Every summer I sit and reflect on what went well the previous school year and, more importantly, what didn't go well. I ask myself:
What changes are needed to my classroom environment to stimulate a safe space for all students?
How can I continue to accommodate all learners in my lesson planning?
What units of instruction received positive feedback from students AND showed evidence of high levels of student growth and engagement?
How successful was I in teaching all the necessary standards?
What instructional challenges did I face on a regular basis?
What will I do to continue my professional growth throughout the school year?
How will I engage my students in learning activities that encourage student voice and choice on a regular basis?
The act of reflecting on these questions allows me to plan and adjust my practice for the following year. Based on my reflections from the 2018-2019 school year I have decided to make some changes to my practice that will allow for more student agency and provide easier to navigate access to monitoring growth and progress.
For the 2019-2020 School Year I plan on:
Continuing to build interest in reading by keeping daily independent reading time. This was mentioned by almost every student to keep (and some even wanted longer periods of time!).
Build interest in books by keeping a working recommendation slide deck that all students can access and add to. I used this in my Summer Learning Lab class this summer and it received great feedback from students, along with providing a repository of student-recommended books.
First Chapter Fridays - I started this at the beginning of last year, but quickly fell out of the routine. I want to be consistent with this from now on; however, I am probably going to just focus on reading an excerpt from a book on Friday's that I feel will make students interested in knowing more.
Building and maintaining a Class Site that will update regularly and will act as the main hub of communication for parents and students on standards of learning and classroom expectations.
Begin to make the switch to Standards-Based Grading and building student portfolios. (There will be a separate post on this later that will share my process and collaboration experiences to build this experience for my students!)
Become an ISTE certified educator.
Continue to build facilitation and coaching skills that provide teachers with relevant, hands-on professional development experiences.
Learn and implement restorative practices by blending with culturally responsive pedagogy and maintaining a trauma-sensitive approach with my students at all times.
Be consistent with allowing for student feedback and adjusting instruction to my student's needs!
What are your goals this school year?
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