Education is essential to the proper growth and development of young children. In order to ensure that the quality of the education being received by the students in your school is acceptable, you need to conduct routine checks to determine if teachers are being effective.

Knowing what to look for as you embark on a classroom observation will help you effectively evaluate your teaching staff in the future.

1. Use of Time

One important characteristic that you should be looking for when evaluating your teachers is how each teacher is utilizing his or her time. Transitions from one activity to the next should be fluid, and the teacher shouldn't take too long to get each lesson started.

It's also important for teachers to give each student individualized attention. This can be done by walking around the classroom while students are working or checking in with small groups as children work on projects. Effective use of time makes a classroom more productive.

2. Participation Strategies

In order for students to get the most out of their classroom experience, they need to be engaged in the learning process. This engagement is achieved by having students be active participants in the learning process.

As you evaluate your teaching staff, take note of how each teacher encourages participation. Various strategies like calling on individual students, promoting small group work, and encouraging open discussion should be utilized to ensure maximum participation levels within each classroom.

3. Student Behavior

Another valuable component in any classroom observation is the behavior of students within the classroom. How students are behaving can tell you a lot about the effectiveness of a teacher. Check to see if students are actively volunteering responses to questions posed by the teacher and listening carefully to instructions provided.

You should also check to see if students are taking initiative and following directions promptly. If you see multiple students interfering with others, fidgeting in their seats, or speaking out of turn, these could be indications that they are not properly engaged in the learning process.

Evaluating your teaching staff provides you with the opportunity to help teachers make improvements that will increase student engagement and ensure the effective transfer of information. Paying attention to key elements during each evaluation allows you to determine which areas each teacher needs to work on in order to improve the quality of the education your school offers to each student.