More on Reflection

I finished reading the book Teaching for Biliteracy by Karen Beeman and Cheryl Urow.  I felt Chapter 3 reinforced a previous Esperanza BLOG entry on the importance of reflection. 

Chapter 3: Teachers: Capitalizing on Life Experiences and Diversity

• The cultural and linguistic background of teachers affects their understanding of students and their interpretation on how to instruct in Spanish and English.
• All teachers of Spanish literacy require specific professional development on how to teach literacy in Spanish in the U.S.
• Literacy learning is enhanced when teachers are reflective and aware of their own strengths and challenges.

Teachers need to engage in ongoing professional development and collaborate with other teachers. True collaboration requires trust, flexibility, and shared philosophy. To prepare for collaboration teachers need to reflect on their own experiences and professional development.

The more teachers reflect on their practice, the better they teach. Keeping a journal is one effective way for individual teachers to keep a consistent focus on their practice. Journaling can start by asking these three questions:

1. What went well? Why?
2. What surprised me? Why?
3. What do I want to improve? Why?