Activity 1: My Reflective Practice

Activity 1:  My Reflective Practice

I see reflection happening all the time, from the moment you get up in the morning till the moment you go back to bed.  In a way I see reflection as something that happens without thinking about it.  When I think about work, I know that I am continuously reflecting.  Without reflecting on the teaching and learning that happens in your class it could be extremely boring or extremely chaotic.

I think today for teachers there is now a huge expectation and requirement for continuous reflection, in terms of evidence - How do you know this?  Why do you think this?  What could you do differently next time?  Added to that is the notes that need to be recorded after most lessons, or progress or lack of progress with target students.  Record, record, record.  The number of conversations I have had with fellow teachers, is that as a professional, we are continuously reflecting on our practice, our lessons, our classroom and student achievement, it is trying to find the time to take a seat and make notes about the observations, to record your evidence.  Part of me feels that we are now spending a lot of our teaching and learning time, making notes throughout lessons.

To be able to reflective effectively, you would need to have a high understanding of what is reflective practice.  "Reflective Practice Teaching Development Unit" developed by Dr Arezou Zalipour, June 2015, Waikato University states that "John Dewey (1993) recognised for the first time that an individual can reflect on things – particularly when there is a real problem or a sense of difficulty – by merely ‘thinking’ about them. Dewey suggested three steps of reflection: 
(1) problem definition, 
(2) analysis, and 
(3) generalisation. 
He emphasised the distinction between taking action based on reflection, as opposed to impulsive thinking. The literature on reflective practice in teaching demonstrates several purposes for reflection. They include: 
• teacher’s self-reflection as a tool for self-knowledge 
• reflection for professional development 
• reflection to aid research on teaching 
• reflection to enhance student learning experience 
• reflection as a teaching and assessment tool (e.g. reflective journal) 


This remembered me of the Teacher as Inquiry model that is used in a number of schools.
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I have used the Teaching as Inquiry format for a number of years now.  I have found it to be a simple but effective format to use when focussing on a particular area of your practice.  
As well as the Spiral of Inquiry:
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Each of these templates of inquiry are used as a form of reflection.  I haven't used the Spiral of Inquiry before, but understand that believe that the inquiry happens over a longer period of time.  This link will take you to the Spiral of Inquiry Paper - Timperley, Kaser and Halbert.

I wonder how other teachers find their students taking time to reflect.  Do they just give up when the going gets too much?  Do they take a step back and think about it?  I think that it is important that students take time to reflect on their learning.  A tool that can be help is The Thinking Hats from de Bono.  "De Bono's Six Thinking Hats are designed to teach people how to think around a problem".

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http://www.mkk.school.nz/Site/Learning_MKK/Thinking_MKK/De_Bono_s_Thinking_Hats.ashx

Questions:

  1. What forms of inquiry do other teachers use at their school?
  2. How effective do you find these formats of inquiry/reflection on your teaching practice?
  3. Does anyone use the Six Thinking Hats?
Food for thought:
"Reflection comes from the Latin reflectere, made up of the prefix re-,"back," and flectere, "to bend." So it's bending something back: your reflection in the mirror is the light waves that bounce your image back at you. When you pause for reflection — serious thinking, that is — your thoughts are bending inward. Reflection can also be a consequence of something: the way your dog mopes around when you're away is a reflection of how much he misses you."  https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reflection


Reference List:


The Six Thinking Hats - http://www.mkk.school.nz/Site/Learning_MKK/Thinking_MKK/De_Bono_s_Thinking_Hats.ashx


Spiral of Inquiry Paper - Timperley, Kaser and Halbert.

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reflection



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