Teach, Reflect, Learn

Book excerpt: “It’s not the doing that matters; it’s the thinking about the doing,” said John Dewey. As a teacher, you work hard to make a positive difference in the lives of your students. But this kind of progress doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen accidentally. It’s the result of intentionality, planning, effort . . . and thought. The difference between learning a skill and being able to implement it effectively resides in your capacity to engage in deep, continuous thought about that skill. In other words, recognizing why you do something is often more important than knowing how to do it. To help you deepen your thinking and reflect on your capacity as an educator, Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral return to the Continuum of Self-Reflection, which they introduced to coaches and administrators in their best-selling Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success, and redesign its implementation so you can take charge of your own professional growth. In these pages, you’ll find tools specifically made to enhance self-reflection on professional practice, including the Continuum of Self-Reflection and the Reflective Cycle. You’ll be able to assess your current self-reflective tendencies, identify opportunities to reflect on your instruction, and begin to forge a path toward continuous growth and educational excellence.