fers new teachers a 34 point checklist to consider as they assess their performance. I think it
is a very useful list.
FIG. 8.7 Evaluating your performance as a teacher.
(With help from the World War II Army Air Corps Technical Schools Teachers’ Manual)- Am I really interested in teaching this class, or is it just another chore for me?
- Am I punctual in getting to class and do I start and close my class on schedule time?
- Do I systematically check ventilation, light, heat, seating, and cleanliness of my class-
room? - Do I make an effort to study the men and women in my classes as individuals so that
knowing their peculiar weaknesses, difficulties, and needs, I can help them better? - Am I reasonably friendly and cordial with my students, or am I impersonal and dis-
tant? - Am I at ease before my students? Have I any annoying or distracting mannerisms?
- Am I resourceful and adaptable? Do I feel the pulse of the class, know when to tell a
good story, crack a joke, or let them rest for a minute or two? - Am I easily irritated? Am I ever sarcastic?
- Is my voice clear, pleasing, and well modulated?
- Am I guilty of patronization?
- What do my students think of my class? Have I ever discovered their real opinions?
Have I ever asked them at the completion of my course to let me have their unsigned,
honest comments, criticisms, and suggestions? - Do I encourage students by finding something to praise in the work of every earnest
and industrious worker? - Am I patient with the slower students, and do I provide enough suitable work for the
quick learners to challenge their ability? - Do I merely hear recitations, or do I really teach my subject so that its real value in
the lives of these learners and in the work of the world is made clear? - Do I prepare my lessons carefully before coming to class, making sure of a definite
aim for each lesson, the steps to be taken, the materials to be used, the points to be
made, the method to be used, and the means of measuring the results? - Before teaching a new lesson or taking up a new job, do I prepare my class for it by
reviewing previous lessons and experiences and by explaining the new work clearly? - Do I make sufficient use of illustrations, concrete examples, maps, blackboard dia-
grams, and charts to make instruction clear? - Do I use models, pictures, cut-away parts, slides, and movies to demonstrate and il-
lustrate the points I wish to make? - Do I make every effort to interest and to arouse these learners, to guide them in con-
ference and discussion, and to influence them helpfully? - In my teaching, do I use language that is simple and clear to all? Do I talk too much?
- Does my teaching develop sound thinking procedures?
- Do I set definite standards for my students to attain, and do I insist that each student
meets them? - Do I check on each job done in my shop or class, to see that it meets the standards
for neatness, accuracy, and excellence? - Am I sure that each student understands fully and exactly the particular job she or he
is to do?
220 CHAPTER 8