Reflective Teaching Challenge - Setting Goals

This is my first year as a 6th grade language arts teacher, and I know I have much to learn as I make way into the middle school environment.  When I read that Teach Thought was hosting a blogging challenge for teachers who want to reflect, I immediately accepted the challenge.  Because reflection is such an important part of teaching, and since I was teaching a new grade level, I thought this challenge would be perfect for me.  Find more information here on how you can join other teachers for September Refections.

September 1 - Write your goals for the school year.

As teachers, we write goals for our students, our schools and ourselves.  This is vital for a reflective teacher.  For many teachers, writing and achieving goals is part of their evaluation.  Because of this, many people think that goals need to be measurable.  I don't think that is always the case.  I have several goals which are practices I want to start or changes I want to make.  These are not necessarily measurable, but are goals nonetheless.

* Create a global classroom - Through the use of Twitter, Skype, and Kidblog, I hope to increase our classroom presence globally.  Please check us out at @ExplorersCMS.

* Collaboration through the use of Google docs - This summer I participated in a book study using Google docs with teachers across the United States.  This was such a great learning experience for me, and now I want to bring this form of professional development and learning to my colleagues.  I also want to use Google docs as a collaboration tool for my students with their writing.

* Finding their voices - The majority of writing for our students is prompt writing, or practice for the standardized writing assessment.  I want my students to find their voices through many different types of writing and understand how to use that voice to make a difference in their world.

Being in a new grade level and a new school, I know I will have many learning experiences that will impact my goals.  I am sure these goals may change and evolve as we go, but for now, I have a vision and that is important for me.