Using An Observation Coaching Checklist to Provide Feedback to Teachers

Teachers need feedback to make instructional progress. This paper shares how a coaching checklist was used in five Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2014-2015 school year in an effort to provide teachers feedback and support their instruction. This coaching was paired with regular ‘traditional’ professional development paid for through a grant by Big Shoulders Fund in Chicago. The use of the checklist provided more specific feedback than a note-taking method of observation typically used in teacher evaluation. Anecdotally, teachers who wanted feedback and wanted to improve their instruction did just that. An added result was the support provided to the principals who are often more isolated than teachers in Catholic schools.