Page 58 - EdViewptsSpring2017

Where is Your Blind Spot?

By Lisa DiAgostino, Supervisor of Humanities, Randolph Middle School,

Randolph

An article on bias made the to pride myself on an ability to ask closure. Even though I knew I still had
virtual rounds recently. good questions. Questioning skills much to learn about teaching and learn-
were the basis for commendation on
ing, I was sure I would receive positive
It discussed how nearly everyone nearly all my evaluations. As a high critique at the post conference — and I
believes bias is ubiquitous to human- school history teacher, there was did — along with a set of data that would
kind, but the overwhelming majority nothing I enjoyed more than crafting change me as a teacher and subse-
of people also believe that this verdict questions to drive students’ critical quently as an administrator.
does not include themselves. Let me thinking toward attainment of learning At the end of the meeting, he slid a
rephrase. Nearly everyone thinks objectives. My classroom was often piece of paper across the table titled
practically everyone is biased except lively and provocative. As a result, I “Observation Question Data Analysis
themselves. It’s called the bias blind thought I was Socrates. Form.” “I want you to reflect on this,” he
spot — an individual’s perception One morning, my new supervisor said. “We can discuss it at any time.”
of bias in self versus bias in others. walked in for an unannounced observa- On this tally sheet, he had marked
Reading this article prompted me to tion. He stayed for the entire 47-minute the taxonomy level of every question
recall the first time my own blind spot period, and I felt positive about what he I posed and coded it such that it was
as a teacher was made visible to me. had seen. I facilitated a sound lesson clear whether I incorporated wait time
In my third year of teaching, I’d with clear objectives, anticipatory set, and/or follow up questions. I scanned
developed a respectable range of chunked content, plenty of student grap- it quickly, pleased that of the 29 ques-
instructional skills, but I had come pling, varied assessment and lesson tions l had posed, more than half were

Educational Viewpoints -56- Spring 2017