Creativity and refletion...
I think the reflection part is a natural part of what you do as a teacher. If you aren't constantly evaluating the effectiveness of your lessons and how you are reaching kids, well...you know that isn't effective, but I also know that you all are fantastic at reflecting on your practices. I know that we talk about reflection in evaluations and there is a very great difference from teacher to teacher and grade level to grade level as to what reflection looks like, but I also know that reflection needs to be personal, so I don't really believe it is my place to mandate to you as to how you should formalize your reflection. That being said, I think it does need to be formalized in some manner because if you only "think about how it went" and then never make notes or journal about lessons, a year later when it is time to do something similar, the changes that you were thinking about in the moment aren't going to be fresh in your mind. Please share some ideas of how you reflect on your lessons. How do you know that you are improving your lessons? How do you judge the levels of improvement that are being made?
Creativity...
Wow! There is just so much that goes on here, I don't even know where to begin. Actually, one thing that we've been thinking about a lot and having much discussion around is the topic of integration, or a term that Beth Hoch through out the other day, which I actually like much better is "comprehensive teaching." Give an example of how you have used your creativity and the resources that exist in this building to put together a fantastic lesson that you really felt reached kids on a deeper level. I love to hear people sharing what they do so that others can piggy back ideas on what you are sharing and adapt for your appropriate grade level or subject.
It is important to reflect on your lessons either for what worked out to be a great lesson or what didn"t work so well. I guess I don't do a good job at reflecting when it comes to jotting notes down. I remember when things go well and I try to improve upon thta lesson each time. I also remember when lessons don't do so well and then I try to think of ways to reach the kids for a better understanding. I am having issues with that right now with trying to get the kids to understand evaporation and condensation and trying to get them to understand how they both work in the water cycle. if there are any ideas out there i would love to have them.
ReplyDeleteIn reflecting on lessons it is sometimes difficult as we have such different classes every year. I know one year I had a difficult time getting across a math concept to my kids. they just didn't seem to get it. So the following year I was prepared more to go into depth to get them to understand better than the previous year. But I didn't realize what a difference a class can be and they got the concept the first time around without all the extra details I was prepared to do. So your class dynamic really plays an important role in how well lessons are perceived.
As far as using the building resources I don't think I do a great job at that. That is domething I need to work on.
For me, reflection takes the form of notes in my teacher's guides, notes on paper I put in my files, discussions with my team and other colleagues, searching the net for better ideas,reteaching lesson (just to be sure), stories I tell my family about what went really well or really wrong,and ulimately lost sleep because I can't stop reflecting on my job. Luckily, someone had the good sense to tell me recently "You're over thinking it." So true.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Barb that class dynamic has an impact on our reflecting/teaching.
As for using building resources, I have gotten better this year at using our library time for project research. They come back excited to share whatever they found. Another idea Bethany and I are mulling over is a celebration if the Chinese New year, since we are doing Mulan. We've only briefly dscussed it but any other 5th grade teachers want in on this?
I can relate to what Barb said about having trouble jotting notes down about teaching successes and failures. I tried keeping a Reflection Journal, but I found myself wasting time trying to think of things to write and it seemed like a waste of time, after awhile. This year, I am writing things that went well, things that went poorly, and ideas for improvement on my guided reading lesson plan. Then, when I put the Intervention by Design teaching card away, I keep the lesson plan with the teaching card. When I teach that lesson again with another group or next year, I will be able to look over my notes and make changes in the lesson to make it more effective. If we want to make our teaching better, we need to reflect on it, but I think relection can take different forms and what works for one person may not work for another.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for all the resources we have in our building and district. I am thriled about the new SMART Board and mini-laptops in my room. I am hoping to create some really good activities for my kids to help them with their reading and math skills. I am still trying to find my creative side. It has to be there somewhere! :)
I have done some of the things Debbie mentioned like writing in my teacher manual, I also write on my paper copy of my actual lesson and keep these for anecdotal information. In the “old days” there were teachers who kept plans from previous years and used these plans-I never subscribed to this as it seemed so boring. I have always used notes in my manuals, on my books that I use for guided reading or read aloud lessons, and memory of what has or hasn’t worked in the past to rework lessons. Even though doing this helps Barb is also right in discussing the different styles of teaching concepts that works with different classes or different students individually.
