REFLECTION AS A TOOL NOT A MIRROR (Week 17)

“Mā te hē ka tika”

“By making mistakes we learn to get things right”

When I think of the term ‘reflection’ and reflecting on my own practice, observation, interpretation, expectation and frustration springs to mind.

I picture the quiet time I have to myself where I replay events of my day teaching, conversations had with my students, what worked and what could be improved next time. "Awareness of one's own intuitive thinking usually grows out of practice in articulating it to others" (Donald Schon, 1983). I recall the conversations had with my colleagues about how things are going in class, at school and with life in general. These both account for some of my reflection time.

 “Let us not forget that the model is a tool, not a mirror.” (Gordon, 1984, p. 243). Too often, I think there is that constant pressure of trying to get things right in my own practice. I am the first to identify the negatives. However, not everything goes as planned and these so-called failures become learning opportunities for me. I think how we as educators interpret what we observe in our surroundings depends on the expectations. I often have unmet expectations and do get frustrated because of it. I now can see that it is vital I make my observations a priority not my expectations, and to deal with what is right in front of me.

The way we respond to our learners needs depends on the need of the individual and the situation. The Teaching as Inquiry Cycle (Ministry of Education, 2009) is a generic inquiry tool for all educators. Although the embedding of the New Zealand Teaching as Inquiry cycle (TAI) would be different in every school. I use it here at Nuhaka School but solely to focus on my own individual teacher’s inquiry. At the end of each term, we consider each component of the TAI and reflect accordingly.

Figure 1. Teaching as Inquiry Cycle

The Spiral of Inquiry is a continuous cycle of reflecting for the learner. Reflection is a part of who we are embedded in our thinking, actions and behaviour.

Figure 2. Spiral of Inquiry

 The structure of Gibbs Reflective Cycle allows learners to not only reflect on their learning but their emotions as well. Considering how a learner feels during their learning is of importance.

Figure 3. Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Larrivee (2000) summarises nicely that “Critical reflection is not only a way of approaching teaching – it is a way of life. The more I explore, the more I will discover. The more I question, I can access a whole world of possibilities. I want my learners to empower themselves to be reflective of their own practice. We grow together and learn together, and build on the next steps. It is important that reflective practice be cultivated and fostered to become effective. It can then be a “powerful tool to examine and transform practice” (Finlay, 2008, p.10). Teacher inquiry and reflective practice are intertwined. These two tools go hand in hand, and one cannot function without the other. As a mother, educator, teacher, and learner, I give children time – time to think, to wonder, to explore, and to try. I jump-start their learning by asking questions to provoke them to think about the big ideas and to challenge them in their thinking and understanding of a topic. Reflecting is an integral part of the learning process. Now when I reflect on this blog I think of ‘reflection’ as possibilities, exploration, and opportunities.

I leave you with a Dr. Seuss quote “Think and wonder, wonder and think.” In the world we live in time is precious. Sometimes all we need is that little breather, to sit there, and ponder our big thoughts. There is a lot of research, literature, videos and resources of reflecting on practice. However, it is important that we hold fast to our own beliefs, and our own thoughts.

So what do you wonder about, and what do you think? 

References

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file…

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle [Image]. Retrieved 03 December 2017, from https://www.businessballs.com/self-awareness/reflective-practice-1824/

Gordon, D.R. (1984) Research application - identifying the use and misuse of formal models in nursing practice, From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing (ed. P. Benner), Addison-Wesley, Menlo Park.Larrivee, B. (2000).Transforming teaching practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 1(3), 293-307.

Ministry of Education. (2009). Teaching as Inquiry. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-stories/Case-studies/Teachers-as-learners-Inquiry/Teaching-as-inquiry

Schon, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.

Spiral of Learning [Image]. Retrieved 03 December 2017, from http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2015/06/building-collaborative-teaching-as-inquiry-teams-using-spirals-of-inquiry.html

Teaching as Inquiry [Image]. Retrieved 21November 2017, from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/var/tki-nzc/storage/images/media/images/tu-images/teaching-as-inquiry2/3711-5-eng-NZ/Teaching-as-Inquiry_preview.jpg?popUp=true&KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=904&width=944