Discover the Power of the S.T.E.P Protocol for your Language Class

Are you ready to elevate your teaching practice to new heights? Ready to do some reflection? In episode 37 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, you’ll learn more about the powerful STEP Forward protocol designed specifically for language teachers. Now, you might be wondering, is this relevant and practical for my classroom? The answer is a resounding yes!

STEP Forward

Discover the key elements of STEP Forward: Student Survey, Teacher Reflection, Explore Concepts, and Plan. In episode 37, I’ll show you step by step how to gain valuable insights from your students, reflect on your teaching experiences, explore new concepts, and set meaningful goals. Plus, I’ve curated a special playlist to address the most pressing questions teachers have. You can access that resource for free at growingwithproficiency.com/playlist

The protocol I share in episode 37 and the one I’m briefly sharing in this post is called Step Forward. It’s about intentional reflection for growth. This will have an incredible impact on your teaching. 

It Started with Reflection

My journey with reflection started during the pandemic when I lost the feeling of the class. I just didn’t know what my students were thinking. I didn’t have that sensation or feeling when you read to your class and you know what they’re thinking, and I didn’t know what was working. Also, why was it working? It didn’t help that my students had their mics on mute, and they wouldn’t put their cameras on.

As we transitioned to hybrid learning, reflection became even more important to figuring out if my students were engaged. This year, as part of my Spanish Teacher Academy, I wanted to do something very powerful for my teachers in the academy. So, I created a protocol for them to reflect in a much more guided way. This is how STEP Forward was designed. 

Student Surveys 

In the STEP Forward process, “S” stands for student survey. I talk more in depth in episode 37 about this. What I want is to gain the perspective of how my students experience my class and their perspective without passing judgment. I’m really focused on constructive feedback that will help us grow. I also have a student survey that you can use and customize. You can get your copy at this link:

Self-reflection guide with student survey template

Teacher Reflection

Next, let’s move to “T”, teacher reflection. I think sometimes as teachers, we become fixers, we want to fix students, we want to fix the situation, we want to help, because that’s what we do. This means that a lot of our time and attention is spent on the negative.

Sometimes, we just stay there and don’t take the time to celebrate what is working. So, I want you to sit down and start with the wins; start with the things that work in your class. Celebrate yourself and start with the positive! Then, take some take to work through the surveys and your reflection and put that data on a piece of paper. 

Explore Concepts

Next, decide what has worked in your class and what you want to improve in your class. I want you to become curious. Curiosity is such a great tool. Facing reality through surveys and reflection has helped me grow a ton. I discuss more about this and what to avoid in episode 37. If you are part of the academy, we worked through this together. Not in the academy? Join the waitlist here. 

Plan a Focus or a Goal

The “P” in STEP Forward is to plan. Whatever is the next for you, just plan for that goal plan or that focus. Get the data from your students through surveys, from yourself through teacher reflection. Next, explore that data. What is it telling you, and remember, focus on the wins. Then, set your plan, make a goal, identify your focus.

Reflection, Focus, and Goals

I recently created playlists based on themes that are common for language teachers. Once you find your focus or goal, check out the playlist, find your theme, and listen to specific podcast episodes that will help you with strategies and resources for your area of development. Look through the playlist here. 

So, listen to episode 37 above, on your favorite podcast player, or here and work through the STEP Forward process. Let me know your goals and focus! As always, you can find all the episodes of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast here.