Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers
Are you a middle school ELA teacher looking for practical, proven strategies to help your students grow as confident readers and writers? Middle School Café is your go-to podcast for engaging teaching ideas, classroom-tested tools, and real talk about what works in today’s ELA classroom.
Each episode delivers actionable tips to help you close reading gaps, build student ownership, and create a classroom culture where literacy thrives. Whether you're navigating a curriculum, supporting struggling readers, or just looking for fresh ways to inspire your students, you'll find support, strategy, and a sense of community right here.
Join a community of passionate middle school ELA teachers working to build confident, engaged readers. Visit www.middleschoolcafe.com for classroom tools, podcast extras, and resources to support every student on their reading journey.
Middle School Café – Strategies & Support for Middle School ELA Teachers
Student Reflection Strategies to Promote Ownership and Growth [Ep. 28]
What if your students saw themselves as active participants in their learning—rather than passive recipients of information? In this episode, we’re exploring the power of student reflection and how it can transform your classroom. Teaching students to reflect helps them take ownership of their learning, recognize their strengths and challenges, and set meaningful goals.
I share practical strategies for weaving reflection into your daily routine—from modeling reflective thinking to gradually building it into everyday classroom conversations. You’ll also hear how reflection supports better retention, promotes self-awareness, and fosters a growth mindset. If you’re looking for ways to deepen student engagement and build metacognitive skills, this episode will help you make reflection a regular part of your teaching practice.
Read more in the show notes.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Student Reflection Sheets (includes posters)
- Visual Student Reflections
- Weekly Reading Reflections
- ELA Daily Warm Ups (includes weekly reflection)
Related posts:
- Empower Students with Reflection Opportunities
- Accountability Beyond Recording Pages With Reading Reflections - episode 10
- Reading Reflection VS Reading Logs – What’s the Better Choice?
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