RefinED Friends,
In their influential 1999 book,
First, Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman sifted through 25 years of Gallup Organization data from organizational interviews covering the workplace gamut. Their goal--to identify critical questions "truly measuring the core of a strong workplace (27)." Their answer--twelve questions that, if answered positively by employees, would indicate that the environment is a great place to work.
When I read this back in my second year of teaching, I figured the same adult work environment principles would apply to student work environments. What I created as a result was a teacher report card, administered as an electronic survey to each student every quarter, with those twelve questions (and a few of my own) only slightly altered for the classroom and age-level. Their report cards went home, my report cards came home.
Each quarter, I collected the results, shared them with the class (providing anonymity with any comments), and held an action planning session focused on solutions. I also created an action plan, later shared with my students, how I would incorporate their feedback for a more enriching experience. Sure, there was the occasional silly response or ludicrous requests (Ex. In order to be more successful, I think we need giant flat screen TV desks with an Xbox hooked to each one). These became learning opportunities. Overall, though, they took it very seriously. And so did I, which is the only way this instrument is truly valid. If you don't want the feedback or don't expect you'll change from it, don't ask for it.
I've uploaded the
Teacher Report Card I've used in the past, with directions for administration, in the Materials section. Please adapt it to your needs and share with others. Let's make our great classrooms even greater!
Best,
Scott
scott@refinedcharacter.com
