- Using your Mission Statement to Establish Classroom Routines - February 27, 2017
- Why you need a Classroom Mission Statement - February 21, 2017
- Not My Secretary of Ed (Why the butt that Occupies the Federal Seat Matters to my Classroom) - January 27, 2017
- CA politician discusses willful defiance, educational priorities - October 7, 2014
- Teacher-Saving Web Tools, Part I: Differentiate reading news with Newsela and Readability - October 2, 2014
- CA Bill Addresses Suspensions and Expulsions - September 11, 2014
- Teaching Ferguson: Resources for High School - September 3, 2014
- Meet the Parents: A Young Teacher’s Back to School Night - August 28, 2014
- Minimize Homework to Maximize Your Classroom - August 22, 2014
- The State of Education: Funding Control Changes in California - February 26, 2014
Be constructive, not critical. While focusing on the positive, you shouldn’t entirely disregard the negatives. After all, if we do not reflect, we cannot learn from our mistakes. But take steps to ensure that you are solution-oriented and constructive, rather than dwelling on tiny errors and bringing yourself down. I tend to work best when I write things down: if I feel bothered about a lesson, for example, I will write out ideas of what went “wrong” and why. Was the lesson appropriately accessible, given students’ prior knowledge, vocabulary, and skills? Did I scaffold appropriately? Did the lesson challenge students and push them to their “edge of competence”? This gives me a place to identify where the lesson can be changed before I try it again, and it allows me to make sure my instruction fits my students. This also makes me feel successful as a teacher, and growing as a professional in my craft.
To read tip #3, click here.
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