When you take the time to reflect, you are digging deep into what lies beneath the surface.

I am learning everyday how important reflection time is. For me is has come from regular blogging. I can honestly say that blogging has helped me to develop some very strong beliefs about the profession I love. It has become a self-propelled professional development where I am continually growing.

This year the other fourth grade teachers in my school and I have implemented a reflection time into the end of every day. It just may be the single most effective thing we’ve done this year. Our students created a journal and each day they need to write about their learning for that day. It is mostly a place for students to write and draw new concepts they’ve learned, but now it is becoming, with a little teacher direction, a place to reflect on HOW they learn. WOW! Some students are really getting a lot out of this experience as they write about their own learning process.

The extra step taken on Friday is a letter home. Students write a letter in their journal to an adult telling about their week. Over the week end, the students ask the adult to read and respond to their letter. For so many students this is a very rewarding exercise. The notes back from their parents, uncles, grandmothers, cousins and other teachers are simply cherished. I know these books will be a special keepsake for years to come.

The next step – going online! I have grown so much from blogging myself, that I’ve decided it’s time for me to share that experience with my students. Last week I started a blogging pilot program for seven of my students who want to take their journaling to the next level and start to blog. I am very excited and look forward to sharing more with you.

For now, I want to kick off the month of December with a promise to continue this journey to reflect, reflect, reflect. And I invite you join me! How do you reflect? What does it do for your learning process?

~EMP

P.S. This month I will be taking a laid back approach, blogging about anything that comes up.  If you have an idea or would like to guest post, please contact me anytime!  Let’s reflect together!