Teachers have an important job, and if we don’t get it right, it’s our students who suffer. With different grade levels, different students with different personalities, and different expectations across schools, there is always room to change and refine your skills as an educator.
Taking the time to reflect on your teaching, your lesson material, and how you engaged with your students can help you recognise areas of improvement. Maybe you realise your students were off-task for most of the lesson because they did not understand the material. Maybe you realise you need to add or change some classroom expectations. Maybe you realise your material wasn’t challenging enough.
But you might also recognise some areas of strength. Maybe you felt your lesson went well and your students made some breakthroughs in their understanding. You might consider sharing your ideas or strategies with a co-worker. Finding things we are good at can boost our self-esteem and increase the love we have for our profession.
Self-reflection might be something you naturally do already. But if you have never tried it and don’t know where to start, you might be feeling a bit lost. The best way to start a reflective practice is to have some targeted questions to ask yourself. Here are some ideas;
- Was my lesson effective? Why or why not?
- Were my students on task?
- Which part of my lesson would I improve for next time?
- What were my strengths?
Remember, self-reflection is only the first step, so what next?
Make a plan, decide how you are going to implement those changes and what strategies can you use to improve your next lesson.
If your lesson was not effective. Try to supplement your material with other resources. Perhaps, ask your colleagues for help and advice. Makes small changes and collect the data to monitor your improvements and most importantly, continue to practice self-reflection.
Which tips would you give to someone who just started self-reflection?