There is nothing in your adult life that requires feedback after every three to five minutes.
Think about that for a second.
So why do you, the classroom observer, feel the need to provide teachers with written and/or verbal feedback after every quick, formative observation? Could it be… Guilt?
Guilt, due to the fact that you do not visit classrooms enough to have an accurate understanding of each teacher’s strengths and weaknesses.
If so, this guilt drives you to compensate by doing one of two things.
1. You leave the teacher with a long checklist of practices, with a couple of those practices checked off. This is essentially worthless information because no one can do everything, all the time.
2. Or, you project what you would have done during the three minutes that you observed the classroom and then send that dubious information to the teacher in an email. But what you would do is of little use… Because you aren’t actually teaching students anymore.
Assail your guilt by visiting classrooms more often and having semi-regular discussions about the patterns of practice that you observe over time. This is the essence of coaching and how you, the observer, make a greater, more positive impact on campus culture and performance.
Think. Work. Achieve.
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