It is the end of the year, and for many of us, the end of the semester. You know what that means. It means it’s time for students to evaluate their teachers. This week, we will examine how teacher evaluations influence everyday classroom practice and teachers’ professional growth. During the hour, we will highlight three key areas: How evaluation criteria shape our instructional choices, how the quality of feedback affects teacher motivation and reflection, and how evaluation systems can either support or limit teacher agency. We will also explore areas that might serve as barriers to excellence.
What do evaluation tools encourage teachers to prioritize? What types of feedback genuinely lead to improvement? How can our institutions rework evaluations to promote innovation rather than compliance?
By the end, participants will be able to identify the main factors that determine how evaluations impact teaching, assess how feedback is fostering their growth, and brainstorm practical strategies to create a more supportive and empowering evaluation culture.
