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Assessment is one of the areas where nmany yoga teacher trainings fall short.
While most teacher trainings include some sort of written exam at the end of the program and a practical teaching assessment, these assessments often remain fairly general. Students receive comments such as “good job” or “keep working on your cueing,” yet they may leave without understanding exactly what they did well or what they need to improve.
Thoughtful assessment need to do much more than determine whether a student passes or fails; well-designed assessments clarify the goals of your teacher training, help students understand what success looks like, ensure a standard quality of teaching for your graduates, and provide meaningful feedback throughout the learning process.
As an instructional designer, we plan assessments at the very beginning of curriculum development ~ rather than at the end.
Before creating a single assessment, ask yourself one question: what should my ideal graduate be able to do by the end of this training?
As you brainstorm, challenge yourself to get very specific. For example, my graduates can:
Every teacher training emphasizes different values and your assessments should reflect those values.
Rather than creating generic evaluations that could apply to any yoga teacher training, create assessments that measure the specific knowledge, teaching skills, and professional qualities that define your program.
One common pitfall of assessments is making your criteria too general, for example: did the student teach well?
The problem is that “teaching well” means different things to different faculty and there are no specific standards to measure. There is also no benchmark for “how well” that student needs to teach. Without a measurable standard, it is impossible to actually tell if your students has hit their requirement.
For example, rather than evaluating whether a student cued “effectively” (too vague), you might ask:
Specific assessment criteria help students understand exactly what they are working toward.
Specific criteria also make feedback much more useful because instructors can identify precisely where a student is succeeding and where additional practice is needed.
Rubrics provide one of the most effective ways to assess practical teaching skills. Each category on the rubric describes a specific teaching behavior, and each performance level defines what beginning, competent, and exceptional performance looks like.
For example, a rubric might evaluate direct language on a five-point scale (1=lowest; 5=highest).
When students receive the rubric at the beginning of the training, they understand exactly what your program expects; rather than guessing what “good teaching” looks like, they can intentionally develop the skills your training values most.
Rubrics also improve the quality of instructor feedback by encouraging us to be specific and measurable about skillbuilding. As teacher trainers, our responsibility is to identify the behaviors that create an excellent class experience. Rather than simply thinking, “Wow, that was a great class,” we are challenged to quantify the components excellence.
For example, a “great” yoga class may be characterized by specific measurables:
Once you identify those behaviors, you can describe and teach them to your trainees. Rubrics provide a shared language that allows instructors and students to discuss teaching with much greater precision.
Thoughtful rubrics also make difficult conversations easier. Occasionally, a student reaches the end of a teacher training without demonstrating the level of competency your program requires. Without clearly defined standards, those conversations become subjective and uncomfortable. With a well-designed rubric, you can identify the specific skills that still need development.
The goal here is not to fail students; our goal is to help every student meet the standards that your training promises. Ultimately, your graduates represent your school. Clear assessment standards help ensure that every graduate reflects the quality and values of your teacher training.
Teaching demonstrations represent only one part of a comprehensive assessment strategy.
Students will also need opportunities to demonstrate sequencing, anatomy, philosophy, ethics, and professional decision-making.
For example:
Each assessment should measure the learning outcome you actually care about rather than simply asking students to recall information. The best assessments ask students to apply their learning to their teaching rather than recite facts in isolation.
Educational programs generally use two types of assessments:
One of the biggest mistakes teacher trainers make is relying almost entirely on the final assessment.
Students learn more effectively when they practice the same skills repeatedly throughout the program. By the time they reach their final teaching practicum, the assessment should feel familiar because they have already demonstrated many of those skills several times.
Assessment works best when it becomes part of the learning process rather than a single event.
Small quizzes, short teaching demonstrations, sequencing assignments, reflections, and practical exercises allow students to build confidence gradually while giving instructors opportunities to provide meaningful feedback along the way.
One of my favorite strategies is also one of the simplest: give students the assessment rubrics on the first day of the training.
Students perform better when they understand the destination from the beginning. The rubric becomes a roadmap that helps them recognize what excellent teaching looks like and where they should focus their attention throughout the program.
Assessments are not simply a way to assign a grade; assessments are one of the most powerful teaching tools we have.
When assessments reflect the unique values of your yoga teacher training, they guide student learning, improve instructor feedback, and help ensure that every graduate represents the quality of your program.
Rachel supports yoga teachers and studios around the world to create transformational education experiences that help them thrive in their business, share their passion, and inspire more people to practice yoga. Her extensive knowledge and experience include: earning two masters degrees, authoring three books, leading 4,000+ hours of TT, building a teacher training college for a national yoga company, and working behind the scenes in yoga studio & teacher management for more than fifteen years. As a writer and speaker, she continually wrestles with the juicy bits of life: relationships, authenticity, and discovering meaning in this crazy, wildish world. E-RYT 500, YACEP, BA, MFA, MSci. Learn more about Rachel.
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