In the 1997 article Designing Teacher Evaluation Systems That Support Professional Growth, McColskey and Egleson assert that “implementing a system that allows for peer review and feedback builds on the knowledge and skills of other teachers in the school. This knowledge may be perhaps the most valuable and the most underutilized resource that any school has available to help teachers improve” (pp. 2–3).
The 2+2 model allows for frequent peer feedback from a variety of sources and speaks to the claim made in the above quote. The 2 + 2 model is based on the premise that instructor isolation is one of the most detrimental factors in the teaching profession today, effectively preventing learning, improvement, or growth.
For this discussion, critique the 2+2 model of professional development and alternative instructor performance appraisal using the 2+2 format:
Could 2+2 be implemented in your educational setting as a professional development program?
Could it be implemented as an alternative instructor performance appraisal program?
Analyze the factors that would be favorable for such an implementation and the factors that would act as forces against such an implementation.
Would you be in favor of such a peer observation program? Keep in mind that 2+2 is not strictly a peer observation model, but a feedback approach that involves administrators, as well as, potentially, learners and parents. In a 2+2 alternative performance appraisal program, steps for working with instructors who are not performing as expected are clearly defined.
2 The readings in this unit relate to the importance of evidence and data as basic building blocks in the implementation of any improvement endeavor. For this discussion, you might want to review:
Chapter 6, “Using the Framework” in Danielson’s Enhancing Professional Practice.
“2+2 for Teachers: Frequently Asked Questions” in Collaborative Peer Coaching That Improves Instruction.
Discuss the use of data in the improvement of instruction. In your discussion, respond to the following:
How are data and artifacts useful in the improvement of instruction?
Why are multiple sources of data important?
Suggest some good sources of evidence to use when planning and implementing instruction. Would you consider using learner 2+2 feedback as a source of evidence? Why or why not?
Discuss sources of data in relation to your Professional Growth Plan. What evidence and artifacts are you collecting to help you make progress on your Professional Growth Plan goals? How are you using them to plan, implement, or assess instruction? Have you felt the need to make adjustments to your original plan based on the evidence you are collecting? Have you made adjustments to the types and sources of data you are collecting?
3. Synthesis
The increase in learner comprehension is the goal of improvement of instruction. Working collaboratively with other instructors as adults is different than working with learners of various ages. At the same time, using some of the same strategies with learners can help them learn through experience, and with the help of instructor guidance, how to improve their own ability to direct and control their learning.
Considering what you have learned, which of the models you have explored do you believe would be the most effective in your situation. Please consider the following:
Implementation.
Collaboration.
Instructional improvement