ReplyDeleteI have been reflecting too negatively lately, and have found myself very discouraged. With weather, holiday, and testing I have been away from my students so much I find that the lowest students have lost a lot of ground. I don’t like excuses from my students, so I won’t use these as excuses, and have to find new strategies that will work for these students. With so many students demonstrating characteristics of reading disabilities I wonder why I haven’t found the answer after so… many years of teaching reading. I have found myself researching reading interventions more on the internet just hoping there is something more or different I can do. I think that I have an excellent relationship with the teachers I share kids with, and we have many informal conversations and strategy type sessions discussing our observations and what is or isn’t working for that child. I think working within the confines of someone else’s classroom has stifled some of my creativity, and I need to find new ways to let this show in my lessons. I think I was using building resources more efficiently as a classroom teacher, and this is an area I want to improve. I think recent access to a Smart board and laptops in my classroom will help me and my students. I am so happy to have them!
I just finished journaling and got on to complete Dave's question for the blog this week- about reflection and creativity! My most common and comfortable form of reflection is journaling- I have boxes filled with journals from the time I was in 2nd grade until now. It's not only a great practice to have as a teacher, but as a human- especially an overanalytical one (I'm with you, Kathy!). That being said, I also have a space in each of my lesson plans for what was successful and what I'd change/consider adding the next time I do the lesson.
ReplyDeleteAs for creativity- comprehensive teaching, I could not agree more with Ron Clark's statement about making students more aware of the world around them- mainly people of other cultures. And I try to incorporate my own travel experiences (living in St. Lucia, teaching in Africa, traveling to Europe and various places in the USA) wherever possible b/c I think students enjoy seeing the human side of their teachers, as well as seeing/hearing first-hand experiences. The topic of other cultures comes up frequently in music, and I usually point out whatever location I am referring to on a map- where it is in relation to us.
As I said in a previous post, I very frequently integrate other subject areas wherever possible- I might even say something like "Ok, put your math caps on," or "Turn on the language arts brains." Other times, the kids will just say something like "I didn't know this was social studies class," or "Is this gym?" Those are my FAVORITE times- because then I can point out- YES, music can be in anything!
Another comprehensive strategy I use it have a letter of the week for Kindergarten, and looking at instruments/musicians that start with that letter, listening for and singing the lyrics in songs that begin with that letter, doing activities that begin with that letter, etc.
As we've discussed in Integration meetings, the possibilites for comprehensive teaching are really endless, and one way to acheive that is with frequent communication among teachers of all grades and all subject areas, and mutual understanding and respect for what each teacher does.
I , like many others, believe that reflection of teaching can be done in many different ways. I also believe that every teacher reflects in a way that works best for them. When it comes to reflection, I do keep a reflection journal. The journal was given to me when I taught in the fifth grade hallway (thanks fifth grade teachers! :)) When I go back and look, it usually seems like I write in my reflection journal on days where I perceive that things have either gone very well, or very poorly. Although, this is not necessarily what I set out to do, it seems that these are the instances in which I usually reflect in my journal. Like many other teacher, I also use "post-its" to make notes in my teacher's manuals. I will keep these notes in my teacher's manuals to look at the following year, along with my reflection journal. Another informal type of reflection that I do on a regular basis (and I'm sure many other teachers do as well), is mental reflection on my way home from work. I have a 20 minute drive home, and almost every day (unless I am on the phone :)) I find myself reflecting on the school day- what went well, what didn't, etc. I feel like this is a quiet time for me to reflect, and it really helps me to enjoy my drive home.
ReplyDeleteLike Debbie B., I still feel like I am trying to find my creative side. I am so grateful for the resources that we have in our building. I know that we are very blessed to have all the resources that we do. This year, I am especially grateful for the SMART Board and mini-lab tops that Meagan and I have in our room. I am going to some technology conferences soon, and I am very excited to learn about creative and engaging ways to utilize these new resources in my classroom!
My family gets to listen to my reflection, and they usually offer pretty good feedback. I'm also experimenting this year with putting language & math lessons on the SMARTboard software so I'll have something to refer back to and build on in years to come.
