At the end of the year, many teachers like to give out student classroom surveys. This can help to shape curriculum in years to come. That is, of course, if you are a university teacher and have control over what is taught. However, even high school and middle school teachers can benefit from such surveys. The following is a guide on what you should include in your student classroom surveys:
- Ask Questions you Want the Answers to
Many teachers feel like there is some sort of format they must follow. This is not necessarily the case. You are allowed to use freedom in what you ask. But also use judgement. Be prepared that you might not enjoy the feedback that you receive on surveys and questions. So if you include a question, you must be prepared that a student will answer it honestly. For this reason, you should include questions that you want and need answers on.
- Use Open-ended Questions
Some teachers will use close ended questions to get a rating number. You can do this, but be prepared there will be some grumpy students that end up manipulating the results. All those one and zero stars can really make you look like the worst educator out there. If you have the option, just go with a bunch of open-ended questions. You will get better feedback because they aren’t based on an inaccurate grading system. Also, the students cannot just answer yes or no. Chances are, if the student didn’t like you, they will not even answer the questions. And if they give negative feedback, it will be easy for your supervisors to determine if it is merited or not. It’s just like in court when the answers are targeted to elicit details from witnesses. If the witness just rated the defendent, it wouldn’t really give the judge much information to go on. The same is with your written surveys. You will get better feedback with open ended questions. And students who really don’t care will not even be bothered to fill it in.
- Make Sure You ask about your Course Material
A lot of teachers make the mistake of only asking about their teaching style. They make all the questions so personal. However, when you focus on the course material too, you will be able to tell which students do not like the subject. If you are a Math professor and your students are disgruntled because they find the course difficult, you will be able to determine this. Then you can also ask them what they think would make it easier for them to absorb the material. Whether this is group projects or more in class help while working on problems, you will know pretty soon if you need to change the course material, or just the way you teach it. Or, you will just find that some students don’t like the subject at all, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. You can be the best Math teacher, but if the student doesn’t excel in Math, then that person might need a tutor, not necessarily for you to overhaul next year’s curriculum.