PTS Name: Developing as a Professional Educator
Element: Reflecting on teaching practice and planning professional development.
Indicators
As teachers develop, they may ask, “How do I…” or “Why do I…”:
- Assess my growth as a teacher over time?
- Learn about teaching as I observe and interact with my students?
- Reflect on my instructional successes and dilemmas to move my practice forward?
- Analyze my teaching to understand what contributes to student learning?
- Formulate professional development plans that are based on my reflection and analysis?
Descriptions
Examples may include, but are not limited to:
- Videotaping teaching and then analyzing use of a specific instructional strategy (e.g., modeling, questioning, giving directions)
- Determining three things that went well, two things that did not go well, and one next step at the end of each day
- Keeping a journal of your teaching successes, frustrations, goals, observations, etc.
- Examining lesson plans for common threads of effective practice (e.g., after reflecting upon three particularly successful lessons, you realize that all three plans included more time than usual for group work, which might prompt you to build more group time into your lessons)
- Seeking professional development opportunities based on self-identified areas for growth (e.g., upon realizing that students are not engaged during the beginning of a lesson, check out a library book entitled Strong Lesson Hooks and ask the Lead Teacher at your school if s/he can share some examples of effective lesson openings)
Problems of Practice
Challenges with this element frequently include:
- Reflecting on one’s practice and development only during the formal observation cycle
- Asking a colleague for general feedback on your teaching practice
- Focusing only on one’s weaknesses and shortcomings
- Using areas of interests, rather than student progress to determine professional development plans