June 11, 2010
Schools all over the country are preparing to break for summer. Teachers are inputting final marks on report cards. It seems, for us anyway, that reflection walks hand in hand with these end of year rituals. Since we like to record our thinking, we both keep a reflection journal. We have found that a few minutes of reflecting on the past year can help us look forward to a new one with clearer purpose and planning. Our reflection journals contain a section for each block of our school day: Daily5/Café, Writer's Workshop, Math and Content (Social Studies, Science, Art, etc.) Reflections within these sections answer three questions:
1) What went so well this year that it is worth continuing next year?
2) What went pretty well, but could use a bit of refining to make it even better?
3) What didn't provide enough instructional 'bang for our buck' or help our students reach standard and should thereby be eliminated from our program?
Do you tend to be reflective? If so, we'd love to know what you're thinking. In fact, we'll be posting a survey next week that will be a venue for sharing your thoughts. Here are some guiding questions to get you started: What are some Daily 5 and CAFE things you'll change as you plan for next year? What are some Daily 5/CAFE things that worked so well, you'll keep them just as they are? See you next week!