Tools for Evaluating Your

Teaching Technique

By Renee Macdonald
University of Central Florida
ECT 4384 - Professor Robin
 Objective
s
At the end of this presentation, teachers should be
able to:
O Describe summative and formative assessment.
O Explain the key parts of a rubric.
O Identify tools for evaluating the effectiveness of a
teaching technique.
O Summarize the steps of Gagne’s “Nine Events of
Learning”.

University of Florida, Center for Instructional Knowledge and Training.

(10/3/2011). Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction. Retrieved Oct 12, 2012 from:
http://www.citt.ufl.edu/toolbox/toolbox_gagne9Events.php
Did your teaching technique work?
What worked and what needs improvement?
How do you evaluate learning outcomes?

Tools for evaluating your teaching

technique:
1. Instructional Design Checklist:
Gagne’s 9 Steps of Learning
2.Summative (Traditional) Assessment.
Examples are multiple choice, fill-in-the blank,
true/false, short answer and essay questions.
3.Formative (Alternative or Authentic) Assessment. Examples are
project-based, portfolio, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, and
teacher observation.
4. Marzano’s “Evidence” of Learning.
5. Kilpatrick’s Revised Evaluation Model
 Gagne’s 9 Steps of Learning
Effective teaching begins with effective lesson design,
which benefits from the research about how people learn.
Utilizing
Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction provides a guide to developing
a successful
s. lesson and a logical way to evaluate teaching
strategie

.
Gagne’s theory is used today to design instruction
for the military, medical and engineering fields.
 Step 1: Gain Student’s Attention
Examples of ways to present new knowledge:

One-minute headlines
Webquests
Believe it or not
Guest
speakers
PowerPoint presentation
Video or movie
Scavenger Hunt

Ask students what they

need to know or be able to
do when they
finish their training?
 Step 2: Inform Students of Goals
An effective teaching technique provides clear learning
goals. Identify state or employer standards and goals.
Student will be able to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Example: Post learning goals for students to view. Use
a syllabus, lecture slide, or handout.

Review the goal of the lesson (from Step 1) in simple

language.
 Step 3: Connect Prior Learning
to New Knowledge
Engage students in activities (scaffolding) that help them
link previous knowledge to new material and facilitates
learning.

Examples:
Preview questions
Overt linkages
Concept maps
Graphic
Representations

Ask students to recall prior relevant learning and

skills.
 Step 4: Present the New Material Effectively
O Present new knowledge in small chunks or “digestible bites”
for students.
O Review Skinner’s “Sequenced Learning Events” and Bloom’s
Taxonomy to sequence the lesson.
Examples:
O Present key ideas or
brief summary of
material
O Skim material with
students
O Provide guided discovery
O Use graphic organizers, K-W-L strategy (Know, Want to
Know, Learn)
O Assign individual and group research
O Use blogs, wikis, podcasts or YouTube to present
material
 Step 5: Provide learning guidance.
Help students process, elaborate, record, reflect,
and reinforce new knowledge. Give instructions
to students on how to learn.

Examples:
Process: Collaborative learning activities, role
play Elaborate: Probing questions, compare
Record: Graphic organizers, diagrams
Reflect: Reflective journals, logs, two-column
notes
 Step 6: Practice,
Presentation and
Performance
Provide students with the
opportunity to use and reinforce
what they have learned. Give
Examples: students a choice to work by
O Homework themselves or with a partner or
group.
O Cooperative learning activities
O Demonstration
O Practice quiz or exercise
O Think-pair-share
O Observation and Modeling, Bandura’s
“Social Learning Theory” Practice makes
perfect.
 Step 7: Provide Feedback
Monitor student actions and learning closely for
errors and misunderstandings. Be specific.

Examples:
O Frequent practice prior to testing, quiz, verbal
comments
O Provide examples of correct procedure or skill
O Review sessions
O Peer feedback
O Provide resources and guidance
O Change tracking

Tell students why they are doing a good job.

Assessment
 Step 8. Assessment
The effectiveness of a teaching technique is
evaluated in terms of improving student achievement
and identifies causes of success or difficulty.
Assessments help teachers adjust their teaching
practice for individual students and for the class as a
whole.

Example: Standardized tests

are an example of summative
assessment.

Test to determine if the

lesson has been learned.
 Formative assessment is self-monitoring,
encourages students to improve and
promotes life-long learning.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Formative assessment is interactive during the learning process

in order to modify teaching and provide frequent feedback to
students.
 Examples of Formative Assessment

O Checklists, Rating Scales, Rubrics

O Project, Collaborative Learning
O Experiment or Problem
O Development of a Product
O Performance or Presentation
O Community Based Experience, Service
Learning
O Case Study or Clinical Evaluation
O Interview or Survey
O Portfolio, Reflective Journal
Rubrics explain to students the criteria
against which their work will be
judged or the “scoring rules”.
 Rubrics deliver both a grade
summative and formative feedback to
improve future student learning.
 Parts of a Rubric
O Criteria –Define the goals (content objectives) to be met
and describe the criteria for judging the task or project
(process objectives), what you want graded. (Left
column of rubric)

O Scale-Levels of competency-Set the scale for student’s

competency from successful to unsuccessful or
excellent to poor, for each required criteria. (Top row of
rubric)

O Assignment of value-Describe the characteristics of behavior,

assignment or project to be completed and assign a numeric
or grade for each level. (The rows)
 Step 9: Retention and Transfer
Make the link to the real world or workplace by
applying new knowledge to real life connections
which increases retention by personalizing
information.
Examples: Provide opportunities to practice work
place knowledge and skills.

