Evaluation of Teachers' Performance, Teaching and Learning Methods

by skoobydoo Wed Mar 16, 2005 00:09

These are very important points you and USS are raising. There are great teachers and horrible teachers and there should be accountability.

There should be a formal process of feedback.

Maybe if USS starts developing good feedback surveys (e.g., get input from experienced folks so that questions are not biased) and publishes the results locally, even just by distribution--it could have some major impact. After all, how could anyone stop students from doing this? It's not illegal. If there are enough complaints (or praise) about individual teachers then maybe the Dept. of Ed. would be pressured into responding. I think parents would also take it seriously if a serious survey was carried out.

Good luck with this.

by friend of teachers Wed Mar 16, 2005 12:26

"As students are the main actors in education, their experience should be regarded as valuable when assessing the quality of the education, the competence of teachers and the teaching and learning methods used."

Before any student has the right to evaluate their teachers they should be able to prove they have an interest in their education. Teachers have to spend too much time these days just trying to maintain some semblance of control...

by friend of teachers n students Thu Mar 17, 2005 00:24

Why should students have to prove they are interested in a curriculum that may or may not suit their interests or their personal timing?

Why should students have to prove their interest in learning a subject that may not have immediate relevance to their life?

Most people of all ages find that they can learn very well when they are learning something that they want to learn, for their own reasons, when they are ready. It is a different situation altogether when we're forced in school to learn maths or geography or whatever because there are certain exams coming, or to increase my chance of a higher point score (but not because I'm interested in the subject) or because someone somewhere has decided what we should learn when.

I wish there were more flexibility in the Irish secondary school system so that you could go into some subjects in more depth when you want to, maybe in different years than how it's currently arranged. It would be great if it were possible to take subjects in any order, take exams in a class when ready to do so, and then be eligible to get your leaving certificate (without taking additional exams) once a certain minimum of courses passed (including at least basic maths, english, personal health, citizenship and at least one or two other subjects of your choice). If the school is good and the teachers are good you could stay in school longer to take more subjects in increasing complexity to suit yourself. So theoretically you could get your leaving cert sooner or later, depending on your own wishes. (And maybe everyone should have the right to come back into secondary school at any point up until age 25, so if they change their mind and are ready to do more advanced work, or explore a different subject area, they could do so.)

This way teachers would have students who are choosing to take certain subjects when and because they want to, which would make life better for everyone. Also, it would show up pretty quickly if there were a teacher who was particularly good (or particularly poor) because students would vote with their feet.

Of course we are still waiting for some real reform of the Leaving Cert system and the system of applying to 3rd level.

by Education provider Thu Mar 17, 2005 02:41

As a teacher I would have no problem with any form of student assessment. However, I feel that in the hands of the current administration this would have no real impact.
What Irish education needs is funding to allow diverse interests and needs to be catered for. Sadly, with student / teacher ratios as they are, many teachers are forced into the lowest common denominator school of education.
I would hope that people can see that 'comment cards' in any sector do not in any way allow clients to have their say, as questions concerning capital investment, funding and the like are simply not up for discussion. This applies as much in education as in your local coffee shop where you are asked to 'grade' service by staff but rarely asked about facilities, value for money, or anything that might cost the management and owners.

by Sean Sat Mar 19, 2005 16:15

I was told a few years ago that positive feedback was always welcome in any area of life and I think that everyone would concur with that. I was also told that negative feedback is more acceptable, generally, than no feedback at all. There are limitations to what a teacher can do within the system as it stands (or wobbles) today. However teachers are in a priviledged position in the sense that they can set the agenda within the classroom (within the limits imposed by the curriculum which is prescribed and the limitations involved in the present formalised exam system). Teachers and students should never tire of expressing their preferences and outlining the changes they would like in the system and, for my money, professional associations, representative bodies and web-pages like the recent one we are discussing are all part of an improving and improved future.

by toneore Sat Mar 19, 2005 18:06 toneore at eircom dot net

"The Union of Secondary Students is the umbrella body of all second level students in the country."

