I have always considered myself reflective by nature and kept journals all my life in which I reflect on events in my life. When I entered the teaching profession I discovered that being a 'reflective practitioner' was a current catch phrase and requirement, so I felt in alignment and positive with this.
I have always followed my own model of reflection. This is me reflecting on an event, looking at it and analysing positive and negative aspects of it, sometimes alone in my thoughts, sometimes in discussion with others. Then I will apply this to future situations, and on and on in reflective cycles.
It had never occurred to me until this task that there are models of reflection to follow and theories, as it is something that is second nature to me. It is interesting when reading "Reflecting on Reflective Practice" (Finlay, 2009), the various models have overlapping similarities; A form of retrospection or looking back, Self-Evaluation through critical analyse and evaluation of the action and feelings, and Re-Orientation to future actions.
Looking Back - Analysing - Looking forward to the future
I noted in the survey that I am strong in rapid reflection, repair and review, and my school practice of Teaching as Inquiry (TAI) has encouraged and sustained systematic thinking over time inquiring into aspects of my practice with a future focus. I feel this Mindlab activity will open me to Retheorizing using academic theories to look at my own practice and theories.
Due to the pressure in my school to provide fortnightly reflections to be read by Senior Leadership, I have lost some inspiration to reflect authentically, as it often feels 'prescribed.' I understand the use of reflection to transform practice, but subscribed reflection has become more of a tick the box process. This is partly due to reactions to previous reflections I have written. Emotive and thoughtful reflection is promoted as the ultimate style, but in my experience when I have shared a light bulb epiphany or life changing insight about the education model, those that read my reflections have judged and made me defend my position. Reflection is highly personal as well as professional. The impact on this response mode has been to oppress my thoughtful genuine reflections and reproduce bland responses that won't trigger a reaction.
Having examples of models of Reflective practice is helpful as I and my colleagues have sometimes questioned 'What makes a good reflection?' This has not been clearly defined in our schoolwide practice. So although I understand now I follow an optimum model of reflective practice, this is not always acceptable in reality, that it seems prescribed responses are actually all that is required or able to be digested, despite what the leadership team decry they want from us.
As an extremely busy practitioner I have learned it is easier to be bland and inauthentic and NOT rock the boat in my required reflections, so as to continue to focus on my teaching. But I do talk with colleagues and within my thoughts still about events and analyse and how to grow and change and transform.
Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from https://app.themindlab.com/media/68044/view
Thanks for Sharing how you feel about the process and what you have experienced while writing reflections. As like you and many others, i have also wondered also before reading the article “Reflecting on reflective practice” by Linda Finlay, What Makes a good reflection? And now the journey begins to ensure that our reflections are not just systematic but more critical.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you have said about being so busy, it can be hard to find the time to do really in depth reflections, especially when we are naturally reflective in our day to day practice. Like you I often have conversations with others reflecting on practice, situations or events, but very rarely does it get formally written down. Nice job on your first Blog...we have the same theme... :)
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a supportive feeling when others have a similar theme, that relatable moment. Thank you for sharing your comment. It has helped me realise I am not alone, as a teacher the struggle is real!
DeleteAt the end of the day, you have to make it work for you. Thankfully you're already a natural reflector so it doesn't need to be put on. I guess its about finding that balance of when to be critical considering all the factors and when to focus on the actual event and outcome
ReplyDeleteFinding the balance is certainly the way forward. I am still learning how to do this, how to consider where to focus and to apply it to where to from here.
DeleteThank you for you blog, I enjoyed reading your honest reflections. As a relatively recent fully registered teacher I have found reflection challenging in the day to day busy of school life and demands. I feel like I am always "Rapidly Reflecting" as this is a part of my nature, being hard on myself and second guessing what I do. However I need to learn to prioritise time and back up my reflections with research as this will really help inform my practice!!
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