Reflective Practitioner
EFFECTIVE URBAN EDUCATORS ARE REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONERS WHO CAN ACCURATELY ASSESS THEMSELVES AND DEVELOP PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
What does it mean to be reflective, and how does one utilize this to be effective in the classroom?
The importance of self-study in any and all aspects of life cannot be stressed enough, but when one decides to enter into the realm of teaching this importance increases exponentially. 
I give my best efforts as a reflective practitioner by always video recording my lessons. There are always things we find we are doing subconsciously, and it is easiest to pick them out by reviewing footage! Additionally, I am able to recount how effective my lesson was by looking at the students. This can be used to reinforce ideas of culturally responsive and diverse learning through the many modalities we understand today. It answers questions like: "Were the students engaged? Did I represent this information in ways for them to attain it? How goofy did I actually just look while doing that?"
Questioning, both of greater ideas and ones within the context of reflection, gives weight to how we examine. We must always question our methods and the methods of those around us. We should always question our students and use their answers as one way to reflect on one's success as an educator.
Here are two artifacts of my time while Pre Student Teaching with Charissa Duncan at McDonald Elementary in Dearborn, MI. Included at the ends of each are reflections.
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Click the image above Obwisana to view that lesson plan.
REFLECTION PAPER - 4TH GRADE
LESSON AND REFLECTION FOR 4TH GRADE GENERAL MUSIC
During my Practicum at McDonald Elementary in March of 2019, I accompanied the 4th grade class to the Dearborn Symphony for an annual concert. This concert included works by Rossini, Beethoven, and Copland as well as a symphonic arrangement of a well-known Lebanese folk song called Gidi Wa Hamar. Charissa Duncanson, my mentor teacher, and I created together a reflective worksheet for students to fill out after a guided discussion the class period following the concert.
We created a “flow chart” as a class, guiding what students saw and heard at the symphony. This was a wonderful formative assessment for closing out a unit leading up to the concert. Concepts included instrument families, form, theme and variations, and melody vs harmony. This sheet, as well as the guided discussion, served as a way for Mrs. Duncanson and I to assess what we would need to further visit moving into the next unit. One thing we had noticed is that one of the fourth grade classes had a hard time distinguishing the term “melody” versus harmony, and we then were able to construct more lessons moving forward to reinforce these concepts.
Below is a blank and filled worksheet, as well as a video of the guided discussion that I lead!
OBWISANA PASSING GAME
LESSON AND REFLECTION FOR 1ST GRADE GENERAL MUSIC
I taught a folk song and passing game from Ghana to the 1st graders in my Practicum at McDonald Elementary in March of 2019. In the first iteration of my lesson, I found that students had difficulty in how I taught and structured the passing game. Steady beat was the core concept for the lesson, and as such students were instructed to “pat, pat, pass, pick-up” their “rocks” (tennis balls) on the beat of the song. Students were not as successful as they could have been, because children of this age are more successful with these types of activities when there are rests built into them. Because the passing and receiving was so quick, students also became much more focused on speaking the directions of the game more than singing.
After being observed and receiving feedback on my lesson plan (provided in the link) I was able to give a second iteration of the lesson. This time, students did a pick up and pass for two beats each, and rested for four. This allowed them more time to compartmentalize the game/rhythm, which also allowed them to concentrate more on the song.
Provided here is a video that includes both lessons!