The Art of Teacher Reflection:

A Visual JourneyBy Ginia Gowin

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

~ Louisa May Alcott

The following is a summative assessment of my journey through The Art of Teacher Relfection. Each image was created using the text in my blog posts and is represents the progression of my reflective process. The assessment contains six parts, with divisions between shifts in perception and thematic

changes. From beginning to end, this journey has created space for change and inspired the evolution of my teaching process, which will continue to be a reflective process.

Part 1: Beginning Reflections

Considering the qualities of great teachers, the following themes emerged:

Teaching is more than a career, it is my opportunity to express myself creatively and share my passion for communication with

others. This image is a true representation of what I strive to be and achieve, and the qualities I aspire to have. Although understanding is the focus, I interpret this to mean many things; understanding for my students and understanding for myself are pentacle. Teaching is not easy or simple, which is represented in the use of words like, “help”, “cry”, and “mistakes”. Deeper meaning emerges for me when I focus on the small words. This image is an accurate metaphor for how I felt at the beginning of this course, willing to do the work to improve my craft, but reserved with my own doubt and insecurities.

An objective view of my teaching reveals an emphasis on students and material:

I struggled with the concept of an objective point of view, which is represented in the image. Although the article did not resonate with me initially, I was able to glean some meaning from the perspective. Looking closely at the image above, I notice my language is primarily

formal and focuses on educational terms. I believe my word choice reflects the struggle I had relating personally with objectivism. With reflection, I realize my uneasiness with the text comes from a fearful place. The responsibility of myself as an all encompassing, guiding force for others is overwhelming. But I now realize that my role is this heavy, this important, whether I am open to the idea or not. In the classroom and outside of the classroom, my influence is great, and it is a great privilege to be able to join so many people on their journey. Realizing that my role is great, but shared with numerous

others has helped me be more open to objectivism.A reflective view of my teaching reveals an emphasis on students and teaching:

I notice a shift at this point in my reflection. My focus was initially on myself and my teaching, but now becomes more student-centered. Reflection now joins the central theme, and thinking

has more emphasis than subject area. I found it interesting that “grade” is a prevalent word because I did not address the issue of having to grade students in the traditional way even though my perspective is evolving. Although I thought about the idea of changing my grading process, I did not address it in my posts. How interesting how it appears in the forefront of this shift.

Part 2: Reflecting on Values

Emphasis on students:-confidence-experience-interaction-creativity

My attention is shifting at this point in my process as my focus encompasses my formal work and my values as an educator. The language in this image is more involved, the text is lengthy, and I interpret this to be a sign of confidence. Within the context of teaching, I began

considering my values, and the idea of trusting my creativity as a guide rather than using it as a tool in my work began to grow. I am drawn to the footprint shape of this image and view it as a metaphor for the shift in my focus. With this post, I began to initiate a change in my perception; I could approach my work differently. Previously, I thought change meant doing things differently, but this shift opened me to perceiving things differently. Just understanding what I value will inspire me and lead to better teaching. Integrating traditional values with a more progressive approach:

Within this image, I see my approach to teaching evolving. My traditional values are present, but a different approach appears through my elaboration and word choice. Reflection is creating a broader perspective, causing me to notice my thinking and my process and even affecting my perception of my role in the classroom. The image is a metaphorical pothole for me. With this post, I become aware

of my voice; I begin seeing and listening.

Realizing a change in process:-Student-centered curriculum-A reflective approach to

learning

I noted a shift in my perception previously, but this image emphasizes a shift in process. For the first time I interpret education as learning, but also as social and spiritual growth. This text, I feel, is a reflection of my growth because it includes every aspect of my thinking and feeling about my role. Marzano’s use of student surveys and collecting data is valuable, and I am incorporating

this process into my teaching. My emphasis on students is supported, and I have gained strategies to use in the classroom.

Meaningful learning: Students use reflection to think more deeply.

My first video lesson provided the opportunity to guide students through the reflective process. The image above is a true representation of the emphasis of this activity. I did not realize the discussion element was as prevalent when I viewed the video the first time, probably because I often have students discuss what they read and how they feel about it. Providing students the opportunity to share their questions and ideas with others is meaningful, but now I realize having students reflect on their own is meaningful also. I was pleased with how much more in

depth their journal entries were after this lesson.

