Reflective Practice for Continuous Learning

  On 5 Sep 2018

For teachers, September is always a period of reflection. A time to think back on the school year that’s gone and to ponder what you will do differently in the terms ahead. Reflecting like this is one of the most important ways we can improve our teaching and so help our students learn better. Reflection should be part of every teacher’s routine and yet it’s a practice that can easily slip into disuse, unless we’re prompted by feedback from lesson observations or training events. I’ve often written about how the best professional development is much more than something delivered at the start or end of the year. That it should go beyond mock inspections, where consultants tell you what to do but don’t show you how, and lesson observations that provide meaningless or judgemental feedback, and do very little to improve the quality of education that students receive. Similarly, departmental or school meetings that just go through the motions, ticking boxes, are also of little value. Instead, they should be opportunities for teachers to reflect, learn and share their successes and to discuss new pedagogies or best practice, informed by research, that might actually be applied in the classroom. Regular dialogues like these create the supportive culture needed for teachers to reflect effectively on what has most impact on student learning, as well as being a means of keeping themselves up-to-date and informed.

Costa Constantinou

Director of Educational Services at Veema Education

  On 5 Sep 2018

For teachers, September is always a period of reflection. A time to think back on the school year that’s gone and to ponder what you will do differently in the terms ahead.  Reflecting like this is one of the most important ways we can improve our teaching and so help our students learn better.  Reflection should be part of every teacher’s routine and yet it’s a practice that can easily slip into disuse, unless we’re prompted by feedback from lesson observations or training events.

I’ve often written about how the best professional development is much more than something delivered at the start or end of the year. That it should go beyond mock inspections, where consultants tell you what to do but don’t show you how, and lesson observations that provide meaningless or judgemental feedback, and do very little to improve the quality of education that students receive.  

Similarly, departmental or school meetings that just go through the motions, ticking boxes, are also of little value. Instead, they should be opportunities for teachers to reflect, learn and share their successes and to discuss new pedagogies or best practice, informed by research, that might actually be applied in the classroom.   

Regular dialogues like these create the supportive culture needed for teachers to reflect effectively on what has most impact on student learning, as well as being a means of keeping themselves up-to-date and informed. 

So, when critiquing a lesson observation, or looking to learn from walkthroughs or school improvement reviews, we should be diving into the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of our educational processes. By using these short but all-important words to explore how we teach, and our students learn, we are in a much better position to create outstanding learning environments for our pupils. 

By applying a strategy of ‘thinking teaching’ that asks questions such as … What should I do differently to ensure they really get this? Why is it important that I motivate my team this week to be the best it can be? How can I include ideas from my students in my next lesson? 

You can significantly advance teaching in your school and better experience the joy of inspiring others to transform their lives through learning, the reason I’m sure most of us entered this profession. Aren’t you here because you remember that teacher whose lessons captured your imagination and changed you forever? 

But, if we are to keep motivating students, we need to find ways to constantly refresh our teaching approach, so it doesn’t go stale. To paraphrase Quilan (2015), falling in love is the easy part. Staying in love, especially when you are snowed under with deadlines, lesson observations, meetings with parents and line managers, is the challenge.  

So, over the next few weeks, why not: 