This is UNTRUE. We Irish have a constitutional right to disassociation as well as association. You can only claim representation for those that agreed to it. Why don't you list the signed up schools, the fees they paid, and the directors of the limited company that runs your "operation".

You represent virtually no-one, and judging by the standard of English used on your site, know little about education.

by Union of Secondary Students Ireland (USS) - Union of Secondary Students Ireland (USS) Sat Mar 19, 2005 19:53 info at ussonline dot net 34 Broadmeadow Green, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, Ireland 085 1421202

tonore you're well known for your anti position to any movement thats even remotely progressive, and especially your pathological and deep-seated hatred of young people, and anything to do with youth culture, so we're not going to even bother replying to what is yet another of your pig ignorant trolls from an ignoramuse. We say that the so-called 'school' that you were supposedly 'educated' in should be demolished immediately as it and the so-called 'teachers' who supposedly 'educate' people as it have clearly failed to do its job! Don't worry we will find it out where it is, even if you won't tell us. So we will not be wasting any more of our time replying to your trolls, no matter what pen name you use on it be it 'teacher' or 'adult', two other pen names you've used on trolls recently.

by ABOVE STATMENT Sat Mar 19, 2005 20:00

DEAR ALL THE ABOVE STATMENT IS NOT AN EXPRESSION OF THE VIEWS OF USS.

by Student Sat Mar 19, 2005 20:43 Dublin 1, the inner city

But whoever, they were certainly damn right to have a go at the original comment denigrating the USS, not his first time either with his snide and condescending remarks so I suppose if you send a snotty comment you should expect a snotty reply.

by IMPERSANATION OF USS Sun Mar 20, 2005 11:37

I wish to yet you all know that whoever posted that message saying that 'it was not a USS statment' is clearly wrong !!! USS did issue that statment

by LOL Sun Mar 20, 2005 11:42

do an audio file of this line x100 repetitions
"pleasant pheasant pluckers please forty lucky stasi peasants".

eat your dinner before it gets cold.

by maths bod Mon Mar 21, 2005 11:21

If the half life of man made radioactive elements in over 260,000 years, and your mammy put the dinner in the microwave at 600watts for five minutes and let it stand for one minute afterwards and it's at a comfortable conduction of 15º when you sit down to eat it, -write out the real equation for knowing when your dinner will
"go cold".

by former vice president Mon Apr 04, 2005 01:21

I remember back in the day when the USS actually fought for things that they strongly believed in. U cant seriously expect us to think that the USS's main issues are that students cant drink water during class!! Secondary students have more important issues such as crap teachers teaching 6th yrs!! People will definately not take you seriously if thats what you are moaning about, kids!!

by saxshrike01@aol.com - San Jose State University Thu Apr 06, 2006 07:21

Student evaluation of professors is a standard practice in U.S. universities. The resultant evaluations have been blamed for grade inflation (American college students studying in other countries can expect to get significantly lower grades overseas) and the development of a mutual admiration society in which professors give students high grades and students give them high ratings in return.

Student complaints about boring professors fall into two categories: students who encounter poor teaching and students who encounter subject matter that is not of interest to them. Since student evaluations generally don't make any distinction between these two conditions, the result of the evaluations is neither of help to the professor nor to students who are considering taking a course from the professor. Since professorial tenure essentially eliminates incentive for professors to put much effort into teaching, student evaluations are ignored by many professors.

For a source of professor evaluations that is not controlled by the universities in which they teach, check out ratemyprofessors.com and see if you find this helpful.

by Bronstein Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:24

Teachers are overpaid and their holidays are outlandish. I believe that teachers should be paid the average industrial wage. If, as they claim, they work extra hours then they should be ppaid overtime. But only for work carried out in the school, none of this nonsense about bringing homework home to correct. Correct it in the school where their hours can be monitored.

Everyone should be entitled to good holidays so I think teachers should have 1week off at Easter,1 week at Christmas and 4 weeks off during the Summer. In the rest of the school holidays periods teachers should be required to teach immigrants and other needy people.

The present body which decides on whether or not teachers are fit to teach has a majority of teachers. This must change. School students should also be represented.