18_ReflectivePractitioner

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Becoming aReflective Practitioner

Teaching Development|Whanga Whakapakari Ako

Pip Bruce Ferguson

Teaching Development| Whanga Whakapakari AkoFebruary 2012

The ThinkerRodin

How can Iimprove my

practice?


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The learning outcomes for this workshop include the following:

Students will be expected to be able to:

Provide a rationale for why reflection is encouraged in teacher

education;

Describe the main features of the history of reflectivepractitioner movement;

Analyse and discuss own preferred ways of learning in a variety

of contexts; Critically evaluate the claimed benefits and disadvantages of

being a teacher-as-researcher;

Determine own preferred ways of reflecting, based on pastexperience;

Consider and critique exemplars of reflective practice presentedat the workshop.


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BECOMING A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER TDU

Reflective Practitioner

If you always do what you always did, then

youll always get what you always got.

One definition of insanity is to keep doing the

same things, but expect a different result.

These quotes illustrate the necessity for

practitioners in any environment to consider howbest to refresh their practice, to get better at what

they do, to benefit from good practice that theymay have seen in others, or to avoid aspects oftheir own practice that students or others have

told them needs correction.

Activity:

Using the materials provided, spend ten minutescapturing your reflections on the kind of learningenvironment thatyou would most prefer, whenyou are learning a new skill. It can be in auniversity, community education or other context.Be prepared to share your reflections with your

colleagues shortly.

Group Task

The History of the Movement

1. Over time, in education, variouswriters have suggested why and howteachers might work to improve theirown practice. Back in the 1930s, John

Dewey (1933) described the difference

between impulsive action, routineaction and reflective action. The first,Dewey believed, was based on trialand error. The second relied on


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traditional ways of operating, sanctioned byauthority. Both of these methods he felt wereused by practitioners without engaging in muchthought about how they were operating.However, Dewey claimed that reflective actionarose from the work of educators who were

active; who persistently and carefully consideredhow they practised and what they were teaching,

and was often the result of a need to solve a

particular problem. Reflective thought is a chain(which) involves not simply a sequence of ideas

but a con-sequence (Dewey, 1933,p. 4).

Dewey believed that if teachers did not operatereflectively, they risked basing their practice onprejudice and uninformed or outdated thinking.However, if they critically reflected on theirpractice, this should improve, provided that theyused such skills as observation and reasoning,working within a framework of responsibility for

their students, open-mindedness to better ways of

operating, and passion for their work.

2. The notion of teachers as reflectivepractitioners was further developed in reaction to

a tendency for research to be done on, rather thanby, teachers. In the early 1970s Stenhouse, at theUniversity of East Anglia, promoted the changefrom reliance on outside expert research(Stenhouse et al, 1970; Stenhouse, 1975), adiscourse in which teachers were the intendedrecipients of advice from university-basedresearchers who wrote papers on what constituted

good practice. As Kincheloe (1991) pointed out,this advice was usually ignored by the teacherswho perceived it as irrelevant if they were awareof it at all (see also Elliott, 1994: Smith & Lovat,1991, Zeichner & Noffke, 1998).


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Stenhouse was at the forefront of the researching

teacher movement in the U.K., claiming that allteaching ought to be based on research but that

research and curriculum development should be thepreserve of teachers who gain understanding oftheir work through studying their own problemsand effects (McKernan, 1991). Stenhouse coinedthe term teacher as researcher (quoted inZeichner & Noffke, 1998). Elliott and Adelman(1973) further promoted teacher-research work

using action research in their Ford TeachingProject, which aimed to promote pupilindependence, teacher identification of problemsthrough utilising systematic reflection, and theongoing development of teacher self-awareness.

Elliotts later work (1978) argued that teachingisinescapably a theoreticalactivity (quoted inMcKernan, 1991:22). Teachers, according toElliott, should interpret their everyday practicethrough the pursuit of reflective self-development.His thesis was that the two areas, split by thetendency for theory to be developed in universitiesand promoted to practitioners, should be reunifiedthrough being developed by teachers themselves.This kind of thinking has been continued andfurther developed in other countries around theworld. It has been used at Deakin

University in Australia byMcTaggart et al, (1982); Carr andKemmis, (1986, 2009); Kemmisand McTaggart (1988b); in SouthAfrica by Dison & Murray

(1998); Walker (1993, 1995,2009), and in the U.S. by

Cochran-Smith & Lytle, (1990,2009), and Noffke & Zeichner,(1987), among other educators.

Teachers

should interprettheir everyday

practicethrough thepursuit of

reflective self-development.


