RED6746 Module 3: Importance of Reflection by Michelle Kelley

Liz Laboy

2025-10-01 01:13:58 UTC

Reflection is essential for effective teaching and future coaching. Schön’s ideas of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action resonate with me because I think about how lessons are going while teaching and then review what worked and what didn’t afterward. The SOAP model and Aguilar’s reflective questions remind me that reflection supports both personal growth and the development of others.

Having been a teacher for over a decade, served as team leader for Lower School, and later as the leader for all Elementary teachers, I now continue my growth as an M.Ed. student. I apply what I learn in my courses in my classroom, with my co-teacher, and during weekly team meetings where we plan, share ideas, and discuss successes and challenges. I am practicing coaching by supporting colleagues, modeling strategies, offering constructive feedback, and thoughtfully reflecting on our interactions. As Aristotle said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them,” and through this ongoing practice, I continue questioning, observing, learning, fostering collaboration, and developing a mindset of support and growth.

Laura Snyder

2025-10-02 16:38:07 UTC

I had not heard of SOAP notes prior to reading this article. I am familiar with reflecting during and after a lesson. That strategy was taught to me by my interning teacher. After a lesson, she would have me write down my thoughts to questions such as 'What went well?, What could have gone better?, and How many students were paying attention?'. These questions stuck with me as a teacher, and became part of my daily practice. Once I became more comfortable with those questions, they became a part of my teaching lessons and I could answer them in my head while teaching.

I can see using SOAP notes as a coach in a similar way to how my interning teacher instilled the reflection questions in my teacher brain. Thinking about the teacher's attitude and demeanor would be helpful to guide the coach's approach to the meeting. Observing in a factual way helps to give specific feedback to the teacher. I think assessing how the teacher is progressing towards the development goal and planning for the next meeting/observation should be done in tandem with the teacher, but the coach should also be able to plan for the next meeting by pulling any materials or resources needed based on assessment.

In this article, the author's highlighted one teacher who had tutored two students, and mentioned that it could be done with classroom teachers. However, I do wonder how teachers would be able to do this for each individual student. To me, this would have to be done for the class as a whole and generalizations would be made. Like the author's, I also wonder how teachers are able to completely utilize this strategy with everything else they have on their plates.

Kalah Maher

2025-10-03 22:36:12 UTC

I think the SOAP Notes will be helpful to me as a coach because they provide structure and guide what to reflect on. This reminds me of using a graphic organizer in my classroom, as well as the 3-2-1 strategy that I have used in my class as well as in other grad school courses. I also appreciate that it has a space to plan for future lessons. I had never heard of this reflection tool before, but it is a great resource and I am excited to use it in the future.

Abbie Bracelin

2025-10-04 13:55:13 UTC

SOAP notes are a new tool of reflection for me as I have not heard of it before. I think these notes could be used for the coach to identify progress on goals she is currently working on within the school. Perhaps one of the goals involves creating personalized PD that are aligned with teachers' needs. She could reflect on the process of gathering data from teachers related to their PD interests, creating the PD sessions, or thinking on how she delivered the sessions. They could also be used with teachers as a form of reflection when coaches and teachers conduct coaching lessons, such as voice-over and freeze frame lessons. The coach and teacher could even complete these collaboratively to share thoughts and next steps.

Patty Cells

2025-10-05 23:22:11 UTC

This is the first time I have heard of SOAP notes. This would be a great tool to support goal setting, a structure for documenting coaching conversations, and tracking the implementation of a strategy over time. I think this would be a great resource to use currently with my teachers, as my team is engaging in a grade-level coaching cycle with our second-grade teachers. This would be a valuable tool to support these cycles and professional learning.

Christina Pyburn

2025-10-06 01:56:21 UTC

This is the first time I have heard of SOAP notes. I like that is can be used to support reflective practice no matter the instructional setting (i.e., whole-group, small groups, working with IEPs or 504 plans). The note becomes a non-judgmental artifact providing a framework for teacher's self-evaluation. When guided through with a coach's reflective questioning, it can lead to more sustained professional development.

Honey Jones

2025-10-06 02:00:19 UTC

The process of “Reflection-in-Action” is one that I use daily. Having only 1 or 2 hours at the most with a student requires me to reflect while I am teaching and make adjustments throughout the lesson and for the next one. By making the on-the-spot adjustments, my student is more inclined to connect and benefit from the lesson. By using the SOAP notes practice, I can organize my thoughts and actions. This way, more critical thinking is occurring. The S, subjective, is for the student’s behavior. I am often redirecting students who disconnect and usually begin with options in hopes of more engagement. The O- observation, is where I see what the student is learning, how they are obtaining the new information. A is for assessing the student, progress, monitoring their work. And then P is for planning for the next lesson. I currently have a daily schedule where I make quick notes, and also each student has a file on my computer where I add notes as to how the session went and what I want to provide them with next. Often, for my students with disabilities, I will video parts of the lesson that are successful and add a text to them after I send them by phone or email, explaining further steps and how to help them teach their child at home. I can now see how having a concise form for each student would help me be even more organized, especially with the students that I see after school and are usually working on topic-specific tasks to assist them in the classroom with their work and assessments in the near future. I could have the SOAP notes prepared for the parents and either make a copy on the computer or take a picture to send them. Parent communication is key to my students' progress, and I think that they would appreciate even more details and a consistent format to review.

Nathalie Del Rosario

2025-10-07 00:38:57 UTC

After reading this article, I learned a variety of new things. I learned that SOAP notes can be used to track student engagement and formative assessments.

Second, I learned that SOAP notes can be used to set goals. Teachers can use this to set goals with their literacy coach. I believe this can be used in coaching when observing a teacher that may need support. SOAP notes can provide feedback and can help teachers make modifications to their teaching.

Alondra Kunze-Arias

2025-10-07 03:15:27 UTC

SOAP notes were something that I have not been exposed to before. I found it interesting that they originated in the medical field before moving into the educational field. These notes can be helpful for reflection because of the reflection-for-action questions. These can be used to think about what might happen in future lessons. Thinking ahead improves instruction and gives teachers the opportunity to reflect on what was successful and what might benefit students in the future.