Strengths in my teaching. Weaknesses. Perks of my courses. Complaints.
I guess I should be happy that of the 250 evaluations I went through today (of the 280 I taught in evaluative courses) 76% had no suggestions to make my teaching better and 78% reported there should be no changes to the courses. The vast majority of comments seemed to enjoy the creativity, flexibility, feedback, knowledge, technology, books, lessons, and support they received. Many noted the courses were they best they've taken in their educational careers and one even noted, "I went to law school, too. I learned more in this class than all of that combined" (that's a bit extreme). The notes like that are overwhelming. It's the other ones, although somewhat rare (.002 - .005%), that I want to address. These are the ones that stick with me. They are occasional, but they stick to my brain like flies to fly paper (bad analogy....like ground vetch tot a t-shirt?).
For a tiny few, creativity and a sense of humor are wonderful in the class, but it distracts them at times. They reported they wanted more direct instruction, more structure, more step by step lessons on what to do to be a better teacher, and more relevant practices (rather than theory). For some of my classes, where the writing workshop is central, and a small minority was totally turned off. "There were too many workshops," a couple reported, "and I didn't see how they can help in my own teaching."
I don't mean to scratch my head. Yet, the vast majority reported comments that made me want to dance for joy with my instruction. The tiny fraction that didn't get it, though, that didn't feel they learned, couldn't quite connect to the teaching - these are the ones that sit at the top of my nose for me to explore and interrogate.
A few complaints are warranted. There are those that LOVED the readings and those that HATED them. Some preferred the theory and some wanted more practitioner based reading. In-practice teachers, who take courses designed for pre-service teachers, sometimes reported they needed opportunities to be challenged more. These negatives, I should point out, appeared on only 9 or 10 evaluations. The vast majority loved the flexibility and willingness to make assignments become beneficial to them. Then there were one or two who said the assignments were too restrictive and pointless (the best -or worst?- of them stated that creating lessons plans was pointless....um, isn't lesson planning what teachers do?). I get stumped!
There might be something wrong with me, but I found myself tallying the negative comments where I could find them - and man, oh woman, oh man - the couple that were there over the last five years could be harsh (but always with notes that I was an awesome teacher, sometimes the best they ever had, but they wished I was more helpful in making them a better teacher). So strange.
The positive notes, as I noted, overwhelmed me and I wonder why they were so kind. For this reason, I chose to accentuate the negative in my processing of them all.
And I'm trying to figure out why I would do this. I think it is because I really do want the best for my students and for all of them to feel successful in my courses. That a couple (and I tried thinking of them as outliers) noted ineffectiveness, was enough for me to wonder how I, in my practice, couldn't do a better job to teach them.
Of all the complaints, the one I agree with the most was in the content literacy classes I teach. The math and science people wanted more objective assessments, like tests, and felt the examples were great in class, but they focused more on English and history content. I can take that. It's deserving.
One of the areas that also has me questioning its power, is the multiple intelligence night I sometimes put together towards the end of the semester. In short, I want to conference with students on their final projects and create space in the two hour block of time to do so. Students move through stations that help them prepare for their final projects with attention to the theory (and yes, it is a theory) that people learn in different ways. Meanwhile, one of the stations is a one-one-one with me to talk about their work. This evening often shows up as a favorite part of my courses: useful, inspiring, important, and fun. But then there's the 2 or 3 that despise it (perhaps proving the point I'm trying to make).
I wonder, too, about transitions, as many of my students are moving from the total student role toward thinking like an instructor. That's hard. They want right answers, truths, facts, and guaranteed promises for the classroom. I always teach Best Practices in the texts I choose and the lessons I create. Yet, this is not enough for them. They want full-proof absolutes that will make them 100% successful. Hmmm. I'd like that magic wand, too.
I guess the 75%/78% that reported not to change my teaching or classes will be as close as I can get. If I was in a perfect world, maybe I'd get closer to the A+. Teaching evaluations are fascinating.
You can't win them all.
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