Assessing Teachers Needs

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Assessing Teachers Needs

• How Psychology
• Can Best Help Educators Today

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The Current Situation

• Current Staff Development offerings are not
  useful in supplementing or enhancing good
  teaching skills
• The inclusion of good psychology in pedagogical
  training of teachers is incomplete or
  non-existent
• Many teachers leave the profession within 3
  years, perhaps as a result of poor training

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Why do a Needs Assessment?

• In 2002 the U.S. Department of Educations
  Institute of Education Sciences surveyed a group
  of 70 superintendents, policymakers, chief state
  school officers, governors, state legislators,
  congressional staff and education association
  executive directors regarding education research
  prioritiesteachers views, however, were not
  represented in this process.
• As such, the report did not reflect teachers
  expanding professional development needs.

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• To that end, the Coalition for Psychology in
  Schools and Education from the American
  Psychological Association is gathering
  information about perceived teacher professional
  development needs in several areas
• classroom management
• instructional practices
• classroom diversity
• family and community outreach
• teaching skills and knowledge informed by
  psychological science

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History of the Needs Assessment

• In 2003, the Coalition discussed submitting a
  funding item to the Board of Directors to
  determine how psychology could address the
  professional needs of teachers
• Recommendations included
• Studying how psychologists could change teacher
  practice
• Creating a needs assessment for teachers
• Working with organizations to reach teachers
• American Federation of Teachers, National
  Education Association, Teachers of Psychology in
  Secondary Schools

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• In May 2004, the Coalition reconvened to discuss
  the creation of the Needs Assessment
• Four areas of priority were designated for the
  assessment
• Classroom Management
• Instructional Practice
• Diverse Needs of Students
• Communicating and Working with Parents

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• With areas of priority set, the group was divided
  into four subgroups
• Each subgroup met to generate questions
  appropriate to their topic
• Each subgroup also selected formats thought to
  promote good, useful responses from participants

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Samples from the Survey Checklist

• I. Classroom Management
• Items in this section of the questionnaire are
  designed to gauge educators sense of preparation
  and ability to use effective classroom management
  techniques. Please respond to the questions that
  pertain to your particular situation and provide
  additional information where necessary.

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• Rate your general proficiency in the use of
  classroom management
• techniques by checking the appropriate response
  for each item below.

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Sample Open Ended Question

• II. Instructional Skills
• The term instructional skills refers to the
  ways that teachers adapt their instruction to
  promote learning and motivation for students from
  different cultural and language backgrounds, life
  experiences, abilities and developmental levels.

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4.It would be very helpful to us if you would
take a few moments to respond to the following
optional questions.

• a. What are your most successful strategies that
• enhance student learning in your classroom?
• b. What are your most successful strategies for
  translating content material into classroom
  activities?
• c. How do you successfully motivate your
  students?

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• Each section of the survey also gives respondents
  the opportunity to
• rate the effectiveness of the training they have
  received so far
• express a preference for the modality of training
  in which they would like to receive instruction

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5.Please rate the effectiveness of each source of
training. Please put a 1 for effective a
2 for moderately effective a 3 for not
effective and a 4 if you had no such
training. Preservice Teacher Training refers to
courses taken in college or graduate school
before getting hired as a teacher. In-District
Workshops refers to training available to your
district where teams of teachers from a school
would be encouraged to attend. Out-of-District
Workshops refers to workshops at various regional
sites and conferences On-Line Mentoring refers to
an on-line mentor who provided individualized
support.
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6. If you are interested in participating in
further training in working effectively with
parents and communities, please rank the forms of
training below from 1 to 5 in order of your
preference.
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Feedback

• A draft of the survey questions was completed
• Coalition members solicited feedback on the
  survey from colleagues, high school and 2/4 year
  colleges, regarding content and format
• Feedback was collected from 25 respondents and
  adjustments to the survey were implemented to
  ensure that a useful product emerged from this
  process

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Considerations and Constraints

• In its draft form, limits existed in what could
  be asked regarding the survey since it had not
  been put through an IRB process
• The survey has since been reviewed by APA and it
  has been determined that the survey can be
  administered under certain conditions

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Conditions

• Coalition members or our school contact could
  distribute a letter to teachers informing them of
  the study and that they would need to contact APA
  or perhaps return a stamped self addressed
  postcard with their contact information on it. 
  Teachers could also be asked to register on a
  website.  Then they can be contacted with the
  survey.

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Conditions

• The survey could be electronic and a letter could
  direct teachers to the website. 
• 3. Coalition members or our school contact should
  not be asked to provide the names of
  participants. 

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Considerations and Constraints

• The survey should generate meaningful data, but
  should also require minimal time to take and
  analyzecontent and format must be carefully
  considered
• In order to reach the largest target audience,
  the best delivery system must be determined
• In fact, feedback from the survey indicated that
  teachers preferred an online survey.

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How PsychologistsCan Best Help Educators Today

• Volunteer to provide feedback on the survey draft
• Volunteer your expertise for Coalition
  initiatives
• Volunteer to provide school districts with
  information on sound psychological practices for
  the classroom teacher
• Advocate for the use of psychological science in
  teacher training programs
• Continue to do research on pedagogical techniques
  that will make a difference in the classroom