Time-saving summer reflections

Goodbye school, hello summer! Well...almost.  One mistake I made in my first teaching years was waiting until August to start planning the new teaching semester/term. 🤦‍♀️ This may be an unpopular opinion, but I'll stand by it: the best time to plan fall lessons is at the end of spring lessons, thanks to easy-peasy reflections throughout the year!   Let me share how I do this, and maybe you'll get a few ideas of your own to start or revamp a method of reflecting/observing that works for you that will save some time! 

Weekly/daily lesson reflections I started this practice during one of my first teaching years after my grandfather (who was former FBI, an English professor, and overall amazing human) said one of the smartest things he ever did was to write something every day, learn something every day, and keep a record of things that work in life. Little did I know then how transformative and impactful this small habit could be, and how it could help save time for planning! This can take many different formats:

-Tracking specific student behaviors (areas of improvement or that need more work) -teaching strategies that work or need a different approach (what works/didn't) -repertoire the student is loving/not loving -musical skills the student is achieving or need more support  Here's an example of what I do, and how short and concise they can be! 4/21/2023 Emily  -more positive behaviors and engagement!  -role playing- success for teaching new skills -brainstorm- accidentals and key signatures? -small outburst- repeating a tricky section -10 min late again- remind parents of lesson time

Teaching reflections = fall lesson plans On first glance, it seems that writing lesson reflections is to keep track of what the student needs to improve or what deficits they have. While this can be an aspect of reflecting- to track student behaviors, the main reason to do lesson reflections is to observe your teaching strategies and how the student is responding. We know that students learn differently and respond to a variety approaches, so this helps us determine what is working, what isn't working, and what should be focused on during the next lesson term!

While this can be an aspect of reflecting- to track student behaviors, the main reason to do lesson reflections is to observe your teaching strategies and how the student is responding.

That's your fall planning- done! You'll know what is working and should be continued, what skills need more support (maybe music theory, improvisation/attention to creativity, technical skills, etc) and know what repertoire/books they'll need to start with in the fall. Isn't that great?! You'll also know what behaviors to research before lessons resume so you can find new approaches for motivating your students. (This works for both group classes and individual lessons, and also serves as a great record in the event you need to contact a parent about something regarding lessons like a behavior or to compliment the student/parent on preparation, etc.)

Here's the other good news- it's okay if you haven't done this during the school year, because you can start by doing a simple end-of-year reflection this summer that will help summarize each students' progress! And if you'd like, you can download it by clicking the link below. 😊 You can print and fill out a page for each student or use it as a PDF and just duplicate for each student- whatever works for you! If you find it useful, please share it with teacher friends by sending a link to this blog post!

If you'd like to learn more about end-of-year reflection, assessing student behaviors and fall planning, join us for the last Teacher Chat of the school year on Friday, June 9 at 11am EST on Zoom! It will be a great time of summarizing our piano school years, sharing successes or areas we need support and brainstorming together- I hope you can join us! Comment below for the link or join! (fun fact- if you're on the email list, you're already signed up and will get the link via email! :)  

How do you reflect on your school year and plan for the next semester? I'd love to hear what works for you! 

Until next time,  Elizabeth 

Click here to download your free reflection kit!