Using student peer evaluations to evaluate team taught lessons.

Using student peer evaluations to evaluate team taught lessons. In order to assess whether students fully grasped the six teachingstandards in the Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics (NCTM NCTM National Council of Teachers of MathematicsNCTM Nationally Certified Teacher of MusicNCTM North Carolina Transportation MuseumNCTM National Capital Trolley MuseumNCTM Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage ,1991), the researcher had each student submit peer evaluations of theteam lessons that were taught in a Methods and Materials of TeachingMathematics in the Middle Grades class during the Fall semester se��mes��ter?n.One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year.[German, from Latin (cursus) s of 2003.The intent of this study was to observe the consistency between thestudent peer evaluations and instructor evaluation of each team lessonbased upon the six teaching standards that were addressed during thefirst ten weeks of class. The class consisted of twenty-one twenty-one:see blackjack. students,four of whom were traditional students with no prior teaching experienceand 17 of whom were special licensure licensure(lī´snsh students who were currentlyteaching in area public schools. The class was divided into nine teamsof two students. Three students decided to present individually.Students were given a list of topics to select for their presentations.The teams developed twenty-minute lessons to present to theirclassmates Classmates can refer to either: Classmates.com, a social networking website. Classmates (film), a 2006 Malayalam blockbuster directed by Lal Jose, starring Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Indragith, Sunil, Jagathy, Kavya Madhavan, Balachandra Menon, ... . After reviewing the comments given during each lesson it wasevident that at least 70% of the students in the class could recognizeand state evidence of the six teaching standards. After reviewing theresults the researcher concluded that students definitely need to putinto practice the theory, strategies and techniques learned during thesemester in which the methods course is being taken. ********** Purpose The intent of this study was to observe the consistency betweenstudent peer evaluations and instructor evaluations of team taughtlessons based upon the six teaching standards in the ProfessionalStandards for Teaching Mathematics (NCTM, 1991). The six standards,which include: (1) worthwhile mathematical tasks, (2) teacher'srole in discourse, (3) student's role in discourse, (4) tools forenhancing discourse, (5) learning environment and (6) analysis ofteaching and learning, were addressed during the first ten weeks of thefall 2003 semester in the Methods and Materials of Teaching Mathematicsin the Middle Grades class. Review of Literature Peer evaluation has long played a significant role in leadernomination and performance measurement among business, education,medical, and research professionals (Kramer, 1990). Outside of these spheres, however, peer evaluation has beenapproached with trepidation trepidation/trep��i��da��tion/ (trep?i-da��shun)1. tremor.2. nervous anxiety and fear.trep��idanttrep��i��da��tionn.1. An involuntary trembling or quivering. , resulting generally, from the perceptionthat peer evaluations are nothing more than a popularity contest(Sherrard & Raafat, 1994). Deming contends that levels and standards of performance should notbe imposed by a hierarchical A structure made up of different levels like a company organization chart. The higher levels have control or precedence over the lower levels. Hierarchical structures are a one-to-many relationship; each item having one or more items below it. authority (i.e. professor) but ratherachieved at through coalition building and empowerment em��pow��er?tr.v. em��pow��ered, em��pow��er��ing, em��pow��ers1. To invest with power, especially legal power or official authority. See Synonyms at authorize.2. of employees(Spragins, 1991). Having peers evaluate performance and establish standards increasestheir involvement. helps them adopt a supervisory perspective, andenhances both the accuracy of the ratings as well as the quality of thefeedback (Leavitt, 1964). Previous research has illustrated the potential for peer assessmentto improve evaluation accuracy by including the perspective fromindividuals of the same level (Kane & Lawler, 1978; Lewin &Zwany, 1976; Reilly & Chao, 1982). Klimoski and London (1974) also indicate that coworkers/peers makefiner distinctions among different aspects of performance than dosupervisor evaluations. As a result, feedback from peers is more effective in elicitingbehavioral behavioralpertaining to behavior.behavioral disorderssee vice.behavioral seizuresee psychomotor seizure. changes than supervisor ratings (DeNisi, Randolph, &Blencoe, 1982). Methodology The class consisted of twenty-one students. Four students weretraditional students with no prior teaching experience and seventeenwere special licensure students who were currently teaching in areapublic schools. Each semester the students present team taught lessons.However, students were asked for the first time to evaluate each otherin teams. The class was divided into nine teams of two students. Threestudents decided to