Do I really need to become a reflective practitioner? Yes! Being a reflective practitioner is essential for development in any aspect of life. Reflective practice is, in its simplest form, thinking about or reflecting on what you do. It is closely linked to the concept of learning from experience, in that you think about what you did, and what happened, and decide from that what you would do differently next time.
Especially in teaching it is important to reflect at the end of the day of being in the classroom on what activities, research and discussion worked well and what didn’t. Being a reflective teacher also supports other teachers giving a heads up on things they can try in their own classroom and it also builds strong relationships between teachers.
Neil Thompson, in his book People Skills, suggests that there are six steps for successful reflective practice:
Read - around the topics you are learning about or want to learn about and develop
Ask - others about the way they do things and why
Watch - what is going on around you
Feel - pay attention to your emotions, what prompts them, and how you deal with negative ones
Talk - share your views and experiences with others in your organisation
Think - learn to value time spent thinking about your work
When I look back at my old school portfolios, diaries and visual diaries I feel a sense of pride that I can see progression from one year to the next and hope and confidence for the future.
I work at a preschool and keep a diary of things that go well, what the children positively and negatively respond to in the classroom and out on the playground. I think over the course of my degree when on prac and when I finally graduate and am out in the classroom it will be nice to look over my diary and see what challenges I once faced and obstacles I overcame.
References:
Brightknowledge.org. (2018). Brightside Mentoring. [online] Available at: https://brightknowledge.org/medicine-healthcare/what-is-reflective-practice
Latrobe.libguides.com. (2018). LibGuides: Reflective practice in health: Models of reflection. [online] Available at: https://latrobe.libguides.com/reflectivepractice/models
TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC. (2018). Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice. [online] Available at: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/reflective-teaching-exploring-our-own-classroom-practice