Standard+9

Home Page - Standard I - Standard II - Standard III - Standard IV - Standard V - Standard VI - Standard VII - Standard VIII - Standard IX - Standard X **__Standard 9 __** **Teachers are able to evaluate themselves. ** //The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally. // Evidence: http://jfinnjr.wikispaces.com/674+Reflections <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Reflecting is constantly happening. During my time at Marquette, they taught us to reflect on everything, no matter how small. You never know when a reflection will lead to a revelation that could help you change a student’s life for the better. Interactions with colleagues, conversations with students, and lessons taught and learned are always reflected upon. Not every reflection is written down or typed up. Most are mental notes; some are actual post-it notes that go into the teacher manual or a binder for future reference. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reading through professional development books, viewing video’s that can be used in the classroom, and thinking about lessons that have been taught are all reflected upon in the link above. This was part of EDT 674: Learning with Technology. It is clear that some of the reflections indicate that there is more to be explored. Some reflections offer solutions, others lead to more questions. This is the process of how we reflect. Sometimes we learn a lesson from it immediately, other times we need to do more research into a certain field to think of a different strategy to try with our students. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">No lesson is ever perfect, there is always something else that can be done, something that can be tinkered with to make it better, or a new approach that is worth giving a shot. The makeup of each class is different from year to year as well. A lesson that worked well this year is not guaranteed to work well next year. There are different personalities and learning styles that all need to be taken into consideration when preparing lessons. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My reflections are sometimes shared with my students and sometimes they are kept private. In this case, the reflections were kept private, but the students were the beneficiaries of some of the discoveries. The two definitive things that came out of this set of reflections for the students were that writing circles were improved and spelling resources were increased. Both have helped the students succeed in becoming better writers and spellers. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reflections are constantly impacting my teaching. I trade my class with another teacher for science and she sends me her kids for social studies. I’ve already lost track of the number of times I have taught a lesson one way with her class in the morning and then altered it for the afternoon with my class because something needed to be improved. This type of reflection and modification happens on a daily basis. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The curriculum gets modified on a daily basis in terms of how I teach it. However, long term reflections also help plan for future years. This year, our grade level received a new math curriculum. We have made substantial notes on how to improve almost every unit for next year and because of those reflections, we will be working over the summer to improve our curriculum for next year. With those changes made over the summer, we will be able to hit the ground running as soon as our students arrive in the fall. Reflections pay off for the students, alter the way I teach for the better, and help to adjust curriculum so all can learn more efficiently from it.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">KSD **

**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9.K.1 The teacher understands methods of inquiry that provide him/her with a variety of self-assessment and problem-solving strategies for reflecting on his/her practice, its influences on students’ growth and learning, and the complex interactions between them. **

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Self-reflection on lessons, conversations, and interactions with colleagues and students all help grow us professionally. This leads to being a more efficient and self-aware teacher who can better serve my students.

**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9.S.3 The teacher seeks out professional literature, and other resources to support his/her own development as a learner and a teacher. **

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Throughout this masters degree program, and through a variety of professional development programs offered by our school district, I have read the latest research in terms of helping students set and achieve lofty goals, which strategies work best in the classroom, and how to improve myself as a teacher.

**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9.D.2 The teacher is committed to reflection, assessment, and learning as an ongoing process. ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reflection is a daily task that will keep happening year in and year out. It is the primary tool that helps me become a better teacher for my students and because of that, reflecting will always be part of my daily routine.