| The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally. |
Fall 2007
Self-reflection and self-assessment are critical to my growth as a professional and individual. When I look critically at my methods, practices, and strategies I can see what needs improvement. Likewise, things that I do well will be recognized and I can implement those techniques in other areas. "The teacher understands methods of inquiry that provide him or her with a variety of self-assessment and problem-solving strategies for reflecting on his or her practice, its influence on students' growth and learning, and the complex interactions between them" (Standard 9 Knowledge 2). Through these inquiries I learn how to transform my weaknesses into strengths which directly affects student learning and achievement.
Self-reflection is a form of assessment in that I continually evaluate my practices. I am “committed to reflection, assessment, and learning as an ongoing process" (Standard 9 Disposition 2). It is through self-reflection that I gain expertise. As I discover things through self-reflection I gain skills in not only methods of inquiry but more importantly in strategies for improvement. As students see my continual improvement strategies, I hope that they can learn from the behavior that I am modeling. Self-reflection is a necessary component in my life-long mission to become a more effective teacher.
Fall 2004
In order to grow as a teacher to a more experienced and well-rounded professional, I need to be constantly growing. Through self-reflection I am able to assess myself and recognize areas that need improvement. "The teacher understands methods of inquiry that provide him or her with a variety of self-assessment and problem-solving strategies for reflecting on his or her practice, its influence on students' growth and learning, and the complex interactions between them" (Standard 9 Knowledge 2). I need to be able to understand how my self-assessment influences students. The results of my self-assessment directly affect my students.
This is important because this is when the I attempt to improve upon my current weaknesses. "The teacher is committed to reflection, assessment, and learning as an ongoing process" (Standard 9 Disposition 2). The teacher needs to realize that assessment is a continuous process, much like expertise. Assessment is a process, not a state of being. It is important for the teacher to recognize "his or her professional responsibility for engaging in and supporting appropriate professional practices for self and collegues" (Standard 9 Disposition 5). So as part of being a professional, I realize that self-reflection is a necessary component in my life-long endeavour to become more professional.
I spend a lot of time reflecting on decisions that I have made and events in my life. When I reflect on myself I am essentially assessing myself. I feel that self-reflection will be a strength for me. I am able to look at the things that I do and understand why I made decisions based on circumstances.
Many teachers I have had in the past, I have felt have failed to reflect on themselves frequently. Many of the teachers I had seemed to have viewed self-reflection as something that needs to be done to get some paperwork finished or only when it was asked of them in one form or another. Other teachers I have had seemed to take time for self-reflection quite frequently. Those teachers who reflected frequently displayed a stronger grasp on their individual teaching style, and a more solid foundation for their teaching principles.