Evaluation of Ability

Why is being a reflective practitioner important?

Being a reflective practitioner is important because it allows you to grow as an educator, assess your strengths and weaknesses, and elicit feedback from the different populations you interact with. Growing as an educator should always be at the forefront of any teacher's mind. I once had a professor tell me that a teacher that is happy with everything they're doing, and sees no need to adapt, is a teacher who has fallen out of touch. If we expect our students to be learning every time they set foot in a classroom, we should expect the same from ourselves. And knowing our strengths and weaknesses goes right along with this. We must be aware of what we're doing well and what we need more practice with in order to see growth within our teaching. The best way to do this? Feedback from many different perspectives.

Which stakeholders will I elicit feedback from?

The stakeholders in which I will elicit feedback from (at least initially) are myself, my students, and their parents/caregivers. I want to be self-reflective because I know my content area, my standards, and the inside knowledge of the trade. I wish to receive feedback from my students because they are the ones who directly receive and have to learn from my teaching. And, lastly, I want feedback from parents/caregivers. These individuals know their children better than I ever will and may have a nuanced understanding on if my teaching was effective for them or not. I also wish to know how they felt about my communication throughout the semester/trimester/year.

How will the information from these stakeholders help me?

The information from these stakeholders will help me become a better educator in various ways. Being self-reflective will help me figure out what I liked during the year, what I want to change, and what I wish to throw out entirely. It will also help me think about the more technical areas like standards and theories and if I'm applying them effectively. Feedback from students will let me know what THEY liked, disliked, or wish was altered. Also, due to having a wide-range of feedback, I'll be able to see how my class looks in dozens of different eyes. As mentioned in the left column, feedback from parents/caregivers will give me a unique vantage point and help me improve my interpersonal connections.

Self-Reflective Feedback

I will want my self-reflective feedback to be continuously happening throughout my teaching. This can either be informal, like thinking about how a day went, or formal with something like a journal. At key moments of the year, I'd want to fill out the form above to critically analyze aspects of my classroom (i.e. end of semesters or academic years).

Student Feedback

Similarly to self-reflective feedback, I'd want feedback from students often as well. I think it would be helpful if, especially in my first years of teaching, I elicited feedback at the end of units. See above for an example survey of what this could look like. On top of this, I would also like feedback at those pivotal moments like the end of semesters or academic years.

Parent/Caregiver Feedback

Parent/caregiver feedback would certainly happen the least, but is just as important nonetheless. I think I'd want to elicit it during those key moments mentioned to the left. See above for an example survey I may send out to parents/caregivers/guardians. On top of this, I will always be willing and ready to take feedback informally through emails, chats, or calls.

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