Reflection – an intro

PG Dip pre-service full time

Reflection

0How many of you are good at reflection?0Why? (not)0Write your answers down in 3 sentences

Why reflect?

0 Reasons? Brainstorm them1. To improve teaching practice2. To learn from3. Enhance your problem solving skills4. To become a critical thinker5. To make decisions6. Improve your organisational skills7. Manage personal change8. Acknowledging your personal values9. Take your own advice0 Roffey-Barentsen & Malthouse (2009)

“Often we hear that one of the most important tasks of education is to teach students how to learn on their own throughout their lifetimes. But how do we learn how to learn? How do we know what we’ve learned and how to direct our own future learning? These are all questions addressed by the concept of metacognition. Simply put, metacognition means “thinking about one’s own thinking.”

There are two aspects of metacognition:1) reflection—thinking about what we

know;2) self-regulation—managing how we go

about learning.

Thinking About Thinking:MetacognitionDeveloped by Linda Darling-Hammond, Kim Austin, Melissa Cheung, and Daisy MartinWith Contributions From Brigid Barron, Annmarie Palincsar, and Lee ShulmanStanford University School of Education

Bit o’ theory

01.Common Sense reflecting ( Moon 2004,p.82)0“ reflection is akin to thinking but with more

added to this”0Thoughts that occur after a difficult session0You know you have to do better and try to work

out why0Its vague because lacks element of directed

learning0Write a quick scenario of what happened

2. Dewey’s reflective thinking

0Main interest stems from problem solving0Why do you think?0Starts with a worry or a problem?0So you feel uneasy and need to stop and take

stock0Here you now identify the problem0This is reflective thinking0Not always easy or pleasant 0“What did I do?” “Could I have been better?”

3. SchÖn, Donald(1983)- Reflective Practice0 Reflecting on teaching and learning to modify practice is drawn

from the work of Schon. He discussed the benefits of reflective practice for those engaged in professional occupations. 

0 acquisition of new knowledge was less important than the need to reflect and inform practice in an ever-changing workplace. He said there are different parts of the reflective process:

0 1. Reflection in Action is working with awareness0 thinking on your feet0 responding to feedback signs0 storing experience for next time0 Examples? Where in your teaching have you had to do this?

02. Reflection on Action is the usual meaning of reflective practice. It is:0 reflecting after the event0 making sense of what you did0 having that ‘reflective conversation’

03. Reflection for Action: thinking in advance as you plan your teaching with your knowledge of the learners

0http://www.resources.scalingtheheights.com/Schon%20and%20Reflective%20Practice.htm

More than omphaloskepsis!!?

• Omphaloskepsis is contemplation of your navel as an aid to meditation

• SO ….if Reflective Practice is to become anything more than random navel gazing,

• it is advisable that you, the reflective practitioner, employs a particular process or model.

How to use a reflective model

David Kolb(1984) Experiential Learning Cycle

Do

reflect

Read

Plan

Or in other words:Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle is relevant to this process of on-going reflection and self-evaluation.

Adapt what you have to teach to suit your learnersExperience/teachHave reflective conversation with a colleagueLearnPut new learning into practice Start cycle again 

How to use it practically

Do it Get some feedback from the class about how they experienced it

Reflect on it

What went well? what went less well?

Read up on it

Search Internet – read a book/journal;

Plan the next stage

So what will you change?

Gibbs reflective cycle(1988)

Encourages reflective practice by asking questions

at each stage

Brookfield’s (1995) critical lenses• This is the next step – adds a critical element to

reflection• 1. the point of view of the teacher (autobiography)-

one of the most important sources of insight into teaching to which we have access.” (1995 p.31)

• 2. the point of view of the learners• 3. the point of view of our colleagues• 4. the point of view of theories and literature• What did you do? How did your learners feel?

Colleagues act as critical friends, take into account what the theory says

Rolfe et al (2001) Framework for reflexive practice

• What? – describe the situation; achievements, consequences, responses, feelings, and problems.

• So what? – discuss what has been learnt; learning about self, relationships, models, attitudes, cultures, actions, thoughts, understanding, and improvements.

• Now what? – identify what needs to be done in order to; improve future outcomes, and develop learning

• third and final stage is of the greatest importance in contributing to practice Rolfe et al (2001).

Task 1

0Using the handout- basic introduction0Use the sample on page 1.0Break it down into0A) the description (what happened?)0B) The interpretation (what’s most useful about the

idea/event?)0C) The outcome (what was learned?)

Task 2

0 Jenny Moon says reflective writing has 4 categories0Samuels (2008) devised 50See handouts0From the 2 excerpts work out which is “reporting

level” writing and which is “reconstructing level“ writing- why?

References

0Roffey-Barentsen, J. & Malthouse, R.(2009) Reflective Practice in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Exeter: Learning Matters

0Moon, J.(2004) A handbook of reflective and experiential learning theory and practice. London:RoutledgeFalmer