PD Week 1 Reflection

This year I decided to embark on more in depth PD on my own because I was so inspired by the How to Learn Math for Teachers course I took this summer. My weekly plan is to listen to a podcast every day for at least 15 minutes on the way to work, read from either a math or science teaching book on Wednesday mornings, view Twitter posts related to science and math nightly. I plan to blog about my week every Friday. As you can see I am already behind on those plans, but better late than never!
Here is my summary of the week:
I listened to Truth for Teachers on Tuesday on the way to and from work, and the topic this week was about how to adapt to new teaching expectations or to exit gracefully. I found this to be an inspiring podcast because it helped renew my self-confidence in my abilities as a teacher and it also helped me to realize I am not alone, and all teachers are a work in progress because nobody is perfect.
I listened to two Science Friday podcasts. They were interesting and thought-provoking. Learning styles not existing was pretty fascinating. I like to hear the details of new pieces of science and I learned a new way to use the Science Friday website as an educator. Ira's voice is so fantastic, too!
On Wednesday I read a chapter out of a book I started this summer called, Becoming the Math Teacher you wish you'd had. Chapter 3 is called Mathematicians take Risks, and it was about making students feel comfortable enough to try new strategies that might be way different than the way they have worked in the past. This chapter was a great reinforcement of the concepts Jo Boaler talked about in the class I took this summer. It has helped inform my lesson planning and it has given me some practical ideas I can use in my class. (Individualized comment writing is one that I hope to be able to try.)
The Twitter posts were not as fruitful because I find it hard to filter through all of them. I am hoping to meet with a colleague this week to learn about Tweet Deck to make my feed better catered to the kind of things I want to read. That being said, I did use George Couros' suggestions for 5 questions to ask students at the beginning of the year, but I haven't had a chance to read their responses, yet.
My end of the week sickness thwarted my plans to reflect on Friday afternoon, yet I am inspired to continue my ambitious plans for PD next week. I can't wait to hear Truth for Teachers tomorrow.