ReplyDeleteI've been told that I'm creative, but I feel like I'm one of the least creative people around. Most of what I do, I borrow from someone else & adapt to my situation. I especially enjoy lessons where I can combine several content areas throughout the day into a comprehensive lesson.
I have kept a journal through the years, some years more than others, and usually quit part way through the year because of time and I was tending to focus on the what didn't "work" instead of finding things that did to encourage me. I might get back to that again. I also take notes in T. manuals & plans on the computer so that when I come back to it next year, I know what worked and what didn't and have to make a choice with the new group of kids if I think they will get it or if it needs a new approach. I agree with Barb that the dynamic of the kids in the room changes and sometimes the lessons do too!!
ReplyDeleteOne new thing we did this winter was work on a project with Jessica Brechbuhler. She came to me and asked me if we ever do research in 5th grade. Of course, we were just about to start a biography research/report the following week in Language Arts. So, we tweaked it a bit and she gave me a list of artists and we chose an artist and researched him/her. The kids had to choose 5 of their works of art to print out and research the artist as a person and their style of artwork. We incorporated the character traits we had been discussing in class and they were to include some interesting words in their writing about their artists. They are going to use that information to make a "REALLY COOL BOOK" that Jessica created for them to make in art class during Right to Read Week. This is still a work in progress, so I am hoping it works out well! We will see!
We (5th graders) also worked with Mrs. Ensign to work on a webquest about Christmas around the world. The kids searched about specific countries that they chose and the customs and traditions in those countries for celebrating Christmas ( or not!). They had to pretend a child from that country was coming to visit over Christmas time at their home and decide what traditions of their own they would keep and what they would change to incorporate their guest's traditions so they felt at home too. It was fun and they power points they created were pretty good!
Each week on my lesson plans I reflect on the previous week. This helps me think back and look at the big picture.
ReplyDeleteLike Kristy and Debbie B. I am thrilled to have the smart board and laptops. When I showed the reward movie on the smart board the students commented it was like being in a theater. I am also looking forward to going to the tech conference next week and hope to get some great ideas!
Of course like everyone else, I spend alot of time reflecting. This happens for me usually on the car ride to and from school. I am not really a journaler. If I think something went well or didnt I take notes right in the book or plan I was teaching from. I would have to say that it wouldn't matter if I wrote things down or not because I either take action immediately and do the lesson again in a different way or the next year I teach it differently anyway. I never look back at old lesson plans (even though I do save them). Each year, I go through my standards and yes some things stay the same but everytime I teach something I am researching and looking for new ideas on how to teach. I know I would save myself time if I actually hung on to some things but I would also bore myself! I don't know that I neccessarily agree that reflecting has to be done formally. As long as reflection is guiding what you do as a teacher and moving you to do it better.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I am continuously reflecting on my teaching, sometimes even over analyzing. Like Debbie and others, I try to write down what worked and what didn't work in my lesson plans. I also discuss with my team best teaching practices for particular lessons or just get their opinion. This year I have reused several lesson plans and SMART Board activities I have made in the past and modified them to fit my needs for this year. Like Barb said, the dynamic of a class can change from year to year. I think it is essential to always modify to meet your students needs. I agree with Danae, reflection is only beneficial if it allows you to better your teaching.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I do about reflecting actually comes from the students. Since I have students who are older I take the time and ask the students their opinion about lessons. This allows me the time to reflect in the aspect of did the students enjoy the lesson, did they really learn anything, and then reflect on the student's comments. There have been instances that I have changed how the lesson was delivered simply based on input from the students. I rely heavily on my upper classmen to help out with this type of reflection, but it lets me know if I was on the same wave length as the students.