• Allocate 10 minutes at the end of each week to reflect on your progress. Take time to think deeply about what you have achieved and how you can continue to be the best teacher possible. It’s helpful if there’s an opportunity during weekly meetings or staff briefings for teachers to share one or two reflection points. 
• Bin unrealistic and unachievable targets. When we rarely stick to these, why burden ourselves with them? Performance oversight by our line managers serves a purpose, but it doesn’t push us to be the best we can be in the way that becoming a truly reflective practitioner will. 
• Invest more in your own CPD. Read about new pedagogies and practice, spend time developing your own skillset, and be ready to share that knowledge with your colleagues. Effective school leaders should ensure teachers have the chance to disseminate up-to-date literature on teaching and learning during staff briefings and after-school training events. Look around for useful resources. For instance, take advantage of the wealth of freely available information you will find at our recently updated Teacher Research Corner, which includes short papers like this, as well as practical classroom suggestions to try. 
• As my colleague and author Isabella Wallace suggests, ditch those learning walks for ‘treasure hunts’. Teachers really are the greatest resource in a school, so make the most of each other!  Take time to observe colleagues. See this as an opportunity to showcase all the great talent you have in your school.  
• Be ready to learn and reflect on what you can do to improve as a practitioner to help your student learn. Step out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to try new things. If it doesn’t quite work first time around, try a second, third and even fourth time until it does. 
• The aim of this short paper is to get you thinking about the power of self-reflection. As you enjoy the experience of settling back into school life, remember how we teachers ask our students hundreds of questions each week to stretch their knowledge and understanding. Let’s not forget the power of questions then when it comes to our own personal reflection. As thinking teachers, we should be making sure we ask ourselves the questions that will enable us to improve our own practice. 

Costa Constantinou

Director of Educational Services at Veema Education

  On 27 Nov 2018

We all know the power that our words can have on our students and colleagues but how often do we stop to think about the power of our words upon ourselves? Take the title of this article and the word, “problem”. Where did that take you? Did you picture your worst class? You pile of marking, your failing departments, your demanding parents or that one child that you cannot get through to? Did your heart sink at the “problem” the issue, difficulty, trouble or complication? Each of these labels create a sinking feeling, a wall or barrier that must be overcome. The obstacle is merely a metaphor, created by the language you have chosen to surround it with.

Taking time to stop and reflect upon anything can help us to overcome that which seems impossible. Let’s reflect upon our use of language and observe the impact that this could have upon our practice. Let’s discard the word “problem” from our vocabulary and replace it with “project”. Now look again at that parent, child, colleague or work to be done. Look at it as your project. Did you feel that? Did you feel the energy change from such a small difference? The word problem conjures the wall. The word project creates a sense of purpose. It makes me want to run for my big paper and markers to get started on the idea storm! A project has a desired outcome and it is up to you to design the routes that take you there. You learn upon the way, set deadlines and mini goals to lead you to success.

Spot the difference in these two scenarios:

1. It’s Friday afternoon; Lucy arrives at work, coffee in hand and pile of problems waiting on her desk. She has three classes of books to mark ready for the book scrutiny next week, her first lesson is 9Z5 with a class full of problem children and she has to fill out her performance management document before she leaves today.
2. It’s Friday afternoon; Lucy arrives at work ready to face the three main projects of the day. 9Z5 are her first priority. They have been working on routines as they enter the room. She then has three classes who are ready for a progress check; this is great timing for the book scrutiny next week. Finally, her performance management document will be completed. She hopes that this final component can be linked to the ongoing project with 9Z5, supporting their progress even further.

Is your self-talk more like Lucy one or Lucy two? Do you walk into a desk full of problems or a series of projects that you are working on? What difference could changing your self-talk to Lucy two’s “project”, “priority”, “component”, way of looking at the day ahead have upon your motivation? The work exists, the battle remains but you can learn to enjoy the battle by seeing it as a project to reflect upon and move forward with. Reflection can create changes that help us, not to eradicate difficulties in our lives, that is impossible. It can help us to face new hurdles as they arise. A reflective practitioner does not panic in the face of an unruly class, a failing teacher, a bad set of results or whatever else might blindside the fearful. They stop, take a breath and plan for success. They lead the change through their positive, reflective practice.

To lead change in education, we need to avoid the culture of racing forwards without ever taking time to stop and reflect. We need to recognise the reality that, when one project ends, another will be created in its place. There is no such thing as smooth sailing. We need to learn to navigate the rough seas through attitude and experience. Where are we? Where do we want to be? How are we going to get there? Reflecting upon our word choices is such a small change that can make a huge difference to our attitude, outcomes and motivation. Your reflections do not have to stop there…

Lisa Jane Ashes

Teaching and Learning Consultant, Author and Keynote Speaker