Reflection One: Do I Really Need To Be A Reflective Practitioner?

Description

A Reflective Practitioner is someone who recalls and analyses situations in their professional capacity, in this case, an educator. Some may feel this is a

Feelings

I strongly believe that it is our triumphs and setbacks that enable us to gain the most learning benefit. As our lives become busier, our days can become overwhelming. Taking a moment to reflect, allowing ourselves time to consider our triumphs and setbacks and their impacts can significantly boost mental wellbeing, especially when regularly practised and action plans are developed. Through the use of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Gibbs,1988), questions such as, “what went well or poorly?” or “How can I do better next time” encourages us toward improvement rather than dwelling on a negative or plateauing after a positive.

Evaluation

A significant pro to being a reflective practitioner is the boost to mental health. As our lives become busier, our days can become overwhelming. Taking a moment to reflect, allowing ourselves time to consider our triumphs and setbacks and their impacts can help us to establish a sense of control. One drawback of being a reflective practitioner is the potential to become isolated or self-evaluative only. If we are only reflecting upon ourselves, our practices, our successes and setbacks, we could miss significant learning possibilities from others.

Conclusion

The Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988) and commentary on its principals from other educators have shown me that if we are to become better teachers it is vital that we are able to identify what does and doesn’t work for us in the classroom so that we can improve our practices for our students. Additionally, through the interview with Principal Greg Miller, I learnt that this is a resource that will assist other teachers as well, thereby fostering support within faculty and ongoing development of skills.

Action Plan

In order to be a reflective practitioner, I would aim to complete an in-depth reflection using the Reflective Cycle (Gibbs,1988) on a regular basis. I believe this would allow me to sustain an upward learning trajectory and fully utilise my learning opportunities. Additionally, after completing the reflection individually, I would ask a mentor or peer for their perspective. In doing so, I would open up my experience to a new point of view in which someone else could offer a more suitable action plan or have a new analysis.