1. One model for evaluation that I use frequently is the 5 E model. This model helps not only with evaluation but also the format of your lessons as well. The 5 E model is engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. In the engage section, you get the students attention many times by asking leading questions or building on what they already know. Explore gives the students a chance to learn more about the objective in a hands-on type method. The teacher leads more in the explain step by clarifying questions or giving the students more information about subject. Elaborate adds more information to the content in a different approach such as a project, writing activity or other hand-on method depending on the subject material being presented. Finally the evaluation step is where the teacher can assess what the students have learned either through formal or informal assessments. My district uses this model with all aspects of its curriculum, C-Scope.
Another model I would use for evaluation is goals-oriented or objective based. This method ensures that the students meet a specified goal based on the end result. Goals-oriented or objective based evaluation allows the teacher to adjust their teaching based on what the students where the students need more or less help. It also allows the teacher to revise, adapt or reject various parts or whole lessons. This method allows the teacher to control the outcome of the lesson.
2. I teach at an elementary school of grades K-5 and approximately 500 students. One new technological innovation we have added to our campus is a cart of net book computers. The way these computers as set up allows teachers a class set of 25 computers to use for research in their classrooms. This is great for when they need more computer research time than what is allowed during their 45 minutes of computer lab time a week. The students can also access educational games in the classroom to extend or enrich the materials they are learning in class. A hindrance to these computers is that there is only one class set, 25, for a campus that has approximately 500 students. This means that access is limited to when and for how long a teacher can have the computers for their classroom. Thus, a teacher has to plan way in advance in order to ensure the use of the computers. Another hindrance is that the computers are Internet only. This means that students can conduct research, but do not have access to office type tools to translate their findings for presentations. A third hindrance is that the teachers were not adequately trained on how to use the computers for their classrooms. Thus, they are not being used to the their full potential.
3. If I were in charge of setting up professional development sessions focusing on technology for teachers the Situational Leadership method would be a way to approach this development. For phase 1 I would give the teachers between three and five examples of various technologies being used in the classroom. I would also make sure that these methods were easily accessed in their classrooms. Then I would ask them to implement one of these methods for a given amount of time to see how it works with their students. In phase 2 I would offer more training on the various forms of technology that the teachers chose from in phase 1. If problems arose with the teachers I would help them troubleshoot for a solution. Phase 3 I would have the teachers share what their end result was when using the various forms of technology. This would allow them to lead in the discussion and learn from each other. Finally in phase 4 I would ask to visit their rooms so that I could see how they have implemented the technology and give them feedback as well. I think the Situational Leadership method works well when introducing something new to teachers.
Kristen Downs
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