Blog Post for November 2015

Text: You Only Have So Much Time

            This particular text only reiterated for me that reflection and reevaluation is the foundation for professional growth. It also emphasized that teachers, as a community, need to reflect on the reasons they plan their lessons the way they do, instead of following a formatted approach that balances worksheets and “activities”.

            One of the most insightful points that this lesson makes is that in order to hook our students’ interests we need to lead interesting lives i.e. not become trapped in a cycle of grading, lesson plans, and professional development. Many of my most memorable teachers were story tellers who told stories about their lives and their experiences. They also trusted the value of their experiences. Often, in the storm of required standards, keeping up with current research, mandated professional development, and coping with irate parents, teachers undermine their instincts and experiences and forget the importance of reflection. This makes an already challenging job far tougher and makes many teachers feel that their professional judgement does not matter. Given enough time, this mindset can corrode morale which only leads to teacher burnout.

            The other point that made me stop and think was the point the author made about using a majority of the time allotted in the classroom to teaching, allowing students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned, and using formative assessments. The last part of that statement resonates with this learner, especially today when students are subjected to an astounding number of standardized assessments. Formative assessments hold many advantages such as being a truer measure of student learning, subjecting the student to less test anxiety, and conducting multi-modal assessments. Overall, this chapter contained advice and suggestions that would benefit teachers at any stage of their professional career.