ReplyDeleteOf course like everyone else I will reflect on my lesson that day and the class dynamics. Depending upon which period it is, I jot down notes to myself on how well the lesson went for each class. Somedays I am better than others at doing this. Then the next year I will look back to see what worked well with the classes and I go from there. I also look at what didn't go well and try and figure out ways to make it better for the following year. My notes are usually jotted down in my lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteWhen I teach a lesson I always try to reflect back on that lesson because know what I did the first time can help me to better the lesson for the next time. Because each set of children are different the way you teach the lesson with one group of children may not work with the next group. I feel that reflection is the key to an effective classroom. During my student teaching I would teach a lesson with one group of my students and because we switched classes, my lesson would change somewhat before the next group because of something that went wrong the first time or something that went really well. I know it is difficult to find the time but sometimes it only takes a few minutes to sit down and look at what was done. One way that I evaluate if my students improved or learned anything from the lesson is that review or discussion does on after the lesson. If I ask a question and good discussion comes out of it then I feel my lesson went well, now if I ask questions and the students stare at me blankly then I know that something did not go well or they way I wanted it in my lesson.
ReplyDeleteCreativity is always fun, I enjoy bring out the creativity in myself as well as the students. During my student teaching I did many different lessons, but I always tried to bring out the creativity in my students because it makes the whole learning process fun. During science class we were learning about the different types of soils, and during the unit they talk about the life of the soil. So I decided to have the students draw the different layers of soil and which animals live at each layer. The students did a fantastic job on the drawings using detail in their work and labeling the layers and the life that lives there. I also brought in an experiment were the students helped me layer the different soils in a cage and we took care of worms. We observed the worms each day and we could see how the worms lived, ate and moved throughout the soil. The students loved it, and because they were hands on activities and students really learned about the different layers and the life in the soil and were able to discuss this with one another.
I really like Danae's point about how reflection doesn't really need to be formal. I agree that probably all of us are constantly reflecting on our teaching, even if it isn't a formal, or written type of relection.
ReplyDeleteI normally keep a record of "my good ideas" that I want to remember for the next year and things that worked well with my students. I will ususally write them down in my plans first of things that needed changed or things that went well. I then go through and add them to my "good ideas" book. I have even typed out a list of things that I want to work on over the summer to improve for the following year. I do many different things to reflect on my teaching...but it is a must. We need to do it more often. Creativity: I love to take a big book and come up with as many creative things as I can to do with the story. I think kids need variety of activities and many outlets for their own creativity to flow. I love the retelling activities and puppet plays for the kindergarteners to express themselves in the retelling process. Being creative makes me a happy techer and hopefully a better one.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I do not keep a journal (even though my grandma has been telling me for years that I should!) I reflect by talking to other teachers about how my lesson went and seeing what they think. I also talk with my students and ask them if they enjoyed it or not. If they didn't, I know that there is something I need to tweak. I like to jot things down on post-its (I have post-its everywhere). If I like something, I will make a copy of it and put it in my binder to use for next year. If I don't like a lesson, I usually just throw it out. I don't want to waste my time on something that doesn't work for me or my students.
ReplyDeleteI try to be as creative as possible when teaching because, quite frankly, I just don't want my kids to be bored. I have made my own songs about various word studies from Literacy by Design that have really stuck with the kids. When we come back to those topics, my students can start singing the songs right away (which always puts a smile on my face!) :)
I try to reflect immediately after each lesson. This can be as simple as thinking to myself “that did not work AT ALL” or highlighting things in my book or plans that need to be reviewed or reintroduced. I also look at the types of questions the students miss on tests to see where I could improve for next time. I really like the grade sheets for the theme tests for Literacy By Design as it gives you a quick look at “oh, wow! this student missed every single comprehension question.”
ReplyDeleteJust last week, Amy and I created a spur of the moment project to help our kids demonstrate their knowledge of multiplication fact rules. They had to present posters to the class and explain the rule. I played a student who didn’t know anything and asked lots of questions to test their deeper level thinking. We used the Ellison machine to let them cut out shapes for their picture model of their fact. They really enjoyed this project and put a lot of work into it!
Like everyone else I reflect in many ways about my teaching. I have always believed what works one year doesn't work the following year.I use so many sticky notes in my teacher manuals, write in them as well. Every year will be different according to the diversity of my class. I try to reflect on What were the strengths of the lessons? What were my challenges as I taught the lesson. I need to keep in mind an understanding of children's misconceptions, effective and purposeful questioning techniques, use of materials and resources that support the students instructional goals and most of all did I meet students' needs. I have a form I use and keep that in my plan book.I use to journal but would often not have time to write because I was to concerned about grading and assessing learning. It is very easy to discuss with team members about a certain lesson and see if they may of had the same encounters I had.
