Embedded Files
Welcome to our Asynchronous Module: Year-End Reflection.
You will work through this module by scrolling through this learning space. To expand documents and slide decks that are included, you can click on the gray arrow at the top right corner of each item.
Feel free to focus on the pieces of this module that are most relevant to your topics of interest.
Please complete the Exit Ticket at the end of the module. We will use your submission to track completion.
Please contact datafellows@eddirection.org if help is needed.
Click on the button to the left to open the note-catcher, which is mirrored to follow the content as it is presented on the Learning Space. As you navigate through this module, you are welcome to use this optional tool to capture your notes.
Refer to your note-catcher each time you see this icon.
Session Outcome: This asynchronous module will provide you with an opportunity to reflect on your work so far and make a prioritized plan for the spring.
Success Criteria: More specifically, Data Fellows will be able to:
Reflect on strengths and areas for growth
Set personal and professional goals for 2023
Plan how to meet those goals
Anticipated time to complete this module: 45 minutes
Introduction
Introduction
The end of a calendar year presents us with a time to reflect on our progress and set our intentions for the coming year. In education, this is an even more special time because we get a mini "reset" in the middle of the school year to come up for air before diving into the second semester whirlwind.
Part of being a leader, especially a leader in education, is remembering that you cannot pour from an empty cup. All day, you are in service of others. You are making sure principals have the report they need on time. You are planning another stakeholder presentation for the board. You are cleaning data.
This module is intended to provide you with some holistic reflection on your work as a Data Fellow and member of your community. It is also intended to be a calming activity full of reflection. Take a minute before you begin to close your office door (or find a quiet space), put on some soft music, and enjoy a little break from the hectic day-to-day.
Materials needed:
Note-Catcher
Cards that can be used to write gratitude notes (if desired)
Looking Back
Looking Back
Let's take some time to look back and reflect on this year. Be as honest with yourself as you want to be during this exercise -- you will not be held accountable to turning this in or sharing with anyone if you don't want to. There are some guiding questions below, but feel free to use the space in your note-catcher to reflect openly.
What goals did you set for yourself, professionally and personally, in 2022?
Which goals have you achieved or are on track for achieving?
Where did you fall short?
What is one thing you are especially proud of accomplishing?
What is one relationship you have built that means a lot to you?
360 Degree Feedback Reflection
Our first December asynchronous module walked through a process of giving and receiving feedback known as 360 degree feedback. If you completed that module and have your team members' feedback and reflections, gather it together now and we will complete the reflection together.
If you haven't yet completed that module -- that's okay -- you can either skip this section or complete the reflection questions using other feedback you have received and your own reflections about your strengths and opportunities for growth.
Feedback is the best gift you can receive from your colleagues, the opportunity to be recognized for contributing to something meaningful and impactful and the specific input to become a stronger version of yourself. However, it can be very easy to act defensively when someone gives you feedback, especially when you feel it may be hard to implement. The more you open yourself up to collecting feedback, the more valuable data you can collect. Through feedback and a spirit of continuous improvement, we can continuously strengthen and refine our practice. Learning from and acting upon feedback builds grit and resilience as we open ourselves up to growing and improving.
Consider this from the lens of an athlete. The first time an athlete attempts to make a shift in their play, it may be incredibly difficult and frustrating. It takes hours and hours of persistent practice to make the change stick. Surely we can all think of an experience in which we attempted something new and the amount of time, practice, and perseverance it took to finally gain confidence. We encourage you all to approach the implementation of feedback with an open and resilient mindset, knowing it will take persistent practice to truly master.
Let's take a look at the video below of a TED Talk by Angela Duckworth on grit. As you do, please reflect on the questions in your note-catcher.
Reflection Questions:
What resonates with you from this video?
How have you persevered over the course of this year through tough times?
How have you led students/teachers/administrators in your district to persevere?
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead
Now that we have reflected and thought about grit and perseverence, it's time for the best part of the new year: goal setting! We love this time of year because the possibilities are endless. Now that you've had some time in your role, you can step back and ask yourself about the goals you want to accomplish in this upcoming semester. Setting purposeful goals tied to your areas of strength and opportunity will allow you to continuously grow and improve in your practice.
First, let's quickly review SMART Goals. Read the article from Forbes on setting SMART goals in the workplace and reflect on the questions in your note-catcher.
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Achievable
R: Relevant
T: Time-bound
Let's take some time to set professional goals for the second semester. These can be refinements of any year-long goals that you have, or can be new goals based on the work you have completed so far. If you are just starting out as a Data Fellow and have not set goals yet, this is the perfect opportunity to do so.
Open up the document to the right. There are four spaces to draft SMART goals for yourself. There is also a place to add strategies and tactics.
Strategies broadly state how you will accomplish your goals.
Tactics are specific actions you can take to accomplish your strategies.
You should have 2-3 tactics for each strategy, and 2-3 strategies for each goal.
Gratitude
Gratitude
Let's return to this idea that we are unable to pour from an empty cup. While this is true, you may be surprised to learn about the benefits of expressing gratitude to others as a way to fill your own cup.
Read this piece on gratitude by Dr. Brené Brown (there is also a video if you would rather watch). As you do, think about ways you invite gratitude in to your life and the relationship between gratitude and joy.
Reflect on the following quote in your note-catcher:
"It is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful."
Expressing Gratitude
As a way to end this module, our last asynchronous module for 2022, we invite you to share gratitude with others who have made an impact in your role as a Data Fellow. This can be your direct manager, your RSSP team, your principals, or any of your colleagues in our Data Fellow cohort. You can choose your own adventure on how you want to express this gratitude:
Option 1: Hand-Written Notes
Make a list of those you want to write to
Draft a specific example of a way in which this person helped or contributed to your work
Write and deliver your notes
Option 2: Electronic Notes
Make a list of those you want to write to
Draft a specific example of a way in which this person helped or contributed to your work
Consider sending an electronic card, or use e-mail or any internal means of communication to pass along your gratitude.
Module Complete!
Module Complete!
Congratulations on completing the module. Please complete the Exit Ticket form by clicking on the link above. We will use the information you submit to track your completion.
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