Hidden Houston Video
Role reversal: HISD's professional development initiative helps teachers learn
Teachers teach and students learn. But to help teachers be better at the essential work that they do, sometimes those roles have to be reversed.
Turning teachers into students is part of Houston Independent School District's Effective Teacher Initiative. The district developed a new appraisal and development program to inspire classroom teachers to grow, develop and increase student learning.
With this new professional development venture, teachers have four opportunities for an appraiser to observe them, receive constructive feedback and garner encouragement.
"I would think that it could tend to be isolating when you are in a classroom with children all day long," Jennifer Marlowe, parent of a Walnut Bend Elementary student, says in the video. "If you aren't receiving feedback from other peers on what you are doing and ways you can improve, how are you expected to gauge your own performance?"
With this new professional development venture, teachers have four opportunities for an appraiser to observe them, receive constructive feedback to see things that may go unnoticed and garner encouragement for areas of strength and support in areas of struggle.
In this HISD-TV News and Information video segment, hear from teachers, administrators and parents about how HISD's Effective Teacher Initiative serves as a catalyst for educational change in those in the front lines.
Click the photo (above) or here to watch the video.
Editor's note: Hidden Houston, an interactive multimedia series, aims to reveal the many things that are unique about the Bayou City and its surrounding areas.
