Review and reflect

Photo by Wilson Szeto on Unsplash

"Of all the ways you could be spending your precious time and attention, it is very unlikely that you are currently spending it in the optimal way. The only path I know for figuring out a better way to spend your life is to sit and think. You simply have to carve out some time to think carefully about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and what you're really trying to achieve. Nobody stumbles into a well lived life. It has to be cultivated. Reflection and review are critical."

James Clear

I'm changing everything, Oh, everything around me (Marmalade)

 

Photo by Fons Heijnsbroek on Unsplash

Stop. Walk away. Let go. Stop thinking. Move on...Bingo.

Sometimes Google won't do because the answer is within.

For instance it can be a fragment of a thought like 'what was the name of that Teacher Aide we had here three years ago?' Google doesn't know. Going through the alphabet sometimes works to jog the memory, but other times the answer won't come. 

Stop. Walk away. Do something else....and, Bam. The answer has floated to the surface.

I can't begin to calculate how many times I've used that technique when an answer won't come. 

It's like the brain goes into a loop and a distraction frees up the loop. And the answer comes.

This time and space strategy works for all aspects of learning too, and is a key thing to use when you get stuck in the learning pit (of despair).

Tremors in the thigh bone, shakin' all over (Johnny Kidd and The Pirates)

R and R: Review and R...omg - I can't remember. 

Is it revise? respond? resuscitate? rest? 

Ah - silly me, just remembered - it's reflect!!

At my school Review and Reflect has replaced the A word - appraisal.

Thank goodness!

The A word's judgmental connotations are mainly centred around accountability, compliance and evaluation (the full Monty version of the A word is, of course, Performance Appraisal, which is, like, shudder - even worse). 

Instead, Review and Reflect's connotations are around softer things like self-reflection and future development.

There's a hint of tautology in the term but review is the looking back bit and reflect is the thinking about that and then thinking about how improvements can happen in the future bit so... 

As per the new outline, we each need a large 'out there' over-arching goal to hang our own Review and Reflect on (rather than the three goals under the a*******l system).

I'm struggling a bit with this, partly because I've been conditioned over 30 plus years of teaching to think otherwise. 

This article by Jeff Goins helped a bit - he's an advocate of small gains towards a big goal, so he's speaking my language! 

As he succinctly reminds us, I don't necessarily need a big Jerry Maguire moment, no dramatic declaration to the world.

Paradoxically then, I can reconcile an overarching focus which breaks down into some composite parts.

I have a few ideas about where I want to head in the future, so the reflect part is probably going to focus on specific skills I have that can be adapted/ supplemented to things beyond the classroom.

Come to think of it Review and Resuscitate seems very apt!

In a further positive move away from a*******l, we no longer have hierarchical appraisers. Instead we are paired with someone of our choice and we act as reciprocal sounding boards. A fabulous move!

I have a great mentor buddy (officially, we're using 'coach') in Jane. I trust her and she gets me. Can't ask for much more can I?

Nice one all round to Dionne and her Taylor Swift (shake it off) team. You dun good!

Now, where are those paddles...okay...CLEAR!