Next Saturday, I'll present "Reflect for Success" to new teachers at the MTA's Just for New Teachers Conference, a conference focused on Massachusetts' new teachers' needs, interests, and opportunities. I am happy to take part in this great event as I honor the timely and innovative work the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is doing to uplift education for all students and teachers in the state.
My presentation will focus on real-time reflective practices teachers may use to uplift their current efforts and long-term goals to serve students and families well. We will focus primarily on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESEs) new draft rubric for the teacher evaluation system. My work with DESE's Teacher Advisory Cabinet (TAC) introduced me to the process and detail related to this rubric, a rubric I both support and have started using when it comes to optimal teaching and learning. I hope that our team efforts to unpack the rubric in relation to reflective practice will give new teachers greater capacity to lead their professional practice with strength and depth.
Research supports reflective practice, and my efforts to embed reflection into my practice have mirrored what the research tells us about the benefits of regular reflection. I'm looking forward to sharing this valuable information and practice with new teachers as well as learning from these dedicated new teachers about the ways they use reflection in their own practice to lead, learn and teach well. If you're interested, consider joining us.
