Weblog 5: Crossing Over to Canaan - Ch. 1, 2

Since reflection is such an important part of teaching, when are the best times to reflect and how should it be done?
“Reflection is a luxury most teachers do not have the opportunity to indulge in.” (Ladson-Billings p. 20). Because it is beneficial in teaching, somehow teachers need to find a way to fit it in. At the end of the day, or specifically after a new lesson, is a good time to review how things went. Sit and think of what went well, what needs improvement, and what should be removed. When doing this reflection it is very important to look at yourself and teaching styles and not just what your students are doing wrong. If you changed things and made them better there may not be as many problems for the students. As a teacher look over your decisions, how the students responded, and the impact it had on the whole day.

How can you use your experiences in an effective way in the classroom?
I think it is important to know that experiences that you have had that you have enjoyed and found interesting, most likely, you students will also be interested in them. They can really learn a lot from you and when you show enthusiasm in a topic, it is contagious to your class. For example, the people in the chapter used their experiences in their decisions to get into teaching or actually in the classroom: Tara used her experiences from Japan; Candy used her love of theater; and Kyla used her political interests. One of the greatest things about teaching is that you really get to be creative and bring your personality into it. If you are happy to be there then hopefully your students will see that and share the same feelings. So really utilize and take advantage of your experiences and creativity and incorporate it in the classroom.