Reflective Practitioner - What Does This Term Really Mean?

Reflective Practitioner – What does this term really mean?

30th March, 2016

Nick discusses his opinion of what is means to be a reflective practitioner in the teaching profession

The term ‘reflective practitioner’ is one that is consistently raised during lectures and tutorials, placements and journal articles. Principals and teachers are searching for graduate teachers who are reflective practitioners, but what does this really mean? The term reflective practitioner it is quite an abstract concept and can have different meanings for different people.

My personal definition for a reflective practitioner is a teacher who is willing to examine their practice and acknowledge what is working well and what could be improved. Quite often at university we are required to write these thoughts and opinions down and recall BIG moments of when something did not work in practice. Is this really what being an effective reflective practitioner is? Do we always need to focus on the negative? Can we still reflect and focus on positive aspects of our practice and still be critically reflecting?

I will often complete an activity with a student whilst at work or on placement and instantly think “I should have completed the task a different way” or “that lesson did not go as intended”. As a result I have been left feeling disappointed and frustrated because I wanted to give the student the best chance to perform during the task. I remember after a particular lesson that I thought did not go well, an experienced teacher gave me this piece of advice, which shaped how I reflect on my practice. ‘Although the lesson did not go entirely as planned, as teachers we need adapt to every situation.’

This comment made me realise not to focus too much on the negatives and reflect on what worked well and build on that. Yes, it is important to reflect on what did not work to improve future practice. However I believe the best reflective practice is to focus on the ‘what worked’ moments. Identifying what worked provides confidence and reassurance that what you are doing is of benefit to the students you are working with. What does this mean as a preservice teacher moving into their first year of being an in-service teacher?

I believe that an integral part of shifting from a preservice teacher to a graduate teacher is being open to learning through reflection. This means observing what other experienced teachers are doing and consistently reflecting on what you are observing. Whether this reflection is in the form of writing physical notes or taking mental notes both can be implemented into future practice. I also believe an effective teacher is consistently reflecting on their own practice, evaluating where improvement can be made to best benefit student learning. This will be most crucial in the first few weeks of being an in-service teacher as this is where I feel a lot of new and important learning will take place.

- Nick

Thinking Out Loud.

5th January, 2016

 

Alex considers the nature of empathy and professionalism in teaching, where people are expected to ride the fine line between warmth, compassion and appropriateness. 

Throughout the working world there seem to be a number of jobs that require a balance between providing a professional service, as well as a sense of emotional connection and empathy. Perhaps the profession of teaching is an extreme case of this, as we work with children rather than adults, and there are a number of cultural expectations when working with children. Ultimately, while there might not be a specific job criteria that explicitly states you must be a warm and caring person, it seems this is an expected part of being a teacher.

While there is always a wonderful atmosphere and sense of excitement when working with children, there is a constant underlying tension to act and respond appropriately. The word appropriate is vague, as everyone’s concept of appropriate is subjective to their personal views and beliefs, and this doesn’t help when you are new to the teaching profession. Working in schools and afterschool care environments, I am aware of the requirement that you should not initiate physical contact with children. However, anyone that has worked with Foundation, year one, and even year twos, will tell you that fulfilling this aim can be extremely hard, simply due to the nature of young children.

Children beginning school are often coming from an extremely caring, warm and physically affectionate home environment. So it’s not surprising that they may experience some emotional confusion when they are promptly denied the physical contact they have come to expect at home. We all know that young children are extremely injury prone, and a comforting hug is something they have always had access to at home – yet at school students must learn that it isn’t appropriate to hug a staff member in that way. Or is it?

It seems almost a little cruel to completely eliminate all physical contact from students as they start to learn the ropes of attending school. Maybe this is why many teachers do still initiate physical contact with students in times of need – not in any extremely overt forms, but a small hug here or there when the moment seems right. Is this inappropriate? What are we truly trying to achieve when we strive for appropriate relationships between staff and students?

Given that relationships are, rightly, held up as a critical element to effective teaching (and a happy life!), I wonder how confusing it must be for a foundation student to make a connection with their teacher without any physical contact. Young children spend the first few years of their life being mostly unable to communicate their thoughts and feelings, but always being able to resort to the base connection of physical contact and affection.  To come to environment where their main avenue for connection is denied seems like a drastic and perhaps damaging change.

Yet, as teachers we are most likely the first long-term, professional, adult relationship our students will experience. We are their first opportunity to understand what it means to maintain an appropriate relationship. I believe that the regulations that restrict teachers from physical contact with students are purposeful and necessary. However, I think we need to acknowledge as a society our dual expectations for teachers; as empathetic carers of our children, and professional staff who can maintain appropriate relationships with them too. I think we need to engage pre-service teachers in the discussion of what defines an appropriate relationship and provide them with some practical training in how to establish and maintain one. We need to acknowledge the discomfort that comes with telling a crying six year that no, they cannot have a hug, and question what it means to be appropriate, and why.

- Alex