Montessori Teacher Self Reflection and Self Assessment: Constructive Goal Setting and Feedback

As a newly-trained Montessori teacher, I was given the task of submitting several, formal, self-reflections and self-assessments during my intern year. These were to be read by my immediate supervising Montessori teacher as well as the administrator of the Montessori school. Although I had completed my training and felt confident that I knew the Montessori philosophy and method, I knew I still had a lot to learn and was nervous. I had never been asked to do a formal self-assessment before and was uncertain as to the validity as well as the reasoning behind it.

Self-assessment provides the opportunity for Montessori teachers at all stages of their career to reflect upon their own practices in the Montessori classroom and environment. There are two stages of assessment: formative and summative. Formative assessments are used for continuous learning and improvement through ongoing reviews, observations, and assessments. They are used to give constructive feedback to the learner. Summative assessments of teachers are generally given at the end of the academic year and are used in the decision to issue new teaching contracts.