At this point in the semester, I’m feeling like it’s crunch time for my current course, but I’m also starting to plan for next semester. I’ve been reflecting on what didn’t work and what I would change to make my course or lessons better. While speaking with some colleague friends, we were discussing the idea of celebrating the good. We’ve made it 14 weeks, and only have 2 weeks to go before school’s out for the summer. However, we were wishing we had accomplished more in our courses.
As I thought about this discussion I had with my friends and my plans for my new class, I realized I needed to reflect on what worked. Where was I successful? What activities supported my students and helped them progress as learners? How about allowing my students time to think about what worked for them? What would they recommend that I keep in my course?
It seems that as we reflect on the past and on what did not work, we lose sight of all the good and what worked well. So my short and sweet reminder is to think about what DID work for you this semester. What do you want to keep hold of and continue to do? Remember to celebrate the good that led up to these last two weeks.