present individually. Students were given a list oftopics to select from for their presentations. Each team developed atwenty-minute lesson to present to the class. Students were allowed to comment on each others" group lesson.This method was used for the first time since the beginning of classesduring fall 2003. Students not presenting were given an evaluation sheetto record comments about each team lesson. Students were given a gradebased on a combination of peer and instructor evaluations of thepresentation. The basic criteria for evaluation was based on the sixnational standards set forth by the National Council of Teachers ofMathematics The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally. (NCTM). During the 15th week of the semester, eachindividual or team was allowed to review the grades and comments made bytheir fellow classmates and instructor. Results After reviewing the comments made by the peer evaluators, it wasevident that at least 70% of the students recognized and statedevidences of the six teaching standards. The peer evaluations were very consistent with the instructorevaluation of each team taught lesson. Some peers seemed to be much morecritical of the teams than the instructor. Others gave excellentfeedback and suggestions for improving the lessons. It was evident, through observation, that students really enjoyedthis form of teaching. By using the peer evaluations, students felt theyhad some input in the assignment of grades. Conclusions and Recommendations This exercise reinforced good teaching practices for middle gradesmathematical classrooms. After reviewing the results, it could beconcluded that students need to associate more theory with practice,strategies and techniques with method and assessment techniques embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. in lessons. Students also need training in sensitivity and how to giveconstructive criticism to their peers based upon the certain types ofnegative comments that were written by the peer evaluators. The mainconcern is that the harsh criticism given to each other is an indicationof how they are with their own students. Math is a course most studentshate because of the attitude and disposition of the teacher. References DeNisi, A. S., Randolph, W. A. & Blencoe, A. G. (1982). Leveland source of feedback as determinants of feedback effectiveness.Proceedings of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, 175-179. Kane, J. S. & Lawler, III, E. E. (1978). Methods of peerassessment. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 555-586. Klimoski, R. J. & London. M. (1974). Role of the rater rat��er?n.1. One that rates, especially one that establishes a rating.2. One having an indicated rank or rating. Often used in combination: a third-rater; a first-rater.inperformance appraisal Performance appraisal, also known as employee appraisal, is a method by which the performance of an employee is evaluated (generally in terms of quality, quantity, cost and time). . Journal of Applied Psychology Journal of Applied Psychology is a publication of the APA. It has a high impact factor for its field. It typically publishes high quality empirical papers.www.apa. , 59, 445-451. Kramer, J. F. (1990). Perceived similarity Similarity is some degree of symmetry in either analogy and resemblance between two or more concepts or objects. The notion of similarity rests either on exact or approximate repetitions of patterns in the compared items. and accuracy of peerratings. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 213-218. Leavitt, H. J. (1964). Managerial psychology Managerial Psychology is one course or subdiscipline of Psychology or Management, focusing the understanding the psychological insight for the managers. See alsoOrganizational studies Kurt Lewin Abraham Maslow Frederick Winslow Taylor , Chicago: Universityof Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including . Lewin, A. Y. & Zwany, A. (1976). Peer nominations: A model,literature critique, and a paradigm for research. Journal of AppliedPsychology, 29, 423-447. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1991). Professionalstandards for teaching mathematics. Reston, VA: Author. Reilly, R. R. & Chao, G. T. (1982). Validity and fairness ofsome alternative employee selection procedures. Personnel Psychology,35, 1-62. Spragins, E. E. (1991). Measuring performance: Making peer reviewswork. Inc., 13(10),161. Thompson Thompson, city, CanadaThompson,city (1991 pop. 14,977), central Man., Canada, on the Burntwood River. A mining town, it developed after large nickel deposits were discovered in the area in 1956. , B. L. (1991, July). An early review of peer review.Training Magazine, 42-46. Kimberly Smith Burton, Department of Middle Grades, Secondary andSpecial Education. Fayetteville State University HistoryIn 1867, seven black men - Matthew N. Leary, Andrew J. Chesnutt, Robert Simmons, George Grainger, Thomas Lomax, Nelson Carter, and David A. Bryant - paid $136 for two lots on Gillespie Street and converted themselves into a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees to . Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed toKimberly Smith Burton, Department of Middle Grades, Secondary andSpecial Education, Fayetteville State University, 1200 Murchison Road,Fayetteville, NC 28301.