Lesson Reflection and Next Steps Sheet

Who this is for

A lesson looked back on, in four honest boxes. What you set out to do, what actually happened, who needs what next and what you will change, with a short table of the pupils to follow up before the class meets again.

Teachers reflecting on their own lessons, trainees and early career teachers keeping evidence for a mentor, and anyone who has taught the same lesson twice and wants the second time to be different for a reason.

What this helps you track

• What the lesson was meant to achieve, in your own words
• What happened in the room, including the parts that did not go to plan
• Which pupils need something different next time, and what
• The change you will make before the lesson is taught again

How to use it

1. Fill in the class, subject, date and the lesson or topic while the room is still fresh.
2. Write what you intended first, before what happened; it is easier to be honest in that order.
3. Describe what happened in plain terms: timing, the task that worked, the explanation that did not.
4. Name the pupils to follow up in the table, with what they need and when you will do it.
5. Finish with the one change you will make, and keep the sheet with the lesson plan it belongs to.
6. The browser version saves in your own browser and prints or downloads as a PDF for a mentor or a file.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is this an observation form?

No. It is written by the teacher about their own lesson. An observer's form has different questions and is set by whoever runs your observations.

Do I need to fill in every box?

No. A lesson that went as planned needs a line, not a page. The boxes are there for the lessons where something is worth writing down.

How many pupils should go in the follow-up table?

As many as you will actually follow up. A short list of names with a specific next step is more use than the whole register with a tick.

Can I use it for evidence of practice?

Yes, if that is what you want it for. It records your own reflection in your own words; what counts as evidence is for your school, mentor or training provider to say.