Reflection and a New Task!

The other day, @druinok posted a reflective piece about her goals for the year and assessed her progress so far this year.  That post resonated with me.  I have a tendency to set goals and then life happens, the goals get lost in the shuffle.  It's almost like goal-setting is the goal ... and of course, it's not!  So, I'm copying @druinok's idea ... and taking a moment for reflection.

At the end of last year we had to reflect on our work for our supervising administrator.  At that time I wrote these goals:

1. I want to create unit organizers so that my students see how lessons tie together.
2. I plan to read Mathematics Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning to continue learning more ideas for formative assessment.
3. I want to do a better job with teaching students how to take notes.
4. I want to do more with error analysis to increase students' critical thinking.

Then at the beginning of this year, I wrote a post for MSSunFun on goals that included these three goals:

1. I want to talk less.
2. I want to develop and promote student creativity.
3. I want to do more with student mistakes.

Hmmm ... that's a lot of goals!

So ... I created unit organizers for the first 3 units and today I realize that I did not create one for the unit we began this week.  The unit organizers leave much to be desired.  They are not constructed in the manner I envisioned last year.  So far on this goal I am "emerging" ... I hate to write that I'm failing!

I have not read the book, Mathematics Formative Assessment.  In fact, I decided to purchase it this morning as I am reviewing these goals.  I did read Embedded Formative Assessment this summer.  I am using Edmodo quizzes to keep up with formative assessment.  Some of the time I think those assessments are valid and useful.  I need more work in this area but I am "making progress" in formative assessment (translating that to a C).

The note-taking process is not where it should be.  I'm definitely in the "emerging" category here.  I did switch to binders this year which I love much better than notebooks.  The handouts are all hole-punched ... each unit is color coded.  So in that respect, I've made some progress.  I have demonstrated Cornell Notes a time or two ... but I'm not consistent!

I love using My Favorite NO ... and the students like it too.  I don't use it often enough or with enough regularity so I would categorize this effort to review student mistakes as "emerging."  In this reflective process, I am realizing that I need a checklist in my planning process.  I think we a checklist, I would be sure to include more of the "best practices"!!  That's my next task!

I am using "I notice, I wonder" fairly regularly in class.  For this I would say I'm "making progress."  I've also just begun to use Math Munch to promote curiosity and students seemed to like the site.  Now I need to figure out how often I can cycle back to the site!  That's going on my planning checklist.  I'm also using Estimation 180 which promote curious thinking as well.

Last ... I am talking less.  I might give myself a "B" on this ... in the satisfactory range.  I am planning lessons with more student discovery, group discussion, student practice.

This process has been helpful and the planning checklist will make an excellent addition to keep me more focused!  I'll share it when I get it done!

How about you?  How are you coming along on the goals you set for this year?