What is “reflective teaching”? As

you might expect, “reflective teaching” is the

process of looking objectively at your teaching

practices and thinking about what worked or

didn’t. We often tell each other about an activity

or lesson that was amazing or that was a total

loss, but we often don’t take the time to really

fully answer that “why” question. Why did this

work so well? Why didn’t it work? Reflection is

important because it allows us to grow and

improve as teachers and as individuals.

There are a number of ways to become a

more reflective teacher:

1. Consider making notes on your lesson plans

at the end of class so that your thoughts are

fresh.

2. Get feedback from your students. This is

especially helpful when you see the class

struggling. Is the concept too advanced? Are

the instructions unclear? Do they need more

prep? You might also consider surveying

students a month or so into the term, at the

halfway mark, and at the end of the semester.

3. Ask someone to watch you teach and give

you constructive feedback.

4. Record your class, either video tape it or use

your phone record you speaking. You’d be

surprised at what you might see or hear!

As you begin your summer break, consider

spending some time reflecting on your teaching

practices. The website below has a “Reflective

Teaching: A 30-Day Blogging Challenge for

Teachers”. Instead of blogging, consider

spending some time asking and answering

some of the 30 questions.

http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/reflectiv

e-teaching-30-day-blogging-challenge-teachers/

Welcome to issue #6 of our professional development bulletin. At the end of some articles you will find information

about how many staff development hours you can earn if you follow the link in blue and complete the required activity.

Tech Corner

Thinking of trying to learn a new language this summer? Or maybe you want to brush up on your Spanish, Portuguese, or French? Give DUOLINGO a try! The free app is available for iPhones, Android and can also be accessed on your desktop. Launched in 2012, Duolingo applies computer science to the teaching of English, French, Spanish and German – as well as other languages – by developing a “tree” of skills in which the user goes from one challenge to the next. The method has been curated by examining how thousands of users react to learning one skill, for example verbs, before another, such as adjectives, and then fine-tuning the program. Here’s the link for the desktop version: http://www.duolingo.com

DATES TO REMEMBER

8/13- Returning student registration AM & PM

8/17- HiSet Registration (returning & new

students)

8/18- ESL lottery AM & PM

8/20- All Staff meeting

8/24- HiSet begins

8/26- AM first day of classes

8/27- PM first day of classes

9/1- Citizenship first day of classes

9/7- Labor Day- no classes

9/8- Prep classes begin

9/14-15- Rosh Hashanah- no classes AM & PM

9/23- Yom Kippur- no classes AM & PM

10/1- Level meetings, early release AM & PM

June, 2015 Issue #6

Spend some time before we begin the next semester in Aug. reflecting on your teaching. If you submit reflections for three of the questions you will receive 2 hours to start your staff development time for fall, 2015.

College & Career Readiness

Actor Tom Hanks wrote a powerful op-ed

piece for the NY Times that was originally

published on January 14, 2015. In it he talks

about how lousy SAT scores kept him from

considering a 4-year university, “I couldn’t

afford tuition for college anyway. I sent my

final set of stats to Chabot, a community

college in nearby Hayward, Calif., which,

because it accepted everyone and was free,

would be my alma mater.”

Hanks talks about the benefit of his

education and how the lessons he learned at

this community college are ones he still carries

with him today. He makes a strong case for the

funding and support of community colleges:

“I drove past the campus a few years ago with

one of my kids and summed up my two years

there this way: ‘That place made me what I am

today.’”

You can read the entire article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/opinion/to

m-hanks-on-his-two-years-at-chabot-

college.html?_r=1

A Webinar Worth Watching

English professor Anne Curzan takes an amusing look at what makes a word “real” and who actually writes dictionaries? You can watch her Ted Talk talk here:

https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_curzan_what_makes_a_word_real

RESEARCH SHOWS That what motivates you, i.e. your “motivation style”, may determine the best way for you to learn. Are you goal oriented? If so, you tend to take a direct and obvious route to learning, (perhaps by looking up an answer on-line). Are you relationship-oriented? If so, you probably thrive on social interaction and learn best working with a partner or a group. Or, maybe you are learning-oriented and enjoy the simple pleasure of learning something new. Not sure? Take the quiz here: http://marciaconner.com/assess/motivationstyle/ Now that you see your results, think about whether this type of information might help you understand how best to motivate your students to learn and succeed.