Mindlab Blog Week 17 My Reflective Practice

Teacher  reflection becomes part of a process that we learn to adapt and change over time or in different situations. Throughout my own teaching practice and before participating in Mindlab I assumed my reflecting was meaningful and relevant because it was done regularly. Since reading the article on Finlay (2009) I realised that if the lesson was going well according to myself then I tended not to deeply reflect or question myself further thinking the lesson was a success. However if a lesson was monotonous I was able to think and make an instant change. Therefore thinking my evaluating and reflecting was complete. I really didn’t think about my role in this process deeply or analytically that being a critically reflective practitioner takes time, effort and skills to develop further which builds over time. In light of current research and specifically looking at the model of Zeichner and Liston (1996) as Finlay explores, I am now able to connect on a deeper level understanding how the 5 different levels can relate to my teaching practice now and in the future. At first this process seemed so daunting as I have never blogged before and as for scrutinising my reflective practice made me feel anxious and quite vulnerable. I looked at how Zeichner and Liston’s (1996) model fitted with what I was already doing which empowered me to want to do more. Reflecting on what I could do better in the future this is what I came up with…..

Rapid Reflection:

Currently I give students feedback about their learning. I identify when students find tasks challenging and take action automatically what is needed. In the future I need to give more specific written feedback or feed forward  to students. I will also rapidly reflect on the entire lesson. The point as Finlay (2008, p.1) put it is to “recapture practice experiences and mull them over critically in order to gain new understandings and so improve future practice.”

Repair:

I respond to students needs for whatever reason. I can alter my teaching midway based on students cues. For the future I will use higher order questioning and collaborate more with students discussing their learning to enhance their cultural toolkit, developing the inquiry process. Ghaye (2000) states that it is important for people to collaborate and problem solve in reflective conversations with each other. 

Review

I’m always reviewing and thinking about my teaching pedagogy. I discuss with colleagues aspects about teaching but not enough utilising their expertise. McKay (2008, Forthcoming) says: there are “compelling reasons” to do reflection in collaboration with others. This process has inspired me to develop my written reflections for future planning and share these more with colleagues and students. As L arrivee (2000) recommends that keeping a reflective journal is a way to ensure time is set aside for deep and regular reflection.

Research:

Current research and readings are done because of staff professional development or needed as specific aspects arose. Now i’m actively researching and wanting to provide rich, authentic learning experiences for my students. Backing myself as to what current research suggests. It is cruticual that reflective practice be cultivated and fostered to become effective. It can be a “powerful tool to examine and transform practice” (Finlay, 2008 p.10).

Retheorizing and Reformulating:

I examine my own teaching practice regularly. However this is definitely one area that I will consciously develop by critically examining my own practice and theories in light of more relevant research. Larrivee (2000) summaries nicely that “critical reflection is not only a way of approaching teaching - it is a way of life.”

References:

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. Practice-based Professional Learning Centre, Open University. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/sites/www.open.ac.uk.opencetl/files/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Larrivee, B. (2000).Transforming teaching practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 1(3), 293-307.

Zeichner, K. M. and Liston, D.P. (1996) Reflective Teaching: An Introduction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.