TEACHER RECOGNITION SURVEY RESULTS

What is evidence of good classroom teaching?

• Students are excited about what they're learning.

• Positive and stimulating classroom environment.

• Students develop academic, social, and emotional skills.

• Teachers demonstrate leadership and vision in the area of technology.

• Teachers apply current best practices.

• Teachers teach to a variety of learning styles, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

• Affirming students for their cultural experiences.

• Continuous evaluation and assessment--assess and adapt instruction.

• Cooperative learning and teaming.

• Student can see a purpose and application to their efforts.

• Lots of extensions are offered and multiple ways of achieving the same objective.

• Student can articulate a deep level of understanding of the concepts.

• Provide individual support to connect students to learning success and fun.

• It is evident that the teacher is a guide, facilitator and a resource person. Stand and deliver is not the norm for the day.

• Involvement of parents is evident.

• It is evident that this teacher is a life long learner, through expertise in the content areas and demonstration of research-based best practices in teaching and learning.

What is evidence of being an education professional advocate?

• Speak supportively about teaching profession

• Respect/Recognize the expertise of the educators/administration

• Know what's happening in your schools both socially and academically.

• Advocacy spills over into the community (teacher involved in the community, community involved in the schools)

• Articulating a sound educational philosophy

• Supporting educational agendas

• Becoming an active participant in promoting and advocating for children & education.

• Responsive to the needs of building school community

What would make this unique from other "teacher recognition’s"?

• Teachers demonstrating "best practice"

• Acknowledged by community at large (business,academic,districts, families)

• Recognition beyond just individual discipline

• Ability to show how their unique teaching styles can be applied across various disciplines.

• Focus must be on strategy, techniques or program.

• Recognition of quality teaching.

• Find national / international staff pd. for a course.

• Development opportunities.

How do you become a candidate?

• Nomination (could be by the teacher or peer or parent or student)

• Application in writing, by visual and/or orally?

• Wouldn't it be great if the person who was nominated didn't have to work too hard to prove they were worthy of the award? Could the nominators do the majority of the work?

• A person could be nominated more than once.

• Recognition for good classroom teaching.

• Effort is concentrated in the classroom on a typical day rather than an application with video tape.

How can we keep this from being viewed as a competition?

• Should be a one-tier of winners (no semi-final, overall winner, by subject)

• We like the idea of honoring a different group (elem, middle, hs) each year -- makes the "cohort" concept stronger.

• Reality -- initial choosing will be viewed as a competition.

• How do we get everyone to view the process as "everyone's a winner"?

• Cohort piece keeps it non-competitive among the winners.

• Eliminate the word candidate.

• Do not focus on individual teachers but focus on exemplary teaching.

• Do not limit to a professional -- could be a team of teachers, department, or grade level.

• Everyone who is nominated gets some kind of recognition & gets to attend the telecast.