Abstract
The article aims to evaluate the efficiency of schools’ administrations and provide teachers with the needed training to increase the general level of physical education. Norris et al. (2017) have used two main methods to make the article reliable and correct. Surveys and interviews have allowed researchers to ensure their readers the credibility of their papers. The results revealed the main problems that should be solved by schools’ administrations, like the inability to control policies of physical education. Moreover, lack of training became one of the greatest issues that disturbed administrations. Consequently, the article suggests many possible solutions that might influence physical education outcomes. For example, creating mental models might allow noticing all positive and negative notices workers in the industry have. Furthermore, the paper covers the teaching calls that state the importance of understanding learning standards and what physical education should look like.
Introduction
Many countries worldwide have their specific methods of teachers’ evaluation and identification of their professional abilities. PE teachers differ from ordinary tutors who teach students sciences or languages. The evaluation method is common in many regions as this group of teachers has approximately the same responsibilities that can be checked in one specific way. This part of the article uses three main areas that allow experts to evaluate PE teachers’ performance. They are called the Teacher Advancement Program, the framework for teaching, and the Marzano teacher evaluation model. According to Norris et al. (2017), these systems may help increase teachers’ responsibility levels. Moreover, allow them to strive for a better position in their careers and gain specific compensation. This critique paper will outline the main aspects of the evaluation process, state the key issues, and explain all methods that can help become a professional health and physical education specialist.
Summary of the Article
The role of evaluators is crucial in assessing PE teachers as professionals, and significant experience allows them to conduct more accurate examinations of tutors’ performances. One of the main issues of evaluations is that the systems do not dismiss low-performance workers, and only the school’s staff has the competence to conduct this action. Consequently, due to the understaffing, the percentage of irresponsible workers will stay the same or continue increasing. An additional problem that usually appears while evaluating teachers’ knowledge is a lack of trust in experts who might not have enough understanding of specific topics covered while in open classes at schools.
The value-added models are the most common techniques to detect teachers’ passion and willingness to increase their students’ knowledge. A complex statistical formula defines the level of success that pupils present, and based on the results, specialists in the evaluation field assess tutors. Similar methods are used to promote teachers and their knowledge to increase the level of influence. Nevertheless, Norris et al. (2017) show the research of Rothstein et al. (2010), where the authors state that the models are not fully reliable, and they do not show the real effectiveness of teachers’ performances. PE teachers are not an exception to the rule. To make the analyses clearer, evaluation experts should focus on the perception of the school subject and specific measurements of students’ achievements.
The researchers have chosen several schools across the southern part of the United States to assess PE teachers using online platforms. There were nineteen participants in total, and diversity in schools’ teachers helped experts present the most realistic results. The key techniques used in collecting data are survey questionnaires and semistructured interviews. In the survey questionnaire, participants had to answer questions regarding PE teachers using a scale from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree.’ In semistructured interviews, the researchers expected to receive more diverse answers, including participants’ specific thoughts. To test the effectiveness of the approach, the researchers decided to conduct a pilot study and interview two administrators from all the participants. Experts in the area of PE teacher education have analyzed the result to understand the possible success of the research. Some changes were adjusted to make the context of questions reduced and clearer. Moreover, some questions were duplicated and rephrased to ensure the researchers’ correctness of the results.
In the semistructured interview, the main focus was oriented on the general perception of physical education, the role of teachers in this subject, and how students may become successful in this discipline. This method helps understand how administrators can estimate the real level of students’ performances. For instance, one of the questions is “Specific to your district’s evaluation tool, what are key elements you look for when scoring the physical education teacher?” (Norris et al., 2017). The structure of the questions is not complicated to ensure that every participant can provide an answer.
The research has revealed that PE lessons are along with scientific subjects like mathematics, and their importance is not underestimated. School staff continues paying attention to the training of PE tutors to provide their students with a high-quality education. It became easier for an administrator to check the knowledge of PE students as the needed experiences can be easily mentioned compared to more complicated subjects. Consequently, the paper stated that it is easier to estimate the level of knowledge to understand the potential weakness that should be destroyed.
Conclusion
The article ensures those who are studying a similar discipline that their efforts and knowledge will not be underestimated. Moreover, it provides specific examples of how professionals in this area can receive additional training to educate young students and improve their physical conditions. The paper suggests that people might become more conscious about their health, and the importance of professionals in this industry can become crucial.
Reference
Norris, J. M., van der Mars, H., and Kulinna, P. (2017). Administrators’ perceptions of physical education teacher evaluation. The Physical Educator, 74, 730-756. Web.