THE IMPORTANCE OF FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS BY SUBSTITUTES
Oct 21, 2021
Have you ever had a teacher come to you the day after he was out school and complained that the substitute that was in for him didn’t leave any notes on his class? He had no idea whether or not the lesson plan was followed, if any students were absent or caused issues, and if he could move on with the next days lesson or not? If you have had this happen in your building consider adopting a common substitute teacher feedback form that every substitute is required to complete at the end of each class period or before they leave at the end of their daily assignment.
Providing feedback to classroom teachers in their absence is essential and a best practice for substitutes. It helps classroom teachers identify which areas of the lesson may need to be completed, re-taught, or if they can move on to the next lesson. Feedback on specific students is very helpful to teachers. It provides them an opportunity to praise when appropriate and offer correction as needed. Attendance information is a must as it informs the classroom teacher as to which students may need make-up materials or direct teaching of the missed information.
To help with implementation and to reinforce the use of the form, consider including it in your Substitute Teacher Expectations document and reviewing it with every substitute before they sub in your building. Blank copies may be kept in the main office, in each Substitute Teacher Binder that every classroom teacher completes, and in a teacher's classroom. Making these forms easily accessible for substitutes supports compliance in filling them out.
Requiring your substitute teachers to complete a feedback form every time they are called to sub ensures that teaching and learning continues to occur despite an absence by the classroom teacher. In addition, your classroom teachers will appreciate getting consistent feedback from every sub, even if they can’t get the one sub that they prefer. Teachers will know that all substitutes are required to provide feedback in a similar manner and will appreciate your leadership in this area.