 |
|
|
If there is one word that has left a stronger impression on me than any other since beginning this EdS journey, it is this: iterative. We discussed the iterative process of leadership and mentoring in last summer’s administration class; we talked about how the writing process is cyclical in the digital writing course, and again addressed the non-linear development process of SAMR (Reiser and Dempsey, 2017) in the precursory course to this current one.
The idea of a process being iterative, revisited and improved, affects both professional and personal practices. Considering deep questions and giving yourself time to answer creates such positive reflection. This introspection compels change, and although perfection may be unattainable, self-improvement should remain a constant objective. This improvement requires assessment. The success of assessment is reliant on probing questions.
A common theme in our text, Coaching Classroom Instruction (Marzano and Simms, 2013) and another mentoring manual, Practicing the Art of Leadership (Green, 2017), is the power that prompting questioning can have on professional performance. As the role of an instructional leader is to transform practice, both texts emphasize asking the right questions of mentees and developing strong habits of self-questioning. My growth has benefitted from the examples given in both manuals, successfully inciting reflection.
To begin to employ the extensive table created by Marzano and Simms (2013) that outlines strategies for growth, it must first be clear where the baseline is. Establishing the baseline is accomplished through asking those specific and probing questions. The table resembles the self-assessment portion of our state’s yearly teacher evaluation. The magnitude of the division of each piece of the profession promotes vital and definitive introspection.
Another layer of the profession that questioning can positively affect is that of student attainment of knowledge. Marzano and Simms (2013) organize this assessment in three questions: “What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?, What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?, and What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?” (p. 75). These questions drive thought about teaching effectiveness and maintain student growth as the focus of education. This week, these questions have enacted constructive change in my practice. They have led me to reevaluate how my students interact with their daily learning target, met with positive reception.
Whether your audience is a small group of attentive colleagues or a classroom full of prone-to-distraction teenagers, reflection is required to affect change. This understanding is encouraging, as any professional at any level of expertise can approach self-reflection and be transformed by it.
This video aligns the process of reflection with meta-cognition, again prompting thought!
References
Green, R. L. (2017). Practicing the art of leadership: a problem-based approach to implementing the professional standards for educational leaders. NY, NY: Pearson.
Marzano, R. J., Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington: Marzano Research Laboratory.
Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2017). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology. Boston: Pearson Education.
Walker, Josh. “Brief Intro to Metacognition.” YouTube, 17 Feb. 2012, youtu.be/mVE21QhY-lI.
Questioning of students is so important. Questions that go beyond yes or no and require thoughtful consideration is required if we are to successfully gauge understanding. The topics that you discussed are great to remember. I love that you were able to reevaluate your own teaching this week based on what we are learning right now. How awesome! I touched on it a tiny bit, but Marzano and Simms' point about providing positive feedback is important to remember too, I think. Without positive feedback, teachers will have a hard time knowing how to properly question their students or change and adapt their lessons so that they are able to implement more advanced teaching strategies (p. 75).
ReplyDeleteMarzano, R. J., Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington: Marzano Research Laboratory.