There are many things on our teacher end of year to-do
list, from cleaning our classrooms to completing the final assessments and
report cards, our to-do list grows longer each day. Even
though we work hard to check everything off of our to do lists, adding this one
more thing to your list will be the best thing you do all year! (Click HERE for end of year read alouds ideas and freebies.)
One non-negotiable that should be on every teacher's
end of year to do list is reflecting on the school year. Reflecting is such an
important part of being a teacher. By being reflective thinkers we are able to
hone our teaching skills, perfect our strengths, and set goals for the upcoming year to further improve ourselves as educators. I use a three step reflection process to help me truly understand how the year went. I begin by reflecting on myself, I ask my students to reflect on their year, and I ask their parents to reflect on the year as well. By gathering invaluable information from my students and their families
in the form of reflections, I can gain invaluable perspectives about the
classroom community I am building, the lessons that I teach, and the projects that
I assign.
Quick Teacher Tips:
1. Have parent and students complete reflection pages
anonymously.
2. Stay positive about all reflections, they are meant
to help us refine our skills. Do not get upset with suggestions from students or parents. Use their feedback in preparing for your upcoming year to make improvements.
3. After reading the submitted reflections from
parents and students, make a checklist of three things to focus on changing or
modifying for the next school year. We can not work on everything, so select the top three that you want to focus on improving.
Try this: Reflect monthly on your teaching
practices. Then at the end of the year reflect on your monthly reflections. This will make reflecting on your teaching practices at the end of the year much easier.
Reflecting is a simple way to set goals and improve your teaching practices. It also sets a focus for upcoming PD you may wish to attend. Be sure to add reflecting on your end of year to do list. Make your own reflection forms that reflect how you ran your classroom, or grab the set that I use for FREE at the bottom of this post. You will love reading the reflections from your students and
their families. Enjoy the end of the year with your students!
(Want more ways to involve your students' families into your classroom as the school year draws to end? Click HERE.)
(Want more ways to involve your students' families into your classroom as the school year draws to end? Click HERE.)
How do YOU reflect on your teaching practices? Share below!
Check out these other FREE and EASY to implement ideas to end your school year with a bang!
Click the picture below for more engaging end of year activities!
Check out these other FREE and EASY to implement ideas to end your school year with a bang!
Beach Ball Boogie STEM Challenge // Kerry Tracy
End of the Year Review Game // The Owl Teacher
Ending the School Year with a Slideshow // Mikey D Teach
Word Work End-of-Year Celebration // Reading by Heart
"This Year is In the Bag" Reflection & Share-a-Bration! // Tarheelstate
Teacher
Making Memories at the End of the School Year // Love Learning
Tried & True Solution for End of Year Teacher Tired // Tried and True Teaching Tools
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