ReplyDeleteDave’s questions- Week #2
ReplyDeleteReflection: When I was student teaching, I had to have a daily reflection notebook. At first I was frustrated about having to do it each day. After a while, I realized how important it was to keep and it wasn’t “just an assignment.” I learned from this process how to “talk” myself through what went well and what needs improvement. From that point on, I would make notes on my lesson plans. This way if I use the lesson again, I knew what I should use again, or how to make it better.
Thinking about “how do I know that I an improving my lesson”, I have not had much experience with that, but what I have experienced is how to learn how each class learns. For example, in 5th grade, not each class responded the same way to the same lesson. Some classes would respond better to coming up to the smartboard to participate in the lesson, while the same lesson the next period would work better in pairs. Through reflection in each class, this is how I know if I am improving my lessons.
Creativity: Last year we were working on weather. I learned so much on the smartboard so I tried to use this in any manner that I could. The students love the smartboard so I involved it from video streaming on it, to using it to take a poll about favorite seasons, to reading lessons where the students pull sentences to the correct pictures.
When reflecting, I concentrate on what didn't go well or what concepts the students struggled with. That way I can take immediate action or have a note in my plans as a heads up for the following year. Of course, I reflect on a day to day basis but I find myself reflecting the most during the summer. This time gives me the opportunity to look at overall test scores and see what skills the students really struggled with and try to come up with ways to make those lessons better. I compare those skills with previous years and compare them because every year there is a different group of students. I find note taking in my teacher manual and lesson plans to be most beneficial.
ReplyDeleteA creative lesson I have done with the students is a data project in May. The students collect, analyze and display their own data using a variety of graphs. The students use the Smartboard to collect data as a class, but then use the computers to make their own graphs using Excel. Every year I add something different to the project to make it more meaningful to the students. This year I am hoping to integrate economics into the project since we will be taking our field trip to Biz Town in May!
Kathy & Bethany- If I can integrate math into your ideas with the Chinese New Year let me know! I'm all for new ideas!
I reflect by taking notes in my lesson plans, putting sticky notes of what worked/didn’t work with this year’s group in that lesson’s file folder, talking with team members and having discussions or written feedback from the students. This is the first year that fourth grade has been able to utilize Smart Boards so I have been incorporating that into as many lessons as possible. I have also taken advantage of the lap tops in our hallway and that has allowed me to provide both intervention and enrichment to more of my students.
ReplyDeleteReflection: The most common way I reflect is by using lots of sticky notes! I have my chapters/content that I teach in separate binders. I have the History Alive program lessons, newspapers I use, “extra” sources for lessons, past student samples, etc. that teach a particular concept all in one place. In this place, I write notes or put sticky notes that might say, “needed more time,” “ students performed poorly on assessment,” etc. This allows me to know if more time is needed on that topic, and also allows me to make changes for the following year. I am also lucky to have such a great team of teachers that encourage discussion about how lessons went and how the 5th graders are performing. Since we “share” these kids we are also always talking about what we are teaching in the content areas and where we have found students struggle or succeed. Its great!
ReplyDeleteCreativity/integration/Resources: Since I am posting a little late, I am now able to share an integration/creative lesson that I did throughout Right to Read Week. Resources included: United Streaming video, websites, and Jessica’s talent and book about Art. I am so happy that we decided to integrate Art and Music into Right to Read Week this year! I have used Art and Music in teaching before, but I really did enjoy making it the focus in my classroom this past week. We researched Pop Art and Jasper Johns through a 10 min United Streaming video, books, and websites. We learned that in addition to other everyday objects, Jasper Johns painted maps and flags. Perfect for Social Studies integration! Although we didn’t exactly have the right median, materials, etc. we painted our own maps and flags. These are now displayed in the 5th grade hallway and I am so proud of the 5th graders! I overheard a conversation between two students. One asked, “Are we going to learn any Social Studies this week?” and another quickly defended how much she has learned! She was so excited that she learned about different US flags, state flags, etc. and that she got to paint what she learned!! I heard such positive feedback from the students and how happy they were, it just might be worth another day of those near death fumes, ruining more than one shirt, and the headache of cleanup. By the way, Jessica-you rock!