Work Based Reflective Practice 2 Session 2 Approaches

Work Based Reflective Practice 2 Session 2: Approaches and cycles of reflection Module Tutor: Chris Thomas Round and round…

Learning Intentions • To recognise the differences between the four major approaches to reflective practice • To develop an understanding of various ‘cycles’ which can be used to support practitioners in the process of reflecting • To consider the impact of personal learning styles on reflection • Examine the ‘learner type’ I am

Four major approaches to RP Reflection-on-action on Reflection-inin action Hatton & Smith (1995) Schon (1983, 1990) Reflection-for-action Action research Killon and Todnew (1991) Dana & Yendol-Silva (2003), Mc. Fee (1993)

Schon’s (1987) notion of; Reflection in action Reflection on action thinking on your feet – on the spot thinking retrospectively (thinking after the event) Which is which? What will be an aid to reflection ‘on’ action? Give examples of each. Paige-Smith (2008)

The meaning of the major ‘four’ • Thinking about one’s teaching in the class; giving reasons for one’s actions and behaviours in the classroom ON • Making decisions about events in the classroom as they happen IN • Proactive thinking in order to guide future action FOR • Investigating in detail one topic related to one’s classroom teaching ACTION Farrell (2004, p. 28)

Let’s examine reflection for action: A reflective process that is focused, persistent, critical reflection aimed at accomplishing a goal (Dewey 1933). “Intentionally making and implementing plans that bring about new ways of thinking” (Warden 2004, p. 14).

Schon talked about problems going through ‘problem setting; a process of framing and reframing… You are reflective when 1. You are intrigued or curious about some aspect… 2. 3. Frame the issue in the setting's context Re frame issue in light of past knowledge/ experience 4. Develop an action plan for the future. Farrell (2004)

Why do we need to ‘reframe’? According to Schon (cited in Moon 2002, p. 99) : reflective learning is…a purposeful framing and reframing of material in internal experience with the intention of learning.

Gibb’s reflective cycle; Description - Feelings – What sense can you make of the situation? 1. Action Plan – if it rose again what would you do? 2. 6. 3. 5. Conclusion What were you thinking and feeling 4. Evaluation – what was good/bad about the experience Analysis – break down the event into parts and explore

Experiential learning and reflection Need to resolve problem Clarification of the issue Review and recollection Review of emotional state of mind Processing of knowledge and ideas Eventual resolution, possible action and transformation Moon (2007, p. 31) http: //www. businessballs. com/kolblearningstyles. htm

Kolb’s reflective model. www. ldu. leeds. ac. uk/ldu/sddu_ multimedia/kolb/static_version. php

Putting Kolb into action; think about how your change fits into this cycle? Which point did you enter ? What happened?

Peters (1991) refers to a process called DATA; which is similar to Kolb. Can you guesstimate what DATA stands for? D Describe – a picture of the experience, identifying key features for the next stage A Analyse – identify why and how things happened and what might have influenced these. Theorise – think about alternatives, considering the T advantages and disadvantages. Act – try out the new approach and evaluate its A effectiveness. Johnston 2009, p. 370

Van Manen’s Types of Reflection; Type 1: Anticipatory reflection – allows planning, deciding what to do and anticipate the future consequences of the actions. Type 2: Active or interactive reflection - making immediate decisions as events unfold. Type 3 : Recollective reflection - making sense of past experiences and gives new, deeper insight into the meaning of those experiences.

Action (change) Research • “The aim of action research is to bring about well founded educational development for example in the improvement of teaching. ” Moon (2007, p. 35) • Research leading to action/change based on reflection

What action research is not! • It is not the usual things teachers/practitioners do when they think about their teaching. • It is not just problem-solving. Action Research involves problemposing, not just problem-solving. • It is not research on other people. Action Research is research by particular people on their own work to help them improve what they do, including how they work with and for others. • It is not the scientific method applied to teaching. Action Research is not just about hypothesis-testing or about using data to come to conclusions. It is concerned with changing situations, not just interpreting them.

Starting points for action research 1. I would like to improve. . . 2. I am perplexed by. . . 3. Some people are unhappy about. . . 4. I'm really curious about. . . 5. I want to learn more about. . . 6. An idea I would like to try out in my class is. . . 7. Something I think would really make a difference is. . . 8. Some I would like to do to change is. . . 9. Right now, some areas I'm particularly interested in are. . .

Action research cycle

Reflective Cycle of Action Research • Identify the problem • Plan by deciding on the method you are going to use to investigate the problem • Research by reviewing the literature and consulting with colleagues • Observe in order to collect data • Reflect by analysing the data • Act by redefining the problem and taking some action • Repeat by going through the cycle again to see what the actions have yielded Farrell (2004, p. 31)

Learning styles on reflection “It has been argued that personal learning style is an important factor which needs to be taken into account in facilitating the reflective learning process”. Gardener 1989, Thompson 2006 cited in Wilson, Walsh and Kirby 2007

Personal learning styles • Everyone sees the world in different ways and have different preferences for when, where and how to learn. This will also affect the way you deal with incidents in the setting.

Honey and Mumford Learning Approaches. Guess the attributes of the learner type…

curtin. edu.

Why are our learning style and emotions important in reflection? Moon (2002, p. 82) states that reflection is : often a process of re-organising knowledge and emotional orientations in order to achieve further insights. Reflection must demonstrate a practical ability to manage personal emotional processes in relation to the subject matter of the reflection. Moon 2002, p. 100.

Honey & Mumford’s learning styles with Kolb: http: //www. nature. com/bdj/journal/v 191/n 3/full/4801116 a. html

How does this relate to the management of change and your teams? How might it influence the aspect of change and team building?

Learning Intentions • To recognise the differences between the four major approaches to reflective practice • To develop an understanding of various ‘cycles’ which can be used to support practitioners in the process of reflecting • To consider the impact of personal learning styles on reflection • Examine the ‘ learner type’ I am