APC Activity 3 review of Finlay's (2008) Reflecting on Reflective Practice.

Review of Finlay's (2008) Reflecting on Reflective Practice.

My reflections will be focused around these two main questions:

What is/are the points in the article that captivate your attention? In which way?

In general, reflective practice is understood as the process of learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practice (Boud et al 1985; Boydand Fales, 1983; Mezirow, 1981, Jarvis, 1992). This often involves examining assumptions of everyday practice. It also tends to involve the individual practitioner in being self-aware and critically evaluating their own responses to practice situations.

It is so easy to categorise reflecting as "introspective navel gazing." When I was training to be a teacher, a number of Associate Teachers would tell me that "Reflection is what you do as you are driving home from school at the end of the day." At times I have felt like reflections are just another hoop to jump through. But as I have grown as an educator, I have come to recognise how essential critical evaluation and reflecting really is.  

Larraviee's quote that was mentioned in the reading provided clear explanation of the importance that critical reflection has in our professional practice.

“Unless teachers develop the practice of critical reflection, they stay trapped in unexamined judgments, interpretations, assumptions, and expectations. Approaching teaching as a reflective practitioner involves fusing personal beliefs and values into a professional identity” (Larrivee, 2000, p.293).

I have seen it so often in the world of teaching. I have regularly come across people who are trapped in a certain way of thinking, and fixed on what could be an unexamined assumption. 

I do not want to be one of those teachers. It is becoming increasingly clear to me how important it is to critically engage in reflecting not only introspectively, but also the bigger context of what is going on. So that I am able to develop a meaningful, connected, and clear professional identity. 

Sometimes I find it difficult to just "Reflect".  Regardless of the criticism that Grushka, Hinde-McLeod and Reynolds (2005)  have received about their 5 different levels of reflection. I believe that it is a valuable method to measure and guide your own reflections. It also made me think of how I have reflected about my practice in the past.  

1. Rapid reflection - immediate, ongoing and automatic action by the teacher.

2. Repair – in which a thoughtful teacher makes decisions to alter their behaviour in response to students’ cues.

3. Review – when a teacher thinks about, discusses or writes about some element of their teaching.

4. Research – when a teacher engages in more systematic and sustained thinking overtime, perhaps by collecting data or reading research.

5. Retheorizing and reformulating – the process by which a teacher critically examines their own practice and theories in the light of academic theories.

I attempt to foster and incorporate active reflection and critical thinking within my classroom's culture, and I have seen the benefits it has on students when they gain a better understanding of their learning journey and themselves through reflecting. 

What reflective model(s) do you find most suitable to use? Explain why? 

In my professional practice I am currently using the Teaching as Inquiry model that aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum. I appreciate it's structured nature, and provides a holistic evidence based approach. I also like that fact that it enables me as a teacher to frame myself as a learner. This helps me model reflective practice to the students in my class. 

As a school we have been taking part in the Assessment for Learning PLD. A part of this is facilitating Active Reflection sessions within the classroom to help learners engage in critical thinking about their learning. I have found Michael Absolum's model provides a structured framework to facilitate this.  

References:

Absolum, M. (2006). Clarity in the classroom. Hodder Education, Auckland New Zealand.

Finlay, L. (2008) Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file/ecms/web-content/Finlay-%282008%29-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Larrivee, B. (2000) Transforming teaching practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher, ReflectivePractice, 1(3), 293-307.
Ministry of Education. (2007) Kia ora - NZ Curriculum Online. Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/.

Teachers Council. (2014) Graduating Teacher Standards | The New Zealand. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from https://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/content/graduating-teacher-standards.