"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful." -Margaret J. Wheatley

Admittedly, I belong to the generation that explored such classic self-reflective books as I'm OK – You’re OK by Thomas Anthony Harris and Why am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am? By John Powell. I guess this dates me. But, it also contributes to my desire to use reflection as a part of professional development and teacher support in blended learning environments. These open-probes fuel discussions in PLCs and drive contributions to research questions as well as to best practices.

My intention with this list is that it will influence not just our daily work in the classrooms, but also the discussions that we have between teacher and administrator. Feel free to adapt and use them to best fit your purpose.

1. What learning took place as result of using this app, or this lesson, or this online tutorial, website, etc.
2. How well did I connect the central question to the online tool/content?
3. What does the evidence I collected from the online tool/content tell me about students' learning?
4. To what extent were the students engaged, producing, and working with precision?
5. How were students empowered to take responsibility for their online work? (during this lesson, unit, etc.)
6. What caused me to have to divert from my plan? How did this impact student learning?
7. How well did I ask open-ended probes when working with the students?
8. How would the students evaluate the usefulness of what I asked them to do?
9. How would my students evaluate the quality of the instruction?
10. If I had to teach this lesson again to the same students, what needs to change?
11. How comfortable was I in giving the student control over pace, place, or path?
12. If the principal asked my students what they worked on in my classroom today, what would they say?

"Reflective practice… is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, reasoning, emotions, values, and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individuals and communities being served." (Epstein and Hundert, 2002)

Epstein, R. M, &Hundert, E. M. (2002). Defining and assessing professional competence. JAMA, 287(2), 226−35.

Today’s Challenge:

Take one or two questions. Write them down in your journal and ask yourself these questions after every class. Start to record daily logs on your reflections, the changes you make, and any highlights you want to share with your peers or mentors.