What is it? Why is it important? In order to improve themselves and become better at what they do, it is critical for teachers to spend time reflecting. This means at the end of each lesson, teachers should spend time analyzing the previous class period. They must consider how their students received the lesson, which strategies were useful and which were not, and what changes should be made to increase the effectiveness of their teaching in the future. In reflecting, teachers can keep a journal, discuss their thoughts with mentors or other teachers, ask students for their opinion, or simply spend time thinking about the lesson. However, although it is important that teachers reflect frequently and consistently, it is crucial that they put into action the knowledge that they have gained so that the next time that they teach a similar lesson, they are better able to reach their students. What are they key elements involved? Accuracy: When first beginning to reflect, teachers may do so with flaws and reach conclusions that may not be correct. With time, teachers will get better at making accurate reflections, judging their own performance and how effective the lesson was for the students. Use in future teaching: If teachers simply reflect on a lesson and make no changes, they will not improve. In order for reflection to be useful, teachers must take action and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly. As with many things in life, teachers will become better at this process as they gain experience. How will I implement this component into my classroom?
At the end of each day, I will spend time reflecting on each lesson
I will write down at least three positive aspects of the lesson and at least three things that I can do better
I will periodically directly ask my students what they liked about the lesson and what they would have liked to be different