<p> Standard Nine: Professional Commitment and Responsibility</p><p>Personal Focus: A Reflective Evaluator</p><p>Self-assessment is a key means to learning as it enables learners to set goals and to monitor and evaluate their own learning. In order to be successful teachers, we must reflect on our effectiveness from all levels, including the students’ level of interest, the students’ retention of knowledge, the teacher’s efficiency according to Indiana standards, the administration support, the ability to retain parental involvement throughout the semester, etc. Thus, a teacher must be reflective in his or her practices across the board. </p><p>To demonstrate my own reflective behavior, I have enclosed a journal entry. I believe journals are a positive self-assessment strategy as they assist us in analyzing situations critically, and therefore we are able to take more responsibility for our own actions in class. In addition, journaling will help me personally become more adaptive, and to remember to engage in constant self-monitoring. My own journal has three sections: a positive incident that occurred in the classroom, a situation that occurred that needs improvement, and then a suggestion to remedy the situation. PSYCHOLOGY 101 JOURNAL ENTRY: October 8th, 2007</p><p>Positive:</p><p>Today I felt that the class time management was right on target. First, the students walked around to look at Optical Illusions in various places of the classroom for </p><p>10 minutes. It was a good way to start the period, since the students were coming off of an extended three day weekend, and they enjoyed the activity and movement. They were a little jittery and the activity helped them get a little energy out. Then, I calmed the students down, got them seated, and did a 15 minute lecture on senses using </p><p>PowerPoint. The initial activity did set the students up for success in sitting through a lecture. The period was wrapped up with a 15 minute discussion on the blindfolding experiment, which we will be doing later this week. I gave the students many funny antidotes about incidents that had occurred over the years during the blindfold experiment, and we covered the experiment rules. </p><p>Needs Improvement:</p><p>I need to work on the transition from the activity to the lecture. It was difficult to get students settled down. They seemed disappointed that the activity was over, and unhappy about the lecture. How can I put a positive spin on the Powerpoint? How can </p><p>I keep the energy up even when it’s time for the students to sit down? I will ask a peer for suggestions on these issues prior to the week’s end.</p><p>Peer Suggestion:</p><p>Give students a fair warning. Before doing the initial activity, tell students that a lecture will follow. Tell students how long the lecture will last, so they know that it will not span the rest of the period. It is easier to focus when one knows the beginning and end of the activity.</p>