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3. Teachers-as-researchers a disputed

concept

However, the notion is currently contested

terrain. Despite the promotion of teachers asresearchers who utilise the skills of reflectivepractice to improve their own situations, there issome debate about the extent to which the teacher-as-researcher movement is, or evenshouldbe,

replacing a reliance on university based research.Zeichner (1995) discussed the way that manyclassroom teachers still see research as an activityconducted by those outside the classroom for thebenefit of those outside the classroom.

McIntyre (1997), presenting his presidential

address to the British Education ResearchAssociation, questioned the relation between the

practice of teachers on one hand andresearch done by professional researcherson the other (1997:131). In this statementMcIntyre clearly polarised the two areas,which Elliott had worked to integrate. He

quoted Elliotts (1989) presidential addressin which Elliott claimed that there couldbe no educational research in whichteachers played no important role in theprocess of articulating, analysing andhypothesising solutions to complexeducational problems, and thatprofessional researchers should besubordinate to this. McIntyre, by contrast,

argued that It seems to me simply unreasonableto demand of teachers that they be researchers aswell as teachers, when the expertise required forthe two activities is so very different (ibid., 132).


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Why did McIntyre think that teaching and

research were incompatible activities? Hisargument was based on the notion that the split-

second judgements which teachers need to maketo practice effectively are at variance with thesingle-minded concern with clearly-formulatedagendas, careful planning and analysis of whathas happened, the skills which McIntyre arguedare needed from researchers. Woodhouse,Director of the New Zealand UniversitiesAcademic Audit Unit, agreed, stating that there isan assumption that all academics can be good atboth teaching and research, which, given the quitedifferent nature of the two activities, should notbe expected to be universally true (Woodhouse,1997:360; italics not in original).

4. The notion of reflection is debated (Adler,1991; Bengtston, 1995; Cole, 1997; Grimmet etal, 1990; Hatton and Smith, 1995 - all quoted in

Haigh, 1998), and McTaggart, 1995:32). Themost frequently quoted proponent of reflectivelypractising teachers was Donald Schon, whose1983 The Reflective Practitionermost conciselypresented the developing discourse. The kinds ofsplit-second judgements based on professionalpast experience which McIntyre considered bothtypical of good teachers and simultaneously

incompatible with their adopting of a researchfunction concurrently, are spelled out in Schons

work, summarised by Gilbert. As Gilbert

explained it, Schon described:


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Knowing-in-action [which] is the professional

knowledge that practitioners actually use, as distinct

from the theoretical, scientifically derived

knowledge that technical-rationalist approaches

assume that they used. [There is also] Reflection-in-

action [which] occurs when new situations arise in

which a practitioners existing stock of knowledge -

their knowing-in-action is not appropriate for the

situation. It involves reflecting on knowing-in-

action. Reflection-in-action is a process throughwhich hitherto taken for granted knowing-in-action

is critically examined, reformulated and tested

through further action. It is a process of research

through which the development of professional

knowledge and the improvement of practice occur

together (in much the same way as in action

research) (Gilbert, 1994:516, emphasis in original).


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4. Some theory that underpins reflective prac-

tice

Much of our traditional learning experience has ledus to believe that we learn best by listening to ex-perts. It has been found, however, that learning thatresults in increased self-awareness, changed behav-ior, and the acquisition of new skills must activelyengage the individual in the learning process. Inparticular, adults have been found to learn more

effectively by doing or experiencing.

Adult learning specialist, David Kolb, has de-scribed this learning process as a four-phase cyclein which the learner:1. does something concrete or has a specific ex-

perience which provides a basis for2. the learner's observation and reflection on the

experience and their own response to it. Theseobservations are then

3. assimilated into a conceptual framework or re-lated to other concepts in the learner's past ex-perience and knowledge from which implica-tions for action can be derived; and

4. tested and applied in different situations.

The adult learner assimilates useful informationinto their personal "experience bank" against which

future learning events will be compared and towhich new concepts will be related. Unless what islearned can be applied to actual work or life situa-tions the learning will not be effective or long last-ing.

People responsible for designing learning eventsshould keep these phases in mind as they developways to help the learner understand and be able touse the new knowledge and/or skill.


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How can you use Kolb's model to help students

learn to learn?

"The whole point of education is that a persondevelop capacities in all four of the learningmodes:

Learning is the process by which developmentoccursWe want to accomplish an increase in

students' cognitive complexity. We want tomove them to a higher level of critical thinking.

We used to think we were arming or empower-ing students when we gave them the facts. Now

we realize we must give them the theory [oflearning] - not just for a successful college life,but for a successful productive life.

Quoted from The National Teaching and Learning Fo-

rum, Vol. 1, No. 5, 1992, pp2 -3. Washington, D.C.:

The George Washington University. On

http://222.augsburg.edu.depts/infotech/learn/

sld005.htm, Dr Lori Lohman and Dr Kathryn Schwalbe

Source: David A.

