and Classroom Management (See Tool 6: Recognising a good lesson section in the Toolkit)

  • relevant, interesting and motivational introduction
  • logical and sequential development of lesson
  • stimulates / interests the learners
  • knowledge of subject and pedagogy
  • implementation of lesson plan (flexibility)
  • knowledge of the learners and their individual differences
  • competency at using resources e.g. the chalkboard
  • responses to learners’ behaviour
  • use of voice
  • learner participation in the lesson e.g. by asking questions, debating and discussion
  • classroom management and control
  • command of language (accurate, fluent and to the point)
  • questioning (good quality, well distributed among the learners)
  • learner-centred approach (lots of relevant activities)
  • use of instructional materials
  • learning consolidation through summary and conclusion

Evaluation

  • evaluation of learners’ learning
  • Analysis of lesson delivery against lesson objectives

Tools 5 and 6 examine the features of an effective teacher and good lessons. It would be unrealistic to expect student teachers to demonstrate this level of expertise – they are novices and at the beginning of learning to teach. It is therefore important to have realistic expectations of student teachers and identify minimum standards required in the different areas.

Activity 9.1: Grade and reports

This activity helps you to consider how reports reflect grades.

Part 1

With a group of colleagues, review your college’s assessment requirements. If you are expected to grade students, work together to write a brief description of what you might expect a student working at each grade to know and be able to do.

Part 2

Review some reports from previous years. You could do this by each contributing some you have written, or you could select a few examples and remove all the names. Look at each report from the perspective of the student and consider the following questions:

  • Does the report make it clear to the student why they have been awarded that grade?
  • Does the report help the student understand how to improve?
  • How could the report be improved to make it more helpful to the student, whilst still conveying the information needed by the college?

Part 3

If possible, visit a school near to the college and carry out a joint observation. After the lesson, before you talk to the student, discuss the grade you would each award and why.

Tool 9: Assessment of student teachers

Tool 10: Improving your own teaching