We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience. -John Dewey

Through reflection, we grow. Our attitudes change. Our awareness changes. We improve what we are providing our students. Our professional growth allows us to be better educators. This week I wanted to post some questions that we could ask ourselves at the end of the year to reflect and improve upon next year.

Let’s start with something positive…

What are some things you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

Did you help a student come out of their shell? Was there a specific lesson that went well? Did you try out a new strategy? Were you using more manipulatives? Did you start a new club? Or incorporate technology somehow?

One success I am proud of this year was providing the Crazy 8 Math Club to a school I worked in. Because of its success, the district will branch out the club to the other elementary schools within it.

Another success I had this year was providing an elementary school with its first World Math Day celebration. To read more about that, click here World Math Day.

 

What was the biggest mistake you made this year? How can you avoid making the same mistake in the future?

 

Was there a lesson that went terribly wrong? Tech issues? What were your bloopers of the year?

                                         How can we learn from our mistake, so we don’t sit in the chili again?

What is one way that you grew professionally this year?

 

Did you attend more professional development? Perhaps you wrapped up another degree. Did you read a good education book?

Amazon has taken all my money (don’t tell my husband). I love to read and I love to learn. Amazon helps support this hobby (or addiction). I’m not quite sure which one it is yet. I try to read one educational book each month. Yes, that is excessive. Even if you read one per year and get something out of it that you could implement in your room, it’s worth it.

 

I try to participate in online book clubs and Twitter slow chats. A Twitter slow chat is an online conversation about a book. One person tweets out questions and everyone else can answer day or night, you just have to include the hashtag. When I need a break from reading I often look for webinars to watch.

What is something you would change about this year if you could?

Was your schedule inconvenient? Did you bring too much work home? We can’t really control what life brings our way, but we could take steps to change how we deal with it.

 

What were your biggest organizational challenges this year?

 

Centers? Files? Games? Manipulatives? Google Drive/Dropbox?

This is an excellent time for you to think about how you would set up your room for the upcoming one and what system you want in place to make your day to day run smoother. Interested in ways to set up your classroom next year? Read What You Really Need For The Perfect Classroom Setup.

What has caused you the most stress this year?

Too many meeting? Amount of grading? Implementing new initiatives?
A teachers workload can be detrimental to the teacher and the student. Check out, Teacher Workload Is Destroying Education. Some things about our day are out of our hands, but there is a lot we could advocate to change that would reduce our stress and workload.

Take a second to answer these questions for yourself. Decide on one thing you can improve upon next year and tackle it. If you feel brave enough comment below with an answer to one of these. We’re a community of learners and can learn from each other.