Kolb. Experiential

Learning, New York:

Prentice-Hall, 1984.

(this material drawn

from http://

arl.cni.org/training/

ilsco/

adultlearn.html)

5
http://222.augsburg.edu.depts/infotech/learn/sld005.htmhttp://222.augsburg.edu.depts/infotech/learn/sld005.htmhttp://222.augsburg.edu.depts/infotech/learn/sld005.htmhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://arl.cni.org/training/ilsco/adultlearn.htmlhttp://222.augsburg.edu.depts/infotech/learn/sld005.htmhttp://222.augsburg.edu.depts/infotech/learn/sld005.htm


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Pip will talk about reflective practice and

action research

There is also a large amount of theoretical work

that connects reflective practice with action re-search. We will discuss this during the workshop,but writers such as Kemmis and McTaggart,Stenhouse and Elliott, McNiff, Somekh andWhitehead have all written extensively about how

reflective practiceunderpins action research.Kolbs cycle is the basis of the standard action

research spiral:

Benefits of being a teacher-as-researcher

The preceding section has described how theteacher-as-researcher concept developed over

time, and also some of the arguments that havebeen advanced against the notion. Lets take time

to reflect on our own perceptions of the approach.


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Task:

For five minutes, reflect on what you think might be

the benefits of becoming a researching teacher who

inquires into your own practice. These benefits might

be theoretical, practical or both. Write them down,

and be prepared to share them with others. You may

also want to capture any ideas about the disadvan-

tages of this approach also, for later discussion.


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Following group discussion and feedback, list the

benefits you have shared or heard below.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

List any reservations or disadvantages you have

shared or heard below.

*

*

*

*

*

*


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Why is it important to capture reflections in

some way as you practise?

There is a variety of ways of capturing reflec-

tions, and well look at some of these shortly.Meanwhile, why is it important to record your

thoughts as these happen? Teachers have said:

When Ive been doing professional reading, Isometimes come across really great ideas thatsomeone has tried out in their class, and writ-ten about. Id like to try those out in my ownwork, but the pressures of work often meanthat I dont get around to it unless I actually

write into my plan for a subsequent session

that Ill try one of them in that session.

Sometimes, when Im teaching a session, Ill

get to the end and think that something didntgo quite right. At the time, I can remember

why that happened. But if I dont write itdown, then the next time I come to teach thatsession I have a gnawing feeling that some-thing didnt go well, but Im darned if I canremember what it was! It can make me feelquite anxious about how the session will pro-

ceed.

When Ive been out walking, Ive often hadflashes of insight into how to teach a class in a

better way. If I dont take the time to writedown my insight when I get home, I often

cant remember it in the future.


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Ive been observing someone elses teaching,

either in a formal sense when Ive been askedto give peer feedback, or sometimes through

something Ive seen in a movie or on TV. Ithink there are some aspects of the way thatperson is teaching that Id love to try out. But Idont always remember how they set the situa-tion up, or what they did, so I can find myself

reluctant to try it.

If we dont take the time to write down or recordideas in some way as these occur to us, were indanger of losing them. So, as you develop as areflective practitioner/teacher-as-researcher,we encourage you to find a way of capturingideas that works for you.

A further benefit of capturing ideas and thenformally reflecting on the effectiveness or

otherwise of these, is that they are data foracademic papers. Well be looking at exam-ples of these later in the workshop.

Reflection time:

Take a couple of minutes and write down ways in which you keep a re-

cord of reflections on your practice as these occur, or subsequently. Be

prepared to share these with the group.


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Exemplars: how do people capture their

reflections?

The way that people capture their reflections is

largely dependent on (a) their own learningstyle; (b) their disciplinewhether theyre in apredominantly written-oriented, performance-oriented or oral discipline; and (c) what re-

sources they happen to have at hand at the time!

For practical reasons, most people capture theirreflections via written forms such as diaries,post-it notes on lesson plans, journals, portfoliomaterials, poetry, sometimes short stories, nov-

els or books (e.g. McWilliam, 1994).

However, some capture reflec-tions in dance, some in drama,

some in song. We will look ata couple of these alternativeforms of reflection during theworkshop. You may evenchoose to present your ownreflection in such a way. Astudent at the University of

Waikato gained her Mastersthesis through the combination

of dance and reflective practice (Bright, 2007)

and is now studying for her doctorate at thisuniversity. She has taken a number of academic

papers to conferences reporting on this work.


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References

Atkinson, T., & Claxton, G. (2000) The IntuitivePractitioner on the value of not alwaysknow what one is doing. Buckingham: OpenUniversity Press.

Bright, D. (2005)Light Reflections: a Grief Em-bodied. Thesis for M. Sports and LeisureStudies, University of Waikato, Hamilton,

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