It’s one thing to talk about how important it is to work on becoming a professional teacher, and it’s a completely other thing to actually do it. So that’s what I’m thinking about today. The How. And not just a how, I also have an invitation for you – read on!
The first step: Become self Reflective. It’s pretty easy to deliver a lesson and forget about it right after. I often find myself doing it. But let’s start NOT to. Instead, what would happen if you took a few minutes after your next lesson to think about it. To reflect and ask yourself a few questions:
- How did that class go? (Did I like it? Did my students seem like they liked it? How do you know?)
- Was I able to follow my lesson plan? If I didn’t, why not? What happened? If the class deviated from the plan, was it because of meeting a student’s need? Was it because the lesson somehow needed to change on the fly? Or was it because of poor management?
- Did I have objectives to meet for that class? Was I successful in meeting them? Why/Why not?
- Is there anything I could have done better?
- Was there things that went very well in my class? What were they, and why did they work?
Maybe you can think of a few other questions to ask yourself. If you do, why don’t you share them in the comments section below! (Hint, hint.)
Where could you do and store your reflections? How about using your lesson planner? After each lesson that you plan, what about leaving some space for yourself to evaluate how your lesson went? By writing down your thoughts, you’ll have a place to store new ideas, and a place to identify what you want to do next as a result of what you observed about yourself in your last class.
By writing it down, you’ll also be able to see how you develop over time. And that is pretty cool! I journal off and on. A while ago, I dug out a journal I kept 10+ years ago. The person I found in there, even though it was me, was a very different representation of who I am today. I could easily see how I had grown as a person from that snap shot of me then compared to how I think and act now. I saw a glimpse of my problems then and how overwhelmed I had felt about them. But the cool thing: I’m still here! At the time I had written what I had written I wasn’t so sure I was going to get through it. But I did. Development happened, and sometimes seeing that growth in print is pretty darn cool. So go ahead, give it a try with your lesson planner and see how you do.
My Invitation to You: Form a Mastermind group with me. Are you looking to build your teaching skills? Do you have skills and abilities that you’d like to share with others? Then let’s get together and work on perfecting our professionalism together. That’s what our workshops are all about. (Remember our next one is: next Friday, Aug. 5 from 10:00 -13:00!) Help us make this session rock: Are you having a hard time teaching a grammar point? Exam prep got you down? Whatever teaching question you have – send it. We’ll use it to help us develop our next session.
Are you ready for more? A mastermind group is more than a monthly workshop. It’s a group of people who get together on a regular basis to share experience, ask questions, and work together toward a common goal. Our common goal: professionalism as teachers. We’ll identify a skill or theme that we’d like to build on together. Then we’ll set up meeting times – and that can be online, face to face, or via email. Don’t think: ‘Time suck!’ Instead, think: ‘Major growth opportunity, time to get to know other teachers, and a way for me to become better at what I do.’
Are you up for the challenge? If so, send me an email or leave a comment below, and we’ll get this thing started. If you’re reading this, then please consider yourself personally invited! Hope to see you there!
(Photo by kennymatic)
