Teacher Appraisals Workshop - Moving on with 'Our Code' and 'Our Standards' 2019

Workshop aims:

1. Review your use of the Code of Professional Responsibility and identify next steps
2. Deepen your understanding of the Standards for the Teaching Profession 
3. Share experiences and findings from goal, inquiry or standards focused appraisal
4. Extend knowledge of effective use of of observation and conversations

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

1. I gained a better perspective on the Code. It is the VALUES belonging to the teaching profession.
2. Appraisal benefits learners, the appraisee, the appraiser, the school, whanau, the community and the teaching profession.
3. Appraisal should be robust, evidence based, growth focused, goal oriented, accountable to the Standards and the Strategic plan, include self-appraisal
4. The purpose of  Appraisal should be clear, involve trust and be focused on equity.
5. That what evidence looks like for an appraisal is up to each school to decide.

Key understandings

1. The Teaching Council will no longer ask teachers to send in evidence
2. Teachers do not have to have a professional blog to share their evidence. Each school will decide on what constitutes evidence and how this is recorded.
3. Teacher inquiry is mandatory as required by the NZC. How evidence of this is recorded is up to individual schools.
4. An emphasis should be placed on professional conversations between appraiser and appraisee with a focus on teacher goals re. the inquiry.

Spiral of Inquiry

Quality Practice Template

The following template was shared with us as an example of an appraisal document. 

"This template is not for individual teachers to complete as an appraisal record! It should be 

completed with colleagues. It is about knowing the standards and having a shared understanding of what they look like at your school. It allows you to focus your appraisal attention around your goals or inquiry. Completing the Quality Practice Template together means you, together with colleagues identify the Standards as practices in your context. It makes it easier to see the naturally occurring evidence available for discussion/analysis."

There are templates available for each of the six Professional Standards on the Teachers Council Website https://teachingcouncil.nz/content/our-code-our-standards

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?

I think a streamlined, less time-consuming appraisal system would benefit all teachers.