An Introduction to Reflective Practice

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An Introduction to Reflective Practice

• Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique
  good teaching comes from the identity and
  integrity of the teacher.
• - Parker Palmer

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Reflect or journal on the following questions

• What drew me to this class?
• What do I want others to know about my strengths
  and weaknesses and learning style that would help
  me to participate fully in this class?

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• A good teacher does not fill the space so much as
  open it up for others.
• - Parker Palmer

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Defining Reflective Practice.

• Reflective practice can be considered (small
  group activity)

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Reflective Practice according to York-Barr, J. et
al

• Reflective practice is a deliberate pause to
  assume an open perspective, to allow for
  higher-level thinking processes. Practitioners
  use these processes for examining beliefs, goals,
  and practices, to gain new or deeper
  understandings that lead to actions that improve
  learning for students (p. 6).

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Forms of Reflective Practice(York-Barr, et al.,
2001)
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Active reflection takes time.

• Three Levels of Reflection(Van Manen, M., 1977)

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Level One(Technical Focus)

• Concern with the means rather that the results
  of specific practices. Focus on technical
  issues
• Ex How do I use this technique or strategy?

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Level Two Conceptual Focus

• Concerns with values drive interpretation of
  actions and events in practice.
• Ex If a teacher believes children learn best
  through a cooperative learning approach, he/she
  will tend to use methods that incorporate
  cooperative learning instruction.

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Level Three(Dialectical Focus)

• Consider the relationships between a specific
  practice and the outcomes.
• Ex In what ways will this practice influence
  the development of student knowledge, skills,
  and appreciation?

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Steps for Reflection (York-Barr, J., et al.,
2001)

• Description What happened?
• What did I do?
• What did the students do?
• How was the environment constructed?
• What was the outcome?

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Steps for Reflection (York-Barr, J., et al.,
2001)

• Analysis Why?
• Why do I think this happened?
• How did the outcome compare to my intended
  outcome?
• How did the environment influence the outcome?
• How did I influence the outcome?
• What factors contributed to the outcome?
• How would the outcome be different with different
  factors?

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Steps for Reflection (York-Barr, J., et al.,
2001)

• Meaning So What?
• What did I learn?
• How could I improve?
• How does this change my beliefs or my future
  thinking?
• What other questions do I have?

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Steps for Reflection (York-Barr, J., et al.,
2001)

• Implication Now What?
• What do I want to change for next time?
• When will I use this information?
• How will I construct the environment?
• What will I design for my next steps?
• How will this improve my practice?
• What questions, factors, or practices do I want
  to explore further?

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Self Assessment Think, Pair, Share

• Reflect on your current reflective practice
• What are your priorities for your own
  reflective practice (see text pp. 34 35)

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Question

• What are some personal capacities that promote
  reflection?

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Effective Listening

• Paraphrase (repeat what you heard in your own
  words)
• Clarify (rephrase as a question to seek meaning)
• Summarize (rephrase main points)
• Ask questions (open, honest)
• Use non-verbal cues
• Validate (let the speaker know you heard what
  they said and that you see their point of view)
• Keep focused
• Silence

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Providing Reflective Feedback

• Describe the behavior, not the person
• Use observations, avoid inferring
• Seek to understand, not to judge
• Provide questions, not answers
• Highlight ideas, not solutions
• Validate ideas, rather than oppose
• Feedback works best when it is solicited, if
  they dont ask, dont tell.

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Six Paradoxes of Space(Palmer, P., 2002)

• The space should be bounded and open.
• The space should be hospitable and charged
• The space should invite the voice of the
  individual and the voice of the group
• The space should honor the little stories of
  the participants and the big stories of
  teaching, learning, identity, and integrity
• The space should support solitude and surround it
  with the resources of the community
• The space should welcome both silence and speech.

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Small group focus question
How can we as a group develop an atmosphere of
trust building?
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Ways to Reflect

• Individual
• Journaling
• Mapping
• Teacher Narratives
• Teacher Portfolios
• Metaphors
• Reading with Reflection

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Ways to Reflect

• Partners
• Coaching
• Dialogue Journals
• Structured Dialogue
• Action Research
• Weekly Reviews
• Listening Practice
• Observation Learning

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Ways to Reflect

• Small Groups
• Reading Reflection
• Metaphors
• Talking Cards
• Six Hats
• Think Tank
• Interactive Reflective Teaching
• Teacher Support Groups
• Teacher Dialogues
• Video/Book Clubs
• Reflective Roundtables

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Ways to Reflect

• School-wide
• Coaching
• Learning in Faculty Meetings
• School-wide Study Groups
• Philosophy Club
• School Self-Review