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DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY AND HEALTH PROMOTION

GTA Teaching Evaluation [1st]
Evaluation Details

GTA name Gus Donis-Castro

Semester Spring 2024

Course KIN 1320A: Tennis

Teaching Modality In-person

Evaluator Killick

Observation date 03/25/24

Post-observation debrief 03/25/24

Overview

Summary of Teaching Evaluation

It was a pleasure to watch Gus teach this session of his tennis activity course. As an early
career teacher, Gus implemented several intentional pedagogical strategies (e.g., clear
routine to course structure, scaffolded active learning content, quality individual feedback)
to ensure the 50-minute session was engaging and meaningful for the students. It was
very clear that his students respect his knowledge and leadership in the activity space. They
remained fully engaged for the whole session and left the session having developed their
overhead smash shots. Great job Gus!

Recommendations
Evaluation Prompt: What recommendations would you offer the GTA to help them sustain and/or
improve their teaching skills
1. Use the warm-up to set the energy tone for the class and encourage arriving on-time. Goal: To get into
instructional activity section of class within 1st 5-10 minutes.
2. Encourage a sense of urgency during transitions, this will help you create more time for applied activities.
3. Consider using more advanced ‘check for understanding’ techniques to help evaluate their cognitive
understanding of the QOTS. These include questioning technique (e.g. What’s the next step here? Get
them to identify the COTS) or corrective technique during demonstration (e.g. what did I do wrong here?
Get them to correct you)

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Action Plan for next semester

GTA Prompt: In consultation with your evaluator, identify 3 goals related to your teaching that you
would like to strive towards next semester. Identify how you plan to achieve these goals.

Goal #1: Transitions

• Action Plan: Next semester, I will dedicate time to recording a video on Canvas introducing
students to the course, my background, and talk about the importance of maximizing our time
together. Another in class reminder will be stated after the add/drop period. In addition, I plan
on having students gather on court 3 (a center court) as opposed to court 1, in order to
minimize how far a student has to walk.
Goal #2: Check for understanding
• Action Plan: I will utilize the corrective technique during demonstrations in order to gauge how
well the class understands the task at hand. I will have them correct ME as I don’t have to
choose on an individual for this type of critiquing.
Goal #3: Warm-up
• Action Plan: I want to minimize the laid-back vibes of the current warm-up. I will showcase
urgency by starting a structured warm-up right at class time. I will make more use of the cones
provided with the tennis cart and home in on the footwork needed to play tennis. In addition,
the goal will be for warm-ups to no longer be self-guided.

Signature of GTA: ___________________________ Date: _04/05/2024_

04/05/24
Signature of Evaluator: ___________________________ Date: ______

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Directed Evaluation & Feedback

Syllabus
Evaluation Prompt: Did the GTA provide a thorough syllabus that has course objectives and an outline
that contains the required components as stated in the KHP Lecturer Handbook? Please explain and
provide examples.
• Gus’s syllabus implements the Quality Matters template.
• The syllabus clearly lays out the SLO, students’ course participation and what they need to do to be
successful in this course.
• I was able to locate the information I needed easily and could navigate the document using the accessible
subheadings.

Feedback/recommendations:

• Consider adding or bringing to the fore your student-centered content to convert it from a ‘transactional
syllabus’ to a ‘transformative syllabus (e.g. instructor expectations, student expectations). Use the
syllabus to set the tone for your course, communicate your values and to be transparent about your
expectations.

LMS site
Evaluation Prompt: Was the LMS site for the course well organized? Please explain and provide
examples.
• Not evaluated this semester as used primarily as submission portal for assignments.

Teaching Skills
Did the GTA provide an effective introduction (e.g. attention getter, warm up, statement of class
objectives, demonstration, etc.)? Please explain and provide examples.
• Chit-chatted with students as they started arriving for class. Clearly has got to know his class and they feel
comfortable with him.
• Students arrived and were instructed to ‘warm-up’ on courts while waiting for class to arrive. Students
went straight into ‘hitting/doubles volley play’ rather than whole/specific body warm-ups.
• Late arriving students (10.10am): Q: how do ensure they get a quality warm-up?
• Brought ‘warm-up’ to a close at 10.10am. Limited sense of urgency from some of the students (transition
was longer than needed)
• Verbally introduced class skill (overhead smash) and class agenda.