Part 3: Reflecting on Process

Make room to learn in a different way. Building confidence through journaling.

After introducing reflection to students, I knew it was important to build their confidence. Most of my students were uncomfortable with the idea of discovering meaning for themselves; they were used to questions with right and wrong answers. Our interactive notebooks facilitated the process as students were becoming more creative in the way they took notes, recorded vocabulary, and represented ideas. Because students were already thinking more creatively, modeling reflection through journaling helped them begin. As students have become more comfortable with this process, their journal entries

are more creative and meaningful.

Reflection as a personal process.

Many times throughout this course, I reflected on my greatest influences in education. This helped me become more

creative in my work and my own life. When I feel inspired in my work, I have more energy and every aspect of the work seems to come more easily. Noticing this for myself encouraged me to share this idea with my students. It became my goal to inspire their learning and creativity beyond the classroom. Interesting how opposed I was to this idea when reading about objectivism, but once I began applying the reflective process to my teaching, a natural shift in my opinion and approach occurred.

Part 4: Reflecting on Emphasis

Emphasize creativity.

I am responsible for teaching the grade level expectations determined by the Department of Education. Creativity, thinking creatively, creating…none of these terms are used in

these expectations. However, I have come to believe that emphasizing creativity provides the fuel for educating students. This image represents the importance of creativity in education, which I believe inspires meaningful learning. Children are naturally creative, but by middle school they have learned to stifle that creativity in the school work. When students are encouraged to be creative, they are more open and inspired, which results in learning and expression. Reading, writing, responding, reflecting, and expressing are creative processes. When creativity is emphasized and applied to curriculum supporting

activities, I believe students will learn the material in a meaningful way.

Think, share, collaborate, and connect.

Collaboration and connection are important aspects of learning. In this course, I have gained insight, inspiration, and confidence through reading and

responding to peers and their responses to my work. Incorporating this social aspect of learning is happening in my classroom as well. Middle school students are naturally social, looking to each other for inspiration and connectedness. Encouraging this connection in the classroom builds confidence and a positive learning community. This course has served as a model for my incorporating social collaboration in my classroom.

Part 5: Reflecting on Approach

Pose relevant questions and give students the opportunity to respond.

Students used the PMI activity in my second video lesson to decide whether they think our district should provide one technology device per student.

The response to this lesson was so surprising that I shared it with my coworkers. I notice the students are becoming more confident in expressing and sharing their ideas. The word “example” stands out to me in the image above, which I interpret in two ways: (1) the importance of modeling and providing an example to guide students and (2) this activity serves as an example of how students are gaining confidence and able to form intelligent opinions.

Personalize learning. Connect literature to student’s lives.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a difficult read for students. Although the characters are relatable, and the novel is set in mid-Missouri, the language used by Mark Twain is unfamiliar. In an effort to help students understand Twain’s writing, I had to find a way to help students understand and relate to Mark Twain. Reflecting on my

previous work, I chose an activity emphasizing creativity and incorporating questioning, discussion, collaboration, and reflection. By looking at images chosen to represent this writer’s life, students were challenged to think deeply about the images they would choose to tell their own life stories. The broader lesson was revealed recently in a discussion about the impact technology will have on our generations legacies. Students noted that pictures posted on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram could one day become their photographic biographies, and they contemplated what story the images would imply. One lesson resulted in students

learning about a great American author, and applying his legacy to the contemplation of their own. I am so proud of my progress and the progress of my students!

A different approach emerges:-student centered-relevant curriculum-personalized lessons

Throughout this course, I have been working on three goals: (1)

wait time, (2) celebrate student successes, and (3) provide opportunities for student reflection. It was not my initial intention to discover a new approach to my teaching. However, through the course material, readings, responses, peer interaction, and class lessons, a new approached emerged. My goal moving forward is to continue to create student centered lessons based on a relevant curriculum that personalizes learning in a way that will benefit other aspects of students’ lives. This is the art of a reflective teacher.

Images created at www.Wordle. net