The Students' Voice

Teachers should recognize and value students' feedback and use it to reflect on the effectiveness of their teaching.

The practice of getting students to evaluate my teaching is quite new to me. I only started it last year after my Learning Area Tutor suggested it. Ideally, it would be best to carry out an evaluation after the completion of a series of connected tasks. For instance, after a writing task, students can evaluate the teaching based on all the lessons leading up to it which could include pre-writing activities and so forth. Students may also be asked to demonstrate what they have learnt at the end compared to what they knew when they started.

The responses I have received has been encouraging and helps me to identify what has worked for my students as well as areas I should improve on.

STUDENT FEEDBACK FORM

(1 = Never; 7 = Frequently)

The teacher:

1	Indicates where the class is going	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2	Explains material clearly	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3	Indicates important points to remember	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4	Shows genuine interest in students	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5	Effectively directs and stimulates discussion	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6	Provides helpful comments on work done	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7	Is tolerant of different opinions expressed in class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	Is available outside of class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9	Explains thinking behind statements	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10	Effectively encourages students to ask questions and give answers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
11	Adjusts pace of class to the students' level of understanding	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
12	Seems well-prepared	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
13	Stimulates interest in material	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
14	Treats students with respect	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
15	Is effective, overall, in helping me learn	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

• Statement 8 received the lowest score of 3.
  
• More than half of the respondents gave the highest score of 7 for statements 2,3,4,5,10,11,12,15.
  

What do you think is this teacher's greatest strength?

• ‘Her class interactional /group activity help us to progress and (make) an improvement (in) our grades’
• ‘Her drive to push students to their limits’
• 'Her ability to show connections and relevance’
• 'Her way of interacting with students is very sweet and kind'
• 'How she can explain topics in detail. Also how she gives comments no matter how blunt'
• 'Her ability to show connections and relevance'
• 'Getting us on the road to understanding the concept of the lesson'
  

What suggestions would you give to improve this teacher’s teaching?

• ‘Use different colours on the whiteboard to stimulate our right brain which loves to see colour’
• ‘Be less aggressive (lol)’
• ‘Nothing much. Maybe experience (which every teacher needs)’

Approximately how many classes have you attended with this teacher so far?

• Ranges between 7-15 classes (A student was on MC for about a week)
  

Has there been any particular lesson that stood out for you? If so, please briefly explain why.

• ‘A lesson whereby my group of friends and I had to give opinions on ‘Childhood’, a poem’
• ‘The first time we studied poetry and did poetry devices. Because it made me more aware of the devices present in the poems’
• ‘When we discussed about Streetcar Named Desire. The discussion opened my eyes more.’
• ‘The use of P.E.E. (Point, Evidence, Explain) framework. It really helps out a lot when it comes to writing essays.’
• 'Her teaching on how to interpret advance way.'
• 'I’d say the class where we were given task and discuss to compare between two poems. Gave me insight about comparing two poems of the same theme. Before that particular lesson, it would’ve been almost impossible to compare poems for me.'

(Note: Out of 13 students in the class, only 6 returned the form)