Marzano - Chapter 6 - Observing and Discussing Teaching: Week 12

For those that do not know where I work, this is a small, but brief insight. I work for the office of Research and Graduate studies; International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) we, as a program, help international teaching assistants become better teachers through different programs like – SPEAK test, and the OPT test (videoconferencing). I help with the advisory evaluation of these instructors through video taping them in their classrooms. With that videotape, we then interpret and I re- view the tape together and strategize to help them improve their teaching skills. This way they can connect with their students and become an improved teacher.

On page 75 of chapter 6 it talks about videos of other teachers and ways to help improve our teaching. I can tell you that this method is a great tool for anyone to see what they are missing in their teaching process. Also other ways to see teaching that can help.  Some are just to sit in a classroom and watch someone else’s teaching style. We can see what is done well by that teacher and what is not. That way we can also reflect back on our own teaching style and what we might need to change about our style of teaching in the classroom setting.

Peer coaching on page 78, we, as teachers, are always coaching. It could be our peers, our students or the people we interact with. This relationship that comes with the understanding a passion to teach, can find them self in someone else shoe. Through these relationships we also have growth that helps us become something better than what we were before. The communication clarifies some random question that two or more people can work out and form a relationship over and can grow within the classroom setting also.  Our students need to see this to help them understand that we have a relationship with our colleagues that might help them form a greater understand of life and with each other.

Working with these instructors has helped me see that I also need to improve my teaching style. Sitting in their classrooms and watching their students interact with them has given me a different viewpoint on what the students need from their teachers. For me it’s trying to find new strategies that can help me in the classroom to be come a better teacher, finding ways to interact with my students in their time and space. We need to have ways to interact with other educators that can help us see new ways in our own learning to reach far beyond who we are and what we doing now. Change is hard for all of us, but it can lift some of the burdens and responsibilities that teaching can bring to the new educator world.