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Thank you for continuing our conversation about reflective practice activities!

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Thank you for continuing our conversation about reflective practice activities!

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What reflective practice activities have you already tried out with your students?
And with your colleagues? Or by yourself?
Where do you find inspiration? Let's share!

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An allegorical map of teaching/training 

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An allegorical map of teaching/training 

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In the 18th and 19th centuries, people would design allegorical maps to portray marriage and love. My idea is to reflect on our practice by developing an allegorical map that shows the world of teaching/training that we inhabit. What does your map your look like :-)?

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A Pie Chart - a simple reflective activity for students and teachers. 

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A Pie Chart - a simple reflective activity for students and teachers. 

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Students draw a pie chart which they divide into 3 parts. (Or they can use a template provided by the teacher/trainer).
Part 1 - Favorites - my favorite part of the lesson/training or some language that I liked.
Part 2 - Challenges - something that was difficult.
Part 3 - Questions - some questions students or trainees might have after the lesson/session.
Perhaps, you could include one more Part 4 - future steps - what are the next steps I am going to take as a student or a trainee.
The activity doesn't take much time and effort and yet, those students who have tried seemed to be more consciously aware of their learning goals and progress.

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What would your metaphor about reflective thinking be? Mine is water.

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Setting a goal for a session/event to attend can be helpful to focus the later reflection. Were the goals achieved? Why (not)? etc.

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Setting a goal for a session/event to attend can be helpful to focus the later reflection. Were the goals achieved? Why (not)? etc.

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Another reflective activity to try out. Works best with a peer you trust.

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Another reflective activity to try out. Works best with a peer you trust.

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"Lists of five" is a brainstorming technique that is pretty much what it sounds like. Basically when planning a lesson or workshop don't simply choose the first activity or idea that comes to mind. Instead spend some time brainstorming different options. For example, list five ways to introduce the lesson topic or five possible follow-up activities. Then when you're finalizing your plan, choose from the different options that you've come up with.

This has been a useful planning technique for me for several reasons. It's a great way to break out of the rut of always planning lessons in the same way. Teachers have a tendency to teach in the style that they learn best. Brainstorming in this way helps us break out of our comfort zone and come up with ideas for activities that might serve our students' learning more than our first choices. Making a list of possible activities can also provide ideas for other classes and lessons. It can help us build confidence in our teaching practice as we realize how much we do know. And lesson planning becomes more enjoyable - there's a kind of game or challenge quality to it when you desperately need to come up with one or two more ideas to complete the list.

I was able to brainstorm lists of five after having taught for a number of years. Can a new teacher brainstorm lists of five? Probably. I don't think I could have when I was a new teacher, but there are others out there who are more creative than I am. And, of course, you can always find five activities in resource books or websites. It takes more time but beginning teachers tend to need more time for lesson planning and it's important for new teachers to realize that there is more than one way to accomplish the same objective in a lesson.

I'm not sure when I started brainstorming in this way. Did I pick it up from a TESOL course? Did another trainer mention it? Unfortunately, I don't remember, although I am very grateful for this idea and wish that I could acknowledge the source. Wherever it came from, it's been a valuable addition to my teaching toolkit.

Tagged Useful techniques

This series is based on a keynote speech that I gave in the spring of 2012 as I was preparing to leave Japan and move back to Canada. I spoke about my own journey as a language teacher and how I had stayed energized and motivated throughout my 21-year career. At that time I came up...

This is the first in a series of posts that will revisit materials I created, including handouts from presentations and entries in old teaching journals. These posts will appear when I find something and have something to say about it. This is a handout from a presentation called "Ways to see that my students are learning"...

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"Lists of five" is a brainstorming technique that is pretty much what it sounds like. Basically when planning a lesson or workshop don't simply choose the first activity or idea that comes to mind. Instead spend some time brainstorming different options. For example, list five ways to introduce the lesson topic or five possible follow-up activities....