Job Discussion Forums

mondrian · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 3:03 am Post subject: Teaching evaluation by students

Do your University/College students fill in an evaluation form about your teaching at the end of the semester?
Do any of you get feedback from your Administration or Dean's office about this, based on the results?
If so, does it come as an informal chat or a computer print-out?
Are you asked to comment or discuss this in any way?

Don McChesney · Joined: 25 Jun 2005 Posts: 656

Yes, the class monitors make suggestions about the best teachers and this information is filed in the English Dept office. This all came out in an informal chat with the FAO.
Unfortunately 'best' means 'most liked' and the teacher who shows the most DVDs tends to get the best appaisal.
I had great pleasure in pointing out the difference between 'good teacher' and one who passes everyone in testing time, by using simple exams, and who does no actual teaching at all. The Dept is now considering using outside set exams and marking, to find out who can actually teach, as opposed to sucking up to lazy students. Laughing

Sinobear · Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Posts: 1269 Location: Purgatory

Eight years of 'em.

'Excellent' or 'Good' means you're doing what they pay you for...don't expect a raise or better treatment.

'Bad' or 'Poor' means maybe they'll change your contract, lower your salary, or just use it as a means to avoid a raise.

Notice that Administration never gets appraised. It would be nice to have a vehicle to 'anonymously' give input to the powers that be.

Cheers!

latefordinner · Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 973

My school has an informal system such as Don M outlined. Absolutely worthless and open to abuse, as he correctly notes. Moreover, In the 4 years I've been in China, I've only had one professional classroom evaluation done. Well, the evaluator actually sat in on 2 of my classes before completing the evaluation, but she did get around to it. The dozens of people who've observed my classes don't count, as they couldn't do a post-session interview and explain their evaluations to save their lives. That makes them amateurs, and being told later that I had a poor performance evaluation from an amateur doesn't cut ice.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

We have had such enquriies before, and the majority of people would usually find that such "assessments" are purely fictitious and subjective.

If you have to please students you are doing something else than teaching.

The difference between foreign teachers and CHiense ones is that we are not told about such evaluations by our charges whereas Chinse teachers know beforehand that this is a risky part of their jobs.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

It is the same everywhere . If there are no complaints then you are a good teacher . The thing that is different in say countries like Korea . The students have a choice in who they want for freshman English . Then it becomes a numbers game . The teachers with the most students are the best . In Japan in the high schools,the students are not obliged to attend school . So when the headmaster sees an empty class with only the teacher and a few students that teacher is reprimanded for not being interesting . I have met many Japanese high school teachers teaching Japanese in China who have told the system is too stressful .

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

It's a business R and u r part of it too as a ( provocateur qui travail pour le government chinoise.)

Midlothian Mapleheart · Joined: 26 May 2005 Posts: 623 Location: Elsewhere

Edited to remove offensive content.

Middy

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

There is a trick to all this . Have your students evaluate you before the school's evaluation . Let them take pot shots at you . This way they are kinder with the important assessment. Make it an assignment . How can the teacher improve his or her teaching in 50 words ? I usually get things about the way I dress or how I need to lose weight . Oh yes the all important one that they always say to all the teachers (I must talk slower). I already sound like a robot and they want me to talk slower.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

Petulia Pet · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:30 am Post subject: The Golden Rule

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

I think it depends where u r working . Roger is working at one of the better schools in China . If we regard schools as conveyor belts with the students as the products then the bottom line is whether they succeed when they finish . The teacher is the quality control . Being nice as a teacher by giving good grades and not pushing the students to work
harder lowers the quality of the product .
If you are working in a bushibon then the bottom line is whether the students come back and line the owners pockets with money for the next term , then fun and games is the requirement . A delicate ballance is required I think wherever one works . Learning a language for most people is very difficult , and enjoying doing it is a must .

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

The ballance is so important - and pushing too hard in certain directions can tip that in such a way causing vunerable students to be pushed off the edge - no happy smiles on their faces.

Remember teaching is very much a part of the health industry - we can't cure people - but with all the potential stress we can pile upon our students, we can certainly make 'em sick!!!

This is one of the big reasons why - in the perfect world - teachers should be qualified - since qualification is also a filtration process which attemps to extract those who don't understand the welfare responsibilities of working in education!