Reflection as an art: how to become a thoughtful teacher.

Constant reflection on your teaching practices fosters ownership and highlights areas for improvement. To improve my teaching, I've thought of numerous resolutions that go beyond habitual classroom practices. Most importantly, I decided to investigate the reasons why the majority of the students in my class are reluctant to take part in debates and interviews assigned to check for understanding. Such resolutions are usually made during the holidays and  dissipate once I have returned to the classroom. The majority of today's teachers are passionate about what they do. Yet, research contends that after the first few years of teaching, they begin to stagnate  in their practices. So it is easy for frustration to creep in due to making the same mistakes; and we often look for quick fixes. As Dylan William suggests: “Teachers are like magpies. They love picking up shiny little ideas from one classroom; taking it back to their classroom; trying it once, and then moving on to the next shiny idea.”Recently, I have recognized that regular reflection has remarkably helped me take ownership of my teaching and better understand areas for growth The vocation of teaching is a complex and multifaceted skill, and one never reaches  mastery. Despite the fact that this idea seems daunting and intimidating for some teachers, it  is actually one of the most exciting things about the profession. Regular recording of your thoughts is an effective way to track your progress and make informed decisions about how to move forward. Recognising this starts to clear out the burdens of stress and competitive pressure of the profession. Just remember: your goal is to be one step better than you were before. Try to think of one aspect of teaching you want to improve on and how you will do it. Consider the probable impact of any changes you’re making in the classroom. Picking a pedagogical focus for each half- term is a useful approach: last term, I focused on the impact of refining different questioning styles.  Track your progress: Regularly recording your thoughts can help you track progress and make informed decisions about how to move forward. Writing a diary is one option, or you might prefer to join the huge number of teachers sharing their ideas more publicly with online blogs (anonymous or otherwise). If you are dealing with stress, for example, recording your thoughts over time could help identify the source of the difficulty and what you might do to cope. Or, in looking at your students’ understanding of your subject, you might reflect on your ability to give clear explanations and then experiment with the pace and words you use. I’ve found that taking 10 minutes to write at the end of the school day is invaluable for  understanding the interactions between myself and my students Read around your subject: No matter how accurate your observations are, they can only go so far.  Fortunately, many available education books and a growing body of educational research can help to foster this more thoughtful approach to teaching. Last year, I decided to read 12 books to guide my efforts towards self-improvement. I had to make time in a full timetable, but the process helped me think more clearly about what I wanted to change. One book a term can provide a roadmap to stimulating reflection. As you read, you experiment in your classroom and consider the impact. It can be very motivating to see the small gains in your teaching as your repertoire of skills continues to develop.