4a: Reflecting on Teaching

Reflecting on teaching encompasses the teacher’s thinking that follows any instructional event, an analysis of the many decisions made in both the planning and the implementation of a lesson. By considering these elements in light of the impact they had on student learning, teachers can determine where to focus their efforts in making revisions and choose which aspects of the instruction they will continue in future lessons. Teachers may reflect on their practice through collegial conversations, journal writing, examining student work, conversations with students, or simply thinking about their teaching. Reflecting with accuracy and specificity, as well as being able to use in future teaching what has been learned, is an acquired skill; mentors, coaches, and supervisors can help teachers acquire and develop the skill of reflecting on teaching through supportive and deep questioning. Over time, this way of thinking both reflectively and selfcritically and of analyzing instruction through the lens of student learning—whether excellent, adequate, or inadequate—becomes a habit of mind, leading to improvement in teaching and learning.

Danielson, C. 2013

Artifact 4a-1

This is a reflection for my senior practicum class. Reflecting at the end of each week has been very beneficial. It helped me to improve on what I think went well, what I learned, and how to do better the next week. I will continue to take the time to reflect each week to help me grow as a teacher.

Artifact 4a-2

This is a reflection from my Literacy Practicum the in person part. I love being able to reflect and grow as a teacher. Taking the 20 minutes out of my day to work on my reflection and understand what I best could from the week. I will always continue to reflect and grow on my lessons and hopefully work on my behavior and see what I could do to become better every week.