Feedback/recommendations:

• Use the warm-up to set the energy tone for the class and encourage arriving on-time. Goal: To get into
activity section of class within 1st 10 minutes (this session started drills at 10.20am)
• Ensure the warm-up is dynamic and targets the muscle groups that will be used in the drills etc. (rather
than just students entering loose volley play)

Did the GTA provide effective instruction (e.g. clear communication skills, active learning techniques,
competence in subject matter, open to student feedback, etc.)? Please explain and provide examples.

• Gus clearly competent in subject matter

• Held student attention & garnered their respect throughout whole session.

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Examples of quality pedagogical skills:

• Connected this week’s skill to last week’s content (lob). Showed sequencing in content.
• Verbally explained the purpose of the overhead smash then provided demonstration (started in ready
position and utilized mirroring technique for demonstration)
• Has established clear ‘ready position’, students knew this and were able to get ‘ready’ to receive.
• Use part/shadow method for demonstration (no ball, broken down into COTS, explained purpose)
• Chunked the COTS effectivelu
• Used mirroring technique in demonstrations (everyone could see and hear him). Was effective in
communicating the COTS and helping the students ‘feel’ the movements. They practiced as a group 3
times. Gus provided COTS verbally and reinforced them multiple times.
• Broke the group into two to facilitate maximum practice opportunities (one group with him, one group on
Court 2 & 3- self guided: 10 minutes per group). The group with him received 3-4 balls fed by him before
switching. Two rotations- in second rotation added new/more advanced COTS to focus on. The degree to
which the self-guided groups focused on the skill was varied. Question: Are there specific directions/tasks
you could create for them to help them stay on task?
• Clear voice projection (even in large outdoor teaching space)
• Calm, organized and composed teaching presence
• Structure to session: warm-up (see note below) à coach-guided drills switched with self-guided drills.
• Used whistle to help bring group together during dispersed group activities.
• Question: Are there plans in next session to apply the skills learnt today in modified game play?

Feedback/recommendations:

• Watch your use of “you guys” to increase your inclusive language in the ‘classroom’
• Consider implementing whole-part-whole technique in demonstrations. Be sure to show them at least
one example of actually executing a smash.
• Encourage a sense of urgency during transitions, this will help you create more time for applied activities.
• Think about different ways of structuring your drills to increase practice opportunities (reduce standing in
line time) and increase the opportunities for you to provide feedback. Question: Are there adjustments
you can make to this to help with these two factors?

Did the GTA provide appropriate feedback to students (e.g. checking for understanding, asking questions,
ensuring safety, etc.)?

• Check for understanding: (Direct ask) Does anyone need clarification?

• Corrective feedback: Provided individual corrective feedback during the coach-fed drill. This was effective.
• Motivational feedback: Provided motivational feedback during the coach-fed drill

Feedback/recommendations:

• Consider using more advanced ‘check for understanding’ techniques to help evaluate their cognitive
understanding of the QOTS. These include questioning technique (e.g. What’s the next step here? Get
them to identify the COTS) or corrective technique during demonstration (e.g. what did I do wrong here?
Get them to correct you)

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Did the GTA provide an effective closure (e.g. a summary, key points, a debrief, revisit class objectives,
etc.? Please explain and provide examples.

• Brought group activities to close at 10.44am.

• Verbally summarized focus of today’s session and set-up next session (class finished at 10.48am).

Feedback/recommendations:

• Encourage a sense of urgency during transitions, this will help you create more time for intentional
closure
• Consider implementing more advanced techniques to ‘check for understanding’ and evaluate SLO eg.,
recall the COTS for this skill, get them to correct a demonstration.

Signature of GTA: ___________________________ ___ Date: _04/05/2024_

04/05/24
Signature of Evaluator: ___________________________ Date: ____________