Qualifications and skills alone do not guarantee excellence in teaching. What truly sets apart exceptional educators is their commitment to adapt to diverse learning styles and tailor their teaching methods accordingly. These teachers constantly evaluate and refine their practices to ensure they meet the needs of their students, enabling effective comprehension and learning.
During the evaluation process, certain aspects prove to be successful and yield positive outcomes, referred to as “glows.” Conversely, there are areas that require modification and enhancement, known as “grows.” Today, we will delve into the significance of feedback and reflection, providing concrete examples of both glows and grows. Through the sharing of insights, exchange of ideas, and mutual support, we can create an environment conducive to continuous improvement in our classrooms.
Decoding “Glows and Grows”
A reflective teaching technique called Glows and Grows concentrates on recognizing both strengths and faults. It’s a straightforward yet effective strategy that enables teachers to see their strengths and areas for development in order to improve their classroom management and better serve their students’ needs.
Teachers often assess a lesson or subject they have taught and point out specific things that went well (glows) and things that could be improved (grows) during a glows and grows session. This might cover everything from teaching approaches and classroom management tactics to student involvement and evaluation procedures. Teachers may obtain a more complete picture of their strengths and limitations and create workable improvement goals by recognizing both the good and growth elements of their practice.
The glows and grows approach is not only restricted to personal introspection but can also be applied in group contexts as well, such as teacher team meetings or professional development events. In order to continually improve their practice, instructors are encouraged to share their triumphs and problems with one another and to learn from one another. Glows and Grows is an effective method for encouraging continual development and progress in teaching, all things considered.
Unveiling the teaching tapestry: 15 glows and grows
- Glow: The teacher used a variety of engaging instructional strategies to keep students interested and on-task during a lesson.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student-led discussions and collaboration.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student-led discussions and collaboration.
- Glow: The teacher provided clear and concise instructions for an assignment.
- Grow: The teacher could have given more specific feedback on student work to help them improve.
- Grow: The teacher could have given more specific feedback on student work to help them improve.
- Glow: The teacher created a positive classroom culture by using positive reinforcement and encouraging student participation.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.
- Glow: The teacher incorporated technology into a lesson to enhance student learning.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more guidance and support to students who struggled with the technology.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more guidance and support to students who struggled with the technology.
- Glow: The teacher created a structured and organized lesson plan that followed a logical sequence.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student choice and creativity within the lesson.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student choice and creativity within the lesson.
- Glow: The teacher used a variety of assessment methods to evaluate student learning.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more timely and specific feedback to help students improve.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more timely and specific feedback to help students improve.
- Glow: The teacher effectively managed classroom behavior and minimized disruptions during a lesson.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student self-reflection and accountability.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student self-reflection and accountability.
- Glow: The teacher demonstrated enthusiasm and passion for the subject matter.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student-led inquiry and exploration.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student-led inquiry and exploration.
- Glow: The teacher provided clear and concise explanations of complex concepts.
- Grow: The teacher could have used more examples and analogies to help students better understand the material.
- Grow: The teacher could have used more examples and analogies to help students better understand the material.
- Glow: The teacher effectively differentiated instruction to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student collaboration and peer-to-peer learning.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student collaboration and peer-to-peer learning.
- Glow: The teacher used real-world examples and applications to connect the material to students’ lives.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student reflection and metacognition.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student reflection and metacognition.
- Glow: The teacher effectively used formative assessment strategies to gauge student understanding.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student self-assessment and reflection.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student self-assessment and reflection.
- Glow: The teacher created a safe and inclusive learning environment that welcomed all students.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for students to share their perspectives and experiences.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for students to share their perspectives and experiences.
- Glow: The teacher effectively used humor and storytelling to engage students in the lesson.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student voice and choice in the lesson.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student voice and choice in the lesson.
- Glow: The teacher effectively used visual aids and manipulatives to support student learning.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student creativity and innovation.
- Grow: The teacher could have provided more opportunities for student creativity and innovation.
How to use glows and grows to improve
While the strategy of “glows and grows” is beneficial for teachers, its efficiency can be increased by implementing and following it in the right way. Discussed below are a few effective strategies to make the most of this approach.
- Identify glows and grows: You can do this individually and engage in self-reflection or you can ask for feedback from other teachers, parents, or students. Make a note of them on a sheet for better clarity and idea.
- Analyze the “glows” part: While addressing the areas of improvement is important, one must know and analyze the positive practices. By this, you can observe what practices and teaching methodologies are working well for students. Try implementing and practicing those strategies, again and again, to know and increase their effectiveness.
- Address the “grows”: Observe the areas where you can improve and grow. Filter out the ones which can be replaced by some other effective strategy and the ones which are important but can be improved to increase their efficiency. Plan out and divide the strategy into short achievable steps.
- Work on organization skills: Whether it is about managing tasks, organizing things, or planning out lessons, certain tools and resources like to-do lists, graphic organizers, and task cards can work wonders in easing out the whole process. Moreover, you can also check out books on executive functioning skills to work on organizational skills.
- Stay motivated: In the continuous practice of improving and modifying, there are times that you might feel demotivated. To navigate this, read inspirational books for teachers or incorporate quotes to stay motivated and keep working on improvement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Glows and Grows is a potent reflective teaching technique that enables teachers to pinpoint their strong points and areas for development. Teachers may improve their students’ learning environments and their own professional development by adopting a growth mindset and reflecting on their instructional strategies. Using Glows and Grows has a variety of advantages, including helping students focus on their studies, boosting professional growth and teamwork, and improving job satisfaction. By using this strategy, educators may realize their full potential and excel in the classroom.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,