What do you want to know? Tell me.
In which I ask for questions I can pose to my next interviewee
I’m going to be talking on my podcast with Craig Randall in early February (for publication in early April). Craig is the founder of a company called Trust-Based Observations. He has devised a thoughtful system for guiding administrators who need to observe and evaluate teachers in a way that teachers can actually use.
Like, the teachers are not all stressed and freaked out and feeling one-down and worried they’ll lose their job but rather can hear the feedback as caring, supportive, reasonable, and actionable given Craig’s framework.
As a past supervisor of student teachers, as a past director of a couple teacher education programs, and as someone who has trained college faculty in teaching, I know how hard it can be to manage teacher observations. There is so much potential tension and error involved. What do you look for? How do you talk about areas of improvement? What if you hurt the teacher’s feelings or demoralize them? What if you miss something crucial?
And if you’re on the receiving end of the observation: What rights do you have? How do you get comfortable having explicitly evaluative eyes watching your every move? How can you explain your reasons for doing what you did without appearing defensive? How can you survive the terrible feelings that come with being judged?
It’s complicated! And so difficult to pull off well! Hence my interest in this topic for a conversation.
If you’re a teacher at any level, you have been and will be observed by someone with authority over you. If you’re an administrator, you will (or should — though you might not have the time these days) observe teachers regularly.
So I ask you: What questions should I ask Craig? What do you want to know about trust-based observations?
Leave your questions in the comments. And leave your name if you want me to use it — cuz I’ll give you a shout-out when I ask Craig your question! This could be your split second of fame!
Thanks for your help. And keep on keepin’ on!