The Quality Teacher: Tip#1 Reflection

We all know that the stakes can get no higher as a teacher. The topic of the quality of teaching is more popular than ever! Everyone has an opinion of what that looks like. And guess what? I have my own ideas as well. So I've decided to share them with you. I'll be sharing one at a time. 

The first thing I feel a quality teacher possesses is the the ability to reflect on their practice. Picture this...

A pro baseball player has a hot streak. He is batting .365 (that's good in case you're not a baseball fan) from the beginning of the season all the way to the spring all star break. He comes back from the break and goes into a slump. He is striking out, swinging at terrible pitches, and his batting average tanks too. He gets with his batting coach and together they look back at what went wrong. They look back at video footage and see what about his swing is working and what is not. They do tweaking to his swing. He goes back to the base and gives it a try. If he continues this process, eventually he'll find that sweet spot once again. 

This scenario is fairly common in baseball. The art of reflection is what propels change. It is what moves you forward. As a teacher you have to constantly reflect on what went well and what didn't. You have to tweak things. Reflection begins with these questions:

1: Did almost my whole class get it and a few didn't or vice versa? If most didn't, I need to make major changes.

2: What was the level of engagement? Was it high? Do I need to change something to have them further engaged?

3: What was their level of understanding as the lesson progressed?

4: Was the day mostly positive or negative? What contributed to each?

5: What lessons were grand slams and which were strike outs?

These are just a few questions amongst a million you could ask yourself.  This may seem like it's the obvious thing to do, right? You'd be surprised!!! You'd be surprised at how many teachers show up year after year doing the same lessons! What if they are strike out lessons and they are being repeated? What is the student performance going to end up like? Reflection is a serious matter! 

My suggestion is to get yourself a journal. It doesn't need to be a fancy schmancy journal. Get one of those black and white ones that are on sale at Walmart at the beginning of the school year. For $2, you can change your classroom drastically. Dedicate one school year to reflecting. Do it after school each day. It doesn't need to be long. Spend 10 minutes to reflect on your day. Do this for one school year and just watch your progress. :)