Authentic learning provides experiences that demonstrate

real- life connections between lessons and the world.
 Teaching Evaluation Techniques
Use checklists, student assessments, student surveys,
videoing your teaching, and peer coaching to evaluate
your teaching.
Peer Coaching: Teaching
Observation and Discussion

Watch Videos-Teachers watch videos of other teachers in pairs

or small groups and look for instructional techniques that work
and don’t work to discuss. (Examples: Robin Williams, Dead
Poets Society)
Coaching Colleagues-Teachers observe each other and meet
together for suggestions and feedback.
Instructional Rounds-Organized teacher observation to
observe colleagues and reflect on their own practice.

Marzano, Robert J. (with Tina Boogren, Tammy Heflebower, Jessica Kanold-McIntyre and
Debra Pickering). ( 2012). Becoming a Reflective Teacher. (pp. 75-81.) Bloomington, IN:
Marzano Research Laboratory.
Learning assessment is an ongoing
process.
When students succeed in achieving goals and
objectives, you might assume that your teaching
technique worked.
 Make Changes
When students do not achieve goals and objectives,
changes should be made in teaching and learning
process.
Reevaluation after changes are made will ensure
that the changes were helpful to student learning.
 Three Quick and Easy Classroom
Assessment Techniques
1. Muddiest Point-ask students to jot down a quick
response to one question.
2. One Sentence Summary-challenges students to
answer questions about a given topic.
3. One Minute Paper-What
was the most important
thing you learned
during class today?
Visit: http://
www.marzanoresearch.com/classroomstrategies
 Marzano’s Evidence of Effective
Teaching and Learning
O Students can explain the learning goal and how their activity
relates to the goal.
O Students can explain the levels of performance
communicated in the scale or rubric.
O Students are working on task.
O Students can provide a purpose for what they are doing
and are actively engaged.
O Students provide explanations and confirmation of what
they learned.
O Students can explain main points of the lesson and
summarize what they learned from the activity.

O Marzano, Robert J. (with Tina Boogren, Tammy Heflebower, Jessica Kanold-

McIntyre and Debra Pickering). ( 2012). Becoming a Reflective Teacher.
Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory. www.ascd.org
 Kilpatrick’s Revised Evaluation Model
Goals (Planning) Level of Evaluation
Results
What is the objective (to improve What is the desired outcome?
organization or business)?
Performance
What must the learners be able to Did they transfer their skills to the
perform in order to achieve workplace or organization?
objective?
Learning
What new knowledge, skills, and Did the learners acquire the
resources do they need to perform? needed skills?
Motivation
What must the learners perceive in Are they motivated to learn and
order to learn or perform? perform?
Big Dog & little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition. (2012). Kilpatrick’s Four Level Evaluation
Model. Retrieved October 16, 2012 from: www.nwlink.com/-donclark/hrd/lsd/kirkpatrick.html
Checklist for Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Yes
No Lesson/Teaching Technique
1. Student’s attention is focused on learning activity.
2. Goals are clear and significant to students and meet
content standards.
3. Student’s relate previous information to current
topic.
4. Lesson is presented in meaningful and relevant way.
5. Students are guided through problems and
examples.
6. Students are engaged and actively involved in authentic
learning.
7. Students receive appropriate feedback.
8. Students are checked for understanding using rubrics
and formative assessments.
9. Students identify important concepts and skills they
learned from the lesson.
Reflection: What teaching technique was most effective?
What would you do differently to make the lesson more effective?
RMC Denver (n.d.) “Evaluating the effectiveness of the lesson.” Retrieved
October 12, 2012, 2008 from
http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/lessons/eval.htm &”Have You Thought
About This?" http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/lessons/anita.htm
The
End
 References
O Brookhart, Susan M. (2010). How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking
Skills in Your Classroom. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.
This book describes methods for assessing analysis, logic and reasoning,
judgment, problem solving and creative thinking.
O Dodge, Judith. (2009). 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a
Differentiated Classroom. USA: Scholastic.
O Fisher, Douglas and Frey, Nancy. (2007). Check for Understanding.
Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom. Alexandria,
VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
O Marzano, Robert J. (with Tina Boogren, Tammy Heflebower, Jessica
Kanold-McIntyre and Debra Pickering). ( 2012). Becoming a Reflective
Teacher. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.
O Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay., (2005). Understanding by Design.
Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.