Look in the mirror. Reflection begins with self. - R. Barth, 2001
Compelling Question Response
Reflective practices by both teachers and students increase motivation, engagement, and interest in adolescent readers. By reflecting on my own behaviors, interest, and instruction, I developed a deeper understanding of my goals, tendencies, and beliefs about reading/literacy instruction. By empowering students to express their interests and feelings about reading, I was able to connect reading instruction with their interests and lives, understand their perspectives and emotions, and modify instruction to better suit their abilities and needs. This combination of continuous reflection cultivates growth, development, and success for teachers and students.
Reading in the Content Areas
My Reading Reflection: In ECI 540, my second graduate class, the first assignment I completed required me to create a reading autobiography, which allowed me to explore and reflect on my relationship with reading, and its development throughout my life. To capture my growth and feelings, I created a scrapbook, which tracked my reading experiences from childhood to adulthood. This assignment taught me the importance of continuous reflection as a way to evaluate our actions and feelings. Because of this, I now ask my students to complete a reflection questionnaire describing their relationship with reading. By doing this, I gain an understanding of my students' emotions, interests, and feelings toward reading, and they benefit by reflecting on reading in their lives. In turn, I can develop instruction to better suit their needs and interests. |
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Student Feedback and Reflection
"In order to make Reflection and Refraction work effectively, my students and I must have a rapport that encourages honest exchange. They have to be comfortable sharing their opinions, and they must trust me. In turn, I also must trust them, be comfortable revealing my teacher thinking." - Pope, 1999, p. 183
Student Reflections
Example 1: The following document is an interest inventory my students complete at the beginning of each school year.
Example 2: The following survey was completed by my students during my action research project using Google Documents.
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Teachers as Leaders
Background:
Teachers as Leaders furthered my development as a reflective educator through weekly musings, leadership essay, leadership video, and leadership project. These assignments required me to critically evaluate leadership in our world, in my school, and in me. In doing so, I found that successful, thoughtful leaders and educators constantly reflect on how to improve their practices. This component directly connects to my fundamental belief in life-long learning, my continued growth as an educator, and my desire to spark adolescents' interests in reading. |
An Excerpt from my Leadership Essay:
Above all else, a leader must be reflective. With the chaos of daily life, it is easy to move through the day without devoting much thought to analyzing decisions, lesson plans, conversations, etc. However, an effective leader examines decisions, results, and relationships with an effort to identify problems and create solutions or improve practices. A reflective leader does not settle; he or she is progressive, self-motivated, and dynamic. An effective leader in the classroom, on the athletic field, or even the president of our country, has crucial conversations to continue improving, growing, and evolving as a leader and person. |
Supporting Ideas:
"Teachers should be engaged in the intellectual work of continuous learning through inquiry and reflection." - Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009 "However, I have found that for me reflecting is not enough. It is what I make of this thinking that matters in teaching, the changes, alterations, adjustments I made that have the final impact." - Pope, 1999, p. 180 |
Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting. - Edmund Burke