Assignment Templates

My favorite part about all of the Assignment Templates was the emphasis on reflection. Reflection is something that I do not think students always do as they learn. For a long time I was one of those students who did not spend time thinking about my writing process and in some ways it did hinder me in school. Once I realized that I should have been reflecting on my writing process and in my work I started to improve. I have found that reflection can be easily forgotten but when used effectively it can be very useful to students. It allows students the opportunity to think about what they did well and ways to improve themselves in any areas they struggled.

I also liked the emphasis on thinking critically. One thing I have heard, although I have never researched this for myself, is that students are not being taught how to think critically in secondary education. Someone once told me that their son had to take a critical thinking class as one of his required college courses during his first year in college. It makes me sad that as an education system students are not being taught the skills they need to help them succeed in higher education. Critical thinking is something that needs to be taught in the classroom. Being able to analyze their text is essential in college. Students need to be able to question what they learn in a way that will help them gain a deeper understanding of the subject.  Even in the work force critical thinking is an essential skill. Using teaching practices that place an emphasis on critical thinking is something I want to do in my classroom. I know the goal of all teachers is to help their students succeed after they finish your class and that is a goal I want to work towards in my classroom.