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Week 17. Activity 1. My reflective practice.


Choosing a reflective feedback model.
My first consideration was which model to choose to structure my reflective writing. I considered Gibbs 2008, Teaching as Inquiry by MOH, Jay and Johnson 2002. Although they all have merits, none appealed to my preference for a model that is accessible for a novice, my criteria are if must be succinct, have relevant examples, and have scaffolding.  After researching this problem, I discovered  the 3 stage model (description, interpretation, outcome) of Hampton (2010), contained in two pages with a vocabulary aid. This model meets my criteria for acceptability and utility. It also incorporates both deep levels of reflection and future application, elements which are absent from some of the previous models. I found the vocabulary guide useful for its practical application.

My reflective practice:
During and after a teaching event, I always engage in reflective thinking on how the session went, both the good and not so good aspects. I believe there is always something I can improve to increase the efficacy of the teaching and learning. This iterative and cyclical approach is common to many models, such as the Japanese 改善 (kaizen) philosophy of continuous small improvements, the growth mindset of Dwek 2017, Design Thinking (Brown 2008), Kolb’s learning cycle, and the quality assurance and audit processes I use in the laboratory workplace. However, these cyclical processes incorporate external (other people’s) opinions and empirical evidence (for example, test results, or comparison to targets), and we call this ‘feedback’, not reflection. For me, reflection is  self-assessment, therefore sharing my thoughts and feelings with another teacher on their  practise would be ‘feedback’, or external assessment. 

During and after a teaching session, new ideas on improving the content and delivery bubble to the surface of my consciousness.  Being able to act on these new ideas satisfies my need for control and autonomy.  Control and autonomy are required for motivation and self efficacy.  This self assessment and implementation cycle works best when I have full control of the teaching session. Things are different when other teachers are involved and a team approach is needed. I  identify with the ‘early adopter’ archetype of Rogers on the innovation diffusion model. However, I now realise  that most people are not early adopters, and my lack of appreciation of this difference of perspective can lead to failure of implementation of the new idea.  I now know to identify and work with the other early adopters and early majority to increase the likelihood of implementation of new ideas. 

The medium I use for sharing a reflection on a teaching experience, particularly one that did not go so well, is talking with my colleagues.  For me, this reflective conversation, feels comfortable, and I see from the Google forms survey, this is the most common form of shared reflection. For me, I feel comfortable with talking to colleagues one to one, because I choose the receiver, for his/her expertise, subject matter expertise and discretion.  I think this is because it strengthens existing interpersonal professional relationships and builds trust.


Similar to most Mindlab participants, I have not shared my reflections on a blog or by tweets. I feel not only uncomfortable but in fact, resistant  to share my reflections publicly on a blog or by tweets. The concept is initially repellent. This is the opposite view of Yang (2009) who appears to be a linguist practising in Taiwan, who promotes reflective blogging, however, Yang’s context is practising foreign language to assist student teachers self learning, and I feel based more as a medium for linguistic practise and portfolio documentation. I wonder, is there any evidence that the public sharing by blog is more effective than either reflective thinking or discussing reflections with selected trusted colleagues?  Yang’s group used the blog as a  discussion forum for group communication, but that is not necessarily reflection.  
So far, I remain unconvinced  there is any empirical evidence that teachers sharing self reflections publicly has any effect on student learning outcomes. However, I will trial public reflective blogging as an experiment to see if I can, as Yang states "uncover obstacles and discover how my teaching beliefs need to change in order to implement transformative teaching strategies’’
Amanda Charlton


References
Brown, T. (2008). Design Thinking.  Harvard Business Review, 6.
Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset: changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. Hachette UK.
Hampton, M. (2010). Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement. University of Portsmouth. Reflective writing: a basic introduction. Available from http://www.port.ac.uk/media/contacts-and-departments/student-support-services/ask/downloads/Reflective-writing---a-basic-introduction.pdf
Yang, S.-H. (2009). Using Blogs to Enhance Critical Reflection and Community of Practice. Educational Technology & Society, 12 (2), 11–21.


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