I recently finished presenting a three-part professional learning series. At the end, we took the time to reflect: “What will you start, stop, and continue doing in your classroom?”
Certainly, it is important to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. But in doing so, we must recognize what we can give up. We can’t do it all: there’s not enough time in the day.
When reflecting on your current practices, consider: ‘Why do I do what I do?’ Is it because it engages your students, because you recognize how it affects student learning, or simply because you’ve always done it that way?
Start, Stop, Continue is an excellent framework for reflection. As you go about your week with students, keep this idea back of mind… What is worth starting in your classroom? What can you stop because it’s not having the impact it once was? And what will you continue: what’s working?
Words of wisdom, indeed. For life, as well as for teaching.