We’ve all seen the gifs and memes of teachers running out the door on the last day of school and trust me – I’ll be leading the way! But before I do, I am building in some time for reflection while the year is still fresh in my mind. (I recognize we’re all at different points of the year but the end of the year will at some point come for everyone). My reflection process has always been somewhat loose, primarily thinking through what went well and what I want to do better, but I wanted more structure and more specificity. This year I’m incorporating 3 tools for a more comprehensive reflection and review of the year.
1 – Student Surveys
I’ve been using student surveys for several years, and they are always so insightful. Students complete the survey anonymously so they have the freedom to say what they need to say. The feedback I receive through surveys is such a gift and not only helps me personally and professionally but also benefits next year’s students. When feedback is negative, I try not to justify or become defensive but learn what I can from it instead. When feedback is positive, I think about what variables may have been involved and how I can replicate these next year.
I revise surveys yearly – sometimes major revisions and sometimes minor tweaks. In the past, surveys have been significantly longer. Surveys will look different depending on what classes you teach and your demographics. Here’s the survey I used this year –
2 – Course Audit
At the beginning of the year, I began monthly audits as a way for me to see what actually happened in class each month and encourage other teachers. Sadly, this is something I didn’t keep up with through the entire year, but I did keep a virtual calendar with daily lessons which allowed me to conduct a year-long course audit. Looking back on the year has been beneficial because I can see places where we got unnecessarily slowed down and also places where I rushed through texts that deserve more time. The course audit will also be helpful as I think about adding new units for next year.
3 – Personal Reflection
Brian ended up giving me the structure I needed for personal reflection during a conversation we had when he applied my Glow and Grow writing feedback method as a tool for reflection. This format works well for reflection (I added a goal as well) but I still needed more specificity and ended up applying the Glow/Grow/Goal to different categories. This template allows you to revise for categories which are important to you and provides just enough structure for a reflection without getting too bogged down.
Barber 2023 End-of-Year Reflection
The review process has been a slow burn for me over the last couple of weeks and well worth the time I’ve put into it. The plan is to set this aside for the summer but return to it when I start planning in the fall (and by fall I mean July 24th when we return to work). I have no doubt it will be just as helpful then as it has been now.
How do you reflect on the year? I’d love to know!
Susan Barber teaches AP Lit and Writers Workshop/Advanced Composition at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as the College Board Advisor for AP Lit. In addition to reading, writing, and investing in the next generation, she loves watching college football with her family especially when Alabama is playing.
Feature Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash
