Comprehensive Essay on Teacher Evaluation

Teachers are evaluated for their work. The evaluation is being done with the idea to know the importance of the teacher and his capabilities to teach the students. A teacher is evaluated by different methods. Actually his students are the real evaluator of the teacher. A teacher can also assess his work and capabilities. In case some problem starts or a teacher is not upto the mark, he can be re-evaluated after some time.

Nowadays the importance of teachers is being felt by the society. School is a mini society and also known as sub-society. Hence, a teacher is called a social-reformer, who can help in removing the social evils. A society needs to be an ideal society without any discrimination. The social values like secular character, social justice, political justice etc. can be maintained by the teachers.

The work performed or performance can be evaluated for the future guidance and improvement. Though the marks of the student tell the teacher’s performance, but it needs an evaluation in a systematic way. If deficiency is visible in the work of a teacher, he should be given time to improve or the teacher can improve himself. Evaluation is also desirable in case of teachers’ promotion in society.

There are various aims of the teacher’s evaluation. A teacher is evaluated for the work/performance in an institution to know his capabilities, deficiencies, and suggest the improvements. School management, department or the society also need to know the professional ability of the teacher. In society, teachers are enabled for the further promotion and posting etc. Incapable teachers can be removed or given opportunity to improve.

Education has its own advantages. In the present educational system teachers are employed for the students by the Government, private bodies or by management of the Institutions. The increment in the pay is allowed only after evaluation in Government schools. Private schools are issued certificate of warning or praise of the teachers and given him opportunity to improve. A teacher also works hard to influence or remain alert for the evaluations.

Students are the best evaluator of their teacher. Since several teachers use to teach the students, they know better who the best teacher is. If any of the bodies/ Government/Management/Parents wants to know about any teacher, the students are the best judge for it because they have no personal interest in any of the teacher or they simply tell which teacher is die best. Hence, this is the best way to evaluate a teacher.

Though the students evaluate the teacher, but this method also has-some problems, and the assessment by the students cannot be final. Such as some inflectional students, or a group of students may favour teacher for different interests. Besides, a qualified teacher cannot be judged by the students who have no knowledge of the deep subjects. The leniency/hard attitude towards die students also influence the students.

In all the methods for the evaluation of a teacher, self-evaluation is the best evaluation. A teacher, if sincere to the profession, can judge himself with the help of his result of the students. It is best method as a teacher should be able to improve in the due course of time. Besides, it has another advantage, that nobody will be blamed for the assessment of the teacher if found incapable.

Though there are different methods to evaluate a teacher but a wide evaluation is desirable. It mostly applies different methods to judge the teacher like his qualification, attitude towards the students etc., his relationship with Principal and other teachers, parents, and his nature of work, behaviour, etc. An overall assessment of the teacher, (mainly to maintain diary, lesson preparation etc.) are all to be judged before a final evaluation.

The work evaluation in place of the work examination is now being increasingly used in current educational literature. The evaluation process is not restricted to the result of tests and examinations, scales and inventories and such other gadgets as employed by the teacher but it has a wider meaning. It includes the learner’s own estimate also. In traditional examinations, the emphasis is on the cognitive

(knowledge of subjects) aspect only where as evaluation includes non-cognitive (attitudes and values) aspects also.

Evaluation is concerned with all the changes that lake place in the development of a balanced personality. It measures the quality of the head, the hand and the heart. Evaluation takes into account the development or changes in 7 R’s, i.e., reading, writing, arithmetic, rights, responsibilities, relationships and recreation. Evaluation is undertaken to find out how a child is learning and how learning can be improved rather than what he has learnt. The primary purpose of evaluation should not be limited to declaring children “Pass” or “Fail” but to identify the strengths and weaknesses and making good of deficiencies and making improvements.

Comprehensive evaluation includes change in the following aspects:

1. Achievement in Academic Subjects

2. Achievement in skills.

3. Achievement in attitudes and values which include cultural, ethical, moral, physical and social.

According to Wrightstown: “Evaluation is a relatively new technical term introduced to design a more comprehensive concept of measurement that is implied in conventional tests and examination

In the words of Clara M. Brown, “Evaluation is essential in the never ending cycle of formulating goals, measuring progress towards them and determining the new goals which emerge as a result of new warning.” According to Reavis and others the evaluation should be effective in the following spheres in addition to the usual aims of classification and promotion.

1. Providing a periodic check that will direct along definite lines on the continued improvement of the programme of the school

2. Giving everyone working with pupils the information that is necessary to provide guidance and counsel for boys and girls

3. Securing help in validating the function and the goal that the school strives to attain in determining the programme upon which the school operates.

4. Providing a sound basis for good public relation to secure an understanding on the part of a community of the school and its effectiveness such an evaluation will meet many of the criticism of the school expressed by the parents, tax-payers and others because they do not know what the school is attempting to be.

5. Providing a sense of security to members of the school staff, to pupils and to their parents, so that they have tangible evidence that the programme they arc operating is an effective one.

Grim has suggested the following principles Evaluation:

(1) In evaluation a complete picture may be taka into consideration as in learning the total personality! Involved evaluation must take into consideration th difference in intelligence stage and rate of maturity and make proper allowance for these.

(2) The effective appraisal demands that reliable varied and relatively evidence be gathered.

(3) Evaluation should enable the pupil to appraise himself.

(4) The teacher, the parents, the pupils, the community and the administration all must participate in evaluation.

(5) Evaluation to be effective must be continuous and cumulative.

(6) Evaluation system must be closely related it the guidance programme.

Importance of Evaluation:

(1) Evaluation appraises the status of changes in pupil behavior.

(2) Evaluation discloses pupil’s needs and possibilities.

(3) Evaluation aids pupil teacher planning.

(4) Evaluation expands the concept of worthwhile goals beyond pure achievement.

(5) Evaluation serves as a means of improving school community relation.

(6) Evaluation familiarizes the teacher with the nature of pupil learning, development and progress.

(7) Evaluation relates measurement to the goals of the instructional programme.

(8) Evaluation facilitates the selection an improvement of measuring instruments.

(9) Evaluation appraises the teacher’s competence.

(10) Evaluation appraises the supervisor’s competence.

(11) Evaluation serves as a guiding principle for the selection of supervisory techniques. Modern Evaluation Techniques

(1) Intelligence tests

(2) Achievement tests

(3) Aptitude tests

(4) Personality tests

(5) Tests of attitude and behaviour

(6) Rating scales

(7) Questionnaires and check lists

(8) Interview

(9) Anecdotal records

(10) Autobiographical method

(11) Pupil’s diary

(12) Case history

(13) Sociometric techniques

(14) Projective techniques.