Chapter 12

Objective #5


Identify some ideas for guiding a teacher’s reflections on instructions with technology.

The key to this objective is that as a teacher you need to take time to reflect on the lesson you recently taught. After each lesson a teacher needs to review what happened during the lesson, identify both positive and negative aspects of the lesson, and assess if the lesson was successful in both engaging the students and achieving the goal of the lesson. The text pointed out that Mr. Wyngard (from the Snapshort section) reflected that his transition from a PowerPoint presentation to a spreadsheet allowed for the students to engage in off-task behavior because of the down time. This particular example is something that I often see during my own classes at a university level and furthers the needs that a teacher must reflect on the lesson after it is completed.

After reflecting on the reading from this chapter there is one question that keeps reoccurring in my thoughts: How will I know how to form my lesson plans? Specifically, will my school give me guidelines or perhaps a format to follow? Thus far in my education I have had multiple people throw different lesson plan formats at me to use for class assignments, but all of them appear to be designed to specifically include only what the instructor wants for the specific class. I feel like I am getting better at writing lesson plans for assignments, but I can’t see actually using the lesson plan in my future classroom. Overall, there is a definite area of disconnect for me in the lessons I am developing now and what I will use in the future. Basically, is there a general outline for lesson plan writing, or will I have to change my format each time I change schools?

In regards to my own future teaching I believe that reflection will not only aid my students, but better me as a teacher from year one to year two. At this point in my education I am still completely unsure of what to expect when I am in my own classroom, but remembering to always assess myself as well as the students will aid me in getting through my own uncertainty. I like the idea of making small, immediate reflections while I am conducting the lesson by using marks on my own notes or some sort of sticker or sticky note/tab to mark positive and negative areas. Teachers are often extremely busy throughout the day and it may be hours or even days before there is an adequate amount of reflection time available. By making small notes throughout the lesson or by having a system that can be used during class or subject change to quickly mark areas that need further reflecting could aid in the process. I think that if I can make notes throughout the lesson of areas that need improvement I could also compare that area to how my students perform on that area of their assessment. If I note that I may not have been clear enough on a certain section and then the majority of my students perform poorly in that section I will be able to connect my teaching to their understanding and make adjustments.