I spent some time with a group of educators at Nebraska's Adult Education Conference talking about Reflective Practice. We differentiated between just "reflecting" on a teaching experience and the idea of "active" Reflective Practice. Reflective Practice requires that we do more than just think about how things went, but that we are intentional and systematic in our reflections, and that we use data to make positive changes in our teaching.
The research piece that supported the workshop is Reflective Practice in the Professional Development of Teachers of Adult English Language Learners from the LINCS collection.
It is difficult to cultivate a reflective practice mentality. What are some things that you do to introduce the idea of reflective practice into your teaching?
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I think this is a very important topic and very difficult to achieve for a number of reasons. 1) It requires that teachers admit that we don't know everything, that we make mistakes, that we aren't experts in our students, though we may be expert in subject matter. We are often under pressure from our institutions to "present a united front," never appear vulnerable, not admit to making mistakes, etc. It often feels like we can't afford to let in any doubt or questions about our practice, for fear of being taken advantage of. 2) It has to come from the top. Our program directors need to not only encourage us to reflect on our teaching practice, but create structures in which we can engage in reflection actively with peers - with the use of data, research, peer observation, and critical discussion groups. They need to make us feel that we will be supported, not punished, for thinking critically about our teaching practice, including acknowledging our faults and weaknesses. 3) We need to be given time and resources to engage in active reflection. It needs to be seen as important, as important as teaching.
I know that there was a transfer high school in New York City that engaged in this practice, and that it was instituted by the principal. Teachers were given a set number of hours per week in which they observed one another and discussed their observations. Formal observation notes had to be written up.
Ellen-- You hit a lot of important points-- it is hard to be vulnerable, especially if performance evaluation could be affected. I really like what you say about the importance of reflective practice: "It needs to be seen as important, as important as teaching." Program directors-- it has to have support from the top!
Thank you for posting!