B 8a: Reflections: At the Halfway Point…..

Reflections: At the Halfway Point……

To reflect is to be able to ponder on one’s abilities and inabilities. It can also be introspection of the here and now of a given situation and time. Reflection, if done correctly, expands the mind and brings matters into perspective; and can become an opportunity to bring about constructive and positive change. The ability to reflect also comes with age, and wisdom of experience.

The need to develop myself as a reflective practitioner as part of my PGCHE experience hasn’t really been as daunting as it may have been for fellow colleagues. As I mentioned in my second assignment, because of my lack of ‘professional’ education I have been an accidental reflective practitioner. Questioning the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of everything thing I do is second nature to me because I have always felt the need to query and analyze the need for action and the outcome of that action. This was then substantiated by reading Jennifer Moon (1999), in the course of my PGCHE study, where she defines reflective practice as “a set of abilities and skills, to indicate the taking of a critical stance, an orientation to problem solving or state of mind” [1]

So what has conscious reflection of my teaching practice taught me?

It has enabled me to:

Ø develop learning in ways that enhance other learning

Ø deepened the quality of this learning, in the form of critical thinking and inquiry

Ø help me to help my learners to understand their own learning process

Ø facilitate and share learning from my experiences

Ø increase active involvement in learning and personal ownership of learning

Ø increase the ability to reflect and improve the quality of teaching and learning

Ø enhance problem-solving skills

Ø enhance professional practice and the professional self in practice

Ø explore myself, my personal constructs of meaning and view of the world.

Ø realize the personal value of the self towards self-empowerment

Ø slow down and take a more thorough account of situations

Ø enhance creativity by making better use of intuitive understanding

Ø provide an alternative 'voice' to express myself better

Ø To foster reflective and creative interaction in a group