Why should I reflect on my teaching?

As part of the EYE requirements, new teachers are expected to write quarterly reflection logs for their first three years of teaching.  But more importantly, a teacher who writes down his reflections is more apt to thoughtfully change and improve his teaching practices.  

In the blog post “9 Tips for First Year Teachers,” Dr. Monica Bomengen states:

“If there is anything I have learned through the Elementary Education program, it is reflect, reflect, reflect!  This is especially important for first year teachers because now is the time to truly go through each lesson, correcting and polishing—trust me, you will appreciate it during your second year!  Don’t ever forget to reflect on the good things you did as well.  Remind yourself that you are a good teacher, you went to school for teaching, and you can do it.” (http://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/post/2010/08/16/9-Tips-for-First-Year-Teachers.aspx)

Now that you’ve just had Spring Break, it’s a perfect opportunity to reflect on how the year has gone so far and set some goals for this year, and next year.  

Reflection doesn't always have to be a quarterly, formal document.   For instance, it might be as simple as using a post-it note to make a note on a lesson plan about how you might want to adjust the lesson for future years.  

What are some of the other types of reflection that you do that help improve your practice?  Please leave us your ideas in the comment section.  We'll get a little reward out through district mail for those of you who share!


Thanks for your hard work! 

The PEAKS Team




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