Am I a better teacher now than I have been at any other point in my career?
Have I let go of any teaching practices that I should have maintained, either through lack of time or over confidence?
Am I continuing to develop as a teacher and a learner or have I reached a plateau?
These are questions that I have been mulling over since my last blog post. By striving to become more reflective I have naturally been considering my learning path to date. Along the journey I have gained vital experience in teaching and learning, but when I look back, I can't help but think about the period of time where my own professional development as a teacher was at its steepest incline. This would be during my PGCE (teacher training ) in the UK and during my NQT year (first year out).
At this point in time, between the period of 2002-2004, I was in the strange position of being both a learner and a teacher at the same time. The growth in this period was vast. The hours of planning lessons meticulously, making resources, watching other teachers, trying to pick up techniques, evaluating every single lesson, discussing my evaluations on a weekly basis with mentors, then peers, then seminar leaders.
Im glad to say that my meticulous planning is something that I have maintained over the years. I also, still constantly make resources that are developed with the focus on specific learning outcomes, classes, groups or individuals. These are of a much better quality now, due to a developing confidence using ICT and the invaluable resource that is YouTube.
I cannot recall the last time I took the opportunity to sit and watch an experienced teacher in their element. I also, cannot recall the last time I sat down and physically wrote a detailed evaluation of every lesson that I taught in that day.
Informally I observe staff members around the school. I may catch some glimpses of teaching practice as I wander from room to room focusing on my own tasks, but this is coincidental.
Most teachers will express that they engage in reflective practice after lessons, what went right, what went wrong, what would I change and why, I know I do. The practice of getting this down on paper (or virtual paper) and discussing these with others seems to have drifted away though.
Looking back at my initial steps into teaching, one of the main reasons for my rapid growth as a teacher was the observation of my mentor, evaluating every single lesson I taught and then discussing it with those with experience and those who are on the same journey. I did not value the act of writing my evaluations at the time, picking over the bones and getting it down on paper seemed superfluous, but in hindsight it was vital.
Writing down my lesson evaluations at the end of each day allowed me to analyse everything that had occurred, make connections, consider how I could use this experience in the future.
Knowing that each evaluation was for an audience made me consider them a lot deeper.
Regularly and formally discussing my reflections with others allowed me to gain different points of view, advice on possible solutions or improvements, confidence in my own abilities.
The reflective practice I engaged in during this period shaped me as a teacher. It also gave me a strong connection to the students that I was teaching. I was very much a learner, although the exact nature of what I was going to learn each day was uncertain.
Whenever I discuss my PGCE with others I always say that I was very lucky to have had the amazing mentor that I did, Mr Ian Fortune. He was a great teacher to observe and we engaged in valuable discussions about my reflections in order to make me a better teacher and a learner. Having completed my 'introduction to teaching' years the first few things that slipped out of my practice were arguably the two things that were most vital to my development; formal reflection and observation.
So..... having considered my three questions that started this post I feel that I do need to reintroduce some of those vital teaching practices into my daily routine. I am making a commitment to myself to formally reflect on my learning and lessons, actively seek discussion about my reflections and my lesson planning/delivery and also observe my peers regularly for my own development.
This will only make me a better teacher, a better learner and a better mentor to my students who I encourage to engage in reflective practice of their own.
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