Teaching and Learning Consulting Network, LLC
Contact us
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Connect With Us
    • Costs
  • Professional Learning
    • 7 PL Standards
    • Adult Learners
    • Change Models
    • Leadership
  • Curriculum
    • Curriculum Design
  • Vicki's Blog

Vicki's Blog

My thoughts on education, improvement, and life itself.  Enjoy!

TLC Home

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall...

10/8/2012

0 Comments

 
Who is that looking back at you in the mirror?  Or have you even bothered to look? Why is it that we educators often think of reflection as an enemy instead of a friend?

Self reflection is one of the keys to improvement.  Cooks use it; coaches use it; inventors and scientists use it.  This blogger uses it!  We want students to use reflection to improve their learning, so it's important that teachers use it too.  It can easily begin by asking questions that spark our thinking:  What did I learn?  How would I do that differently next time?  What was the best part?  What part was the most difficult?  Why did that happen?  How could I have prevented that from happening?  Or ask yourself, as Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working for you?"

Reflection increases our awareness of our actions and should be a part of our regular routine.  It can be a time to step back and see what we have started, or view what we have set in motion.  It provides us an opportunity to monitor progress, assess the plan we have chosen to use, or evaluate the impact of our actions.  

Reflection gives us the opportunity to view our work with fresh eyes.  Choosing to be self-reflective (or not) can be the difference between good and great.  Those "tweaks" that we apply to our plan, or the edits we make to our proposals, as a result of our reflection, might be the difference in whether we succeed or stumble.

Reflection is more than just what's on the surface.  It requires you to look deeply and examine details, word choice, process, impact, and results.  Reflection requires a closer look along the way, not just at the finish line, so that adjustments can be made which helps us achieve what we set out to accomplish.  

So the next time you look into the mirror, instead of asking the question from Snow White, "Who's the fairest of them all?" choose the Dr. Phil question, "How's that working for you?" and see if it doesn't get you better results! 


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Vicki Bechard, 
    Owner and Lead Consultant

    I express myself best when I write, even though most who know me think I talk quite a bit!  

    I'm an educator first and foremost whether my students are kids, teachers, or my own children and grandchildren.  

    Archives

    August 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Anniversary
    Anticipation
    Attitude
    Beginnings
    Be Present
    Blessings
    Bloom
    Bridges
    Change
    Circumstances
    Common Core
    Curriculum Planning
    Doing
    Endings
    Expectations
    Failure
    Fear
    Fight Or Flight
    #ForeverRoyal
    Foundation
    Friendship
    Fun
    Graduation
    Headlines
    Healthy
    Joy
    Kansans Can
    Kansas
    Kinda
    Kindness
    #ksleg
    K State
    K-State
    Leadership
    Lean In
    Life
    Make A Difference
    Memories
    Mom
    Moments
    NCAA Basketball
    Nurses
    Optimism
    Persevere
    Pets
    Photographs
    Play
    Positive Intent
    Prairie Burning
    Pro Bowl
    Productive Struggles
    Professional Learning
    Purpose
    Reflection
    Relationships
    Relevance
    Resiliency
    Resolutions
    Respect
    Response
    Rigor
    Royals
    School Improvement
    School Shooting
    Sorta
    Spring
    Success
    Surviving
    Taken For Granted
    Teachers
    Teamwork
    Thankful
    The Dash
    Understanding By Design
    Weddings
    Why
    Winter
    World Series

    RSS Feed

Contact us at vickib@teachingandlearningnetwork.com
20064 K-92 Hwy, McLouth, KS  66054
913-796-6241