Reflective Teaching Questions: A 30-Day Blogging Challenge For Teachers
by TeachThought Staff
We’ve talked about “reflective teaching” before, and shared ways to be a more reflective teacher as well.
Well, through the work of Beth Leidolf and Justine Hughes, September is Reflective Teacher month at TeachThought. Beth and Justine have created a blogging challenge for you to take, share with your colleagues, and use as reflective tools for growth.
So, beginning September 1st, you’re on the clock. Make it a point to blog every day for 30 days, even if there are days you can only muster a paragraph. It’s not about the blogging, but the reflection. And the best part? Connecting with other teachers through the process–through the blogs and the hashtags and the RTs– to help get your year started off right–connected, and full of reflection.
By the way, you can find the Wiki communty they have started here!
Details
- Blog for the 30 days of September, 2014, using the prompts below.
- We’ll share a handful of posts per day, but we can’t share them if you don’t send them to us–@teachthought!
- You can also use the hashtag #reflectiveteacher to contribute your post to a larger conversation.
- Use it as a schoolwide, PLC-wide, or department-wide challenge. The more, the merrier.
- Set up a free blog through wordpress, blogger, or insertyourfavoritefreebloggingplatformhere now, so you’re ready on September 1st, 2014.
Reflective Teaching Questions: A 30-Day Blogging Challenge For Teachers
Day 1
Write your goals for the school year. Be as specific or abstract as you’d like to be!
Day 2
Write about one piece of technology that you would like to try this year, and why. You might also write about what you’re hoping to see out of this edtech integration.
Day 3
Discuss one “observation” area that you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation.
Day 4
Respond: What do you love the most about teaching?
Day 5
Post a picture of your classroom, and describe what you see–and what you don’t see that you’d like to.
Day 6
Explain: What does a good mentor “do”?
Day 7
Who was or is your most inspirational colleague, and why?
Day 8
What’s in your desk drawer, and what can you infer from those contents?
Day 9
Write about one of your biggest accomplishments in your teaching that no one knows about (or may not care).
Day 10
Share five random facts about yourself.
Share four things from your bucket list.
Share three things that you hope for this year, as a “person” or an educator.
Share two things that have made you laugh or cry as an educator.
Share one thing you wish more people knew about you.
Day 11
What is your favorite part of the school day and why?
Day 12
How do you envision your teaching changing over the next five years?
Day 13
Name the top edtech tools that you use on a consistent basis in the classroom, and rank them in terms of their perceived (by you) effectiveness.
Day 14
What is feedback for learning, and how well do you give it to students?
Day 15
Name three strengths you have as an educator.
Day 16
If you could have one superpower to use in the classroom, what would it be and how would it help?
Day 17
What do you think is the most challenging issue in education today?
Day 18
Create a metaphor/simile/analogy that describes your teaching philosophy. For example, a “teacher is a ________…”
Day 19
Name three powerful students can reflect on their learning, then discuss closely the one you use most often.
Day 20
How do you curate student work–or help them do it themselves?
Day 21
Do you have other hobbies/interests that you bring into your classroom teaching? Explain.
Day 22
What does your PLN look like, and what does it to for your teaching?
Day 23
Write about one way that you “meaningfully” involve the community in the learning in your classroom. If you don’t yet do so, discuss one way you could get started.
Day 24
Which learning trend captures your attention the most, and why? (Mobile learning, project-based learning, game-based learning, etc.)
Day 25
The ideal collaboration between students–what would it look like?
Day 26
What are your three favorite go-to sites for help/tips/resources in your teaching?
Day 27
What role do weekends and holidays play in your teaching?
Day 28
Respond: Should technology drive curriculum, or vice versa?
Day 29
How have you changed as an educator since you first started?
Day 30
What would you do (as a teacher) if you weren’t afraid?
Reflective Teaching Questions: A 30-Day Blogging Challenge For Teachers