NEST to Soar Podcast

The Nest to Soar podcast is aimed at supporting new educators. Reflective practice is an important aspect of professional growth for teachers. It involves looking back at what went well in the classroom, what needs improvement, and what to change. Reflective practice not only enhances student achievement but also encourages students to reflect and grow. Ways to be a reflective teacher include asking students for feedback, reflecting on lesson plans, seeking feedback from colleagues, and recording oneself in the classroom. It is important to reach out for support and continue being reflective for a deeper understanding of content and a learner-focused approach. The next podcast will focus on closing out the school year and preparing for the next. Welcome to Nest to Soar, a podcast for new educators. I'm Emily Fenner, Instructional Supervisor for Coaching and Mentoring in Fauquier County. Nest is our new education support team. We're here to support you until you're ready to soar on your own. It has been a year of ups and downs, rollercoaster feelings, from the beginning of the year of anticipation and excitement, the lull in October and November, the reinvigoration after the holidays, and now to that final sprint of the school year. It is the final quarter, everybody's ready to go, we're getting students ready for testing, and it's also a great time to really work on our reflective practice. Today we're going to be talking about reflective practice a little bit. Reflective practice is the ability to look back and see what went well in your classroom, what you would like to do, and what you don't want to do anymore. The reasons that we want to use reflective practice is to grow as a professional. It's important to have a love of lifelong learner, to be thinking about what we can do to enhance our teaching practice, and what we can do to enhance our student achievement. Not only does reflective practice enhance student achievement, but it also encourages our students to also be reflective, and to think about what they can do to strengthen themselves and to continue to grow and take risks in their thinking. So you might be asking yourself, how can I go about being a reflective teacher? The first thing I would suggest is ask your students for feedback. That's a really easy way to see what's going well in your classroom, what students enjoy, what they think helps them learn best, and then also to figure out what doesn't work for them, or what they wish you would change or modify. A second really easy way is to go back and reflect upon your lesson plans. Look at the plans that went really well, those rock star lessons that you want to do again, and mark them and make some sort of notation. Think about the ones that just went flat. We all know we have those days when we have something so carefully planned, and it just doesn't go as you thought it would. How could you either modify those lessons or throw it out and start fresh? And then also the ones that are just kind of middle of the road, how are you going to tweak them and make them so that they are the best for you and for your students? Another way would be to ask a colleague to give you feedback. Think about something specific. Are you still struggling with transitions in your small group? If that's the case, ask someone to come in and give you specific feedback on transitions. If you're not comfortable with having someone observe you in your classroom, you can always record yourself. Recording yourself is highly valuable. It gives you such a different perspective of what's actually happening in your classroom. You can see what students you engage with, who is engaged in your classroom, how often you call on certain parts of the room. It's really eye-opening to see what your classroom looks like from a different viewpoint. And then last but not least, reach out. Ask your colleagues, ask your instructional supervisor, ask me. We're all willing to come in and help you and try to be the best that you can be. So as you're getting ready for the next year, I challenge you to try to be reflective. It will not only help you have a deeper understanding of content, it'll make sure that you're learner-focused, and it will also really give you a good advantage stepping into the new year. As always, if you need support, reach out. I hope you'll join us next year, or next week, for our last podcast of the year. We're going to be talking about closing out the school year, all the nuts and bolts, the things you need to practice, the things you need to know, and then move forward so that we're ready to go. I look forward to talking to you again in a week. Have a great day.