Mentored Self-Appraisal

Choosing a mentor (early Feb)
Choose a mentor from the list provided and approach them to be your mentor for the year. If they are unavailable you may have to choose someone else, so don’t wait too long. Your mentor should ideally be someone you trust talking to about your professional development, and someone who can add value to your teaching.

Your mentor’s job will be to guide you through the reflection and self appraisal process. They will not be appraising you: you will be appraised by your HOD in the case of your teaching appraisal, the Head of Sport or Culture in terms of your co-curricular involvement and by one of the Exec in terms of your managerial roles. You will also complete a self appraisal under the guidance of your mentor

Starting up (mid-Feb)
Create an electronic journal, probably a word document, into which you will write your reflections. Begin your journal by listing each of your KPAs under the headings Teaching, Co-Curricular, Managerial. Then set yourself professional goals for the year (at least one per KPA). Your goals are entirely up to you. Some ideas from which you may wish to draw are listed below


 * Classroom practice eg using Internet in the class; varying mediums, relationship with pupils
 * Professional development
 * Linking of teaching to outside world eg meeting other experts, visits, giving conference presentations, setting assessment opportunities for parents
 * Development of other colleagues (if you are an HOD)
 * Observing colleagues’ lessons and learning from them
 * Extramural goals
 * Improving assessment methods and records

Meet your mentor (late Feb)
Email your goals and KPAs to your mentor and set up a meeting (15-20 mins) to discuss your goals and KPAs. You may decide to add to or change your goals after this meeting, but it is your decision.

The journal process (Mar – Oct)
The purpose of keeping an electronic journal is to encourage you to reflect on your performance and to revisit your goals on a regular basis throughout the year. Your writing style is not important; what is paramount is the process of reflection and recording your progress (or frustration).


 * Write in your journal as often as you like, but at least once every two weeks.
 * Email your journal to your mentor as often as you wish but at least once in term 2 and once in term 3 (after receiving one/more appraisals).
 * Meet your mentor each term and discuss your journal reflections, your appraisals and your thoughts about your progress and your performance over the term. Amend your goals if you need to, but discuss this with your mentor first.

Finishing off (early Nov)
Finish your journal reflections in October and evaluate your own progress in a self appraisal report. Email your journal and your report to your mentor and meet him or her.


 * The mentor reads your report and approves it as is or makes suggestions for what else should be included. Remember that this is a self appraisal and your mentor is there to help you accomplish that. The idea is that the report comes from you not from your mentor.
 * Both the teacher and the mentor sign this document, which is handed in to the person who is doing your appraisal.

An example of a journal is set out below


 * Self Appraisal Journal for A Teacher
 * Year: 2009
 * Mentor: Ms NE Mentor
 * KPAs
 * Teaching:
 * Gr 12 Life Sciences
 * Gr 11 Pure Maths
 * Gr 10 Life Sciences
 * Assessment
 * Records
 * Setting and carrying out
 * Professional Development
 * Co-Curricular
 * Golf
 * Public Speaking
 * Boys’ Tennis
 * Grade Tutor
 * Goals
 * Teaching
 * Revise curricula in KPA 1.1 and 1.3
 * Introduce use of technology in 1.2
 * Redesign practical component of 1.3
 * Visit 3 teachers during the year, see what I learn.
 * Assessment
 * Redesign mark book as per AS’s and LO’s
 * Hand back tests within 3 days
 * Give oral feedback after summative assessment pieces
 * Record formative assessment pieces
 * Professional Development
 * Attend IEB Conference
 * Attend Gr 12 Cluster for 1.1
 * Complete Moderators Course
 * Co-Curricular
 * Introduce professional coaching clinics in 4.1 and 4.3
 * Develop northern area league to avoid travelling long distances for fixtures
 * Get sponsors for Sun City Tour in 4.1
 * Grade Tutor
 * Focus on uniform term 1, hair term 2 and work ethic term 3
 * Meeting with each pupil for 10 minutes once per term
 * Keep written records of interventions and follow up of red flagged pupils
 * Introduce buddy system
 * JOURNAL TERM 1
 * 12 Feb: Have revised the curriculum and year plans for 1.1 and 1.3 but will need to look at whether the time allocations for sections are insufficient . Was unable to link up with the gr 12 maths cluster group as they cancelled feb 3rd meeting. Conference was worthwhile but rushed, must remember to attend more of the break up sessions in future….maybe request all staff in dept attend to cover more sessions and report back to each other. Found excellent resources for setting prac exams on website suggested by PON. Have managed to source a tennis professional to give two sat coaching sessions...but the budget was insufficient...remember to adjust 2009 budget to allow for this. Have already met with 15 of the pupils in the grade, new pupils seem to be doing well. Visited GEK class, like the way he deals with latecomers (instant break detention), think I will do this too for a while in my classes. Very frustrated by lack of time ito grade tutor responsibilities, need to prioritise in this area.
 * 22 Feb: Did a lesson on Genetic Engineering which pupils really enjoyed. Need to consider setting a project on this next year. Maths cycle test was a disaster….way too long. Need to get advice from PI on how to avoid this in future……etc etc
 * JOURNAL TERM 1
 * 12 Feb: Have revised the curriculum and year plans for 1.1 and 1.3 but will need to look at whether the time allocations for sections are insufficient . Was unable to link up with the gr 12 maths cluster group as they cancelled feb 3rd meeting. Conference was worthwhile but rushed, must remember to attend more of the break up sessions in future….maybe request all staff in dept attend to cover more sessions and report back to each other. Found excellent resources for setting prac exams on website suggested by PON. Have managed to source a tennis professional to give two sat coaching sessions...but the budget was insufficient...remember to adjust 2009 budget to allow for this. Have already met with 15 of the pupils in the grade, new pupils seem to be doing well. Visited GEK class, like the way he deals with latecomers (instant break detention), think I will do this too for a while in my classes. Very frustrated by lack of time ito grade tutor responsibilities, need to prioritise in this area.
 * 22 Feb: Did a lesson on Genetic Engineering which pupils really enjoyed. Need to consider setting a project on this next year. Maths cycle test was a disaster….way too long. Need to get advice from PI on how to avoid this in future……etc etc