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Driving Question
2: Do I really need to become a reflective practitioner?
As a practitioner, we are always thinking about others and how they can
improve. This may be any field such as sports, teaching, learning and general
everyday life. So in the instance where we think about being reflective of
ourselves, the words that instantly come to my mind are... We are too
critical! Or we are too easy on ourselves which leads to a lack of motivation in
what we are doing. So the question on my mind is, as a teacher do I really need
to become reflective? If so, how can I become a reflective practitioner?
According to Amyula (2011) reflective practice is described as an
individual actively viewing their own personal experiences to assess them in
greater depth. Personally, when thinking about reflection it does not intrigue
me. I believe that is ultimately from my lack of knowledge on how to become
reflective and how to effectively use it as a tool to better myself as a
practitioner. Becoming a reflective practitioner is an essential element to
have for becoming the best possible version of yourself. It is a common saying
that ' we are our own toughest critic'.
In
analysing research conducted by Benade (2015), her findings conclude that
reflective practice is essential for self-development and improvements of
individual weaknesses. The author particularly drew attention to the elements
that without reflective practices we would be stuck in old habits and methods
that we would not evolve with the world around us. In not evolving we put the
people around at a disadvantage compared to people who are constantly
reflecting and improving to better those around them. An effective tool a
reflective practitioner may use is the Gibbs reflective cycle. According to (
Husebo et al.,2015) the Gibbs reflective cycle generally occurs after an
experience and it uses six steps which include a description, feelings,
evaluation, analysis, conclusion and an action plan. Using the Gibbs technique
will assist in all individuals becoming reflective practitioners.
Image: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/301/study-skills/university-study/reflective-practice
As result
of the research, it shows that it is essential to become a reflective
practitioner. Without being a reflective individual it limits the room for
growth of new skills and improvements of old skills. The research coincides
with my predictions that reflective practice is an essential part of every
occupation. It has made me think about myself and how I can benefit more
from being a reflective person. It has made me realise that in order to become
a better person and improve to become my personal best I must be a reflective
person.
As an educator, I must use reflective practice as my everyday tool. This will assist in me developing my skills to better the students that I will be educating. Without reflection, I will leave my children at a disadvantage and will not receive the best work that they can offer. How can I expect my children to improve every day, if I'm not doing the same in order to benefit them? Overall reflective practice is a critical part of everyday life that all occupations require.
REFERNCES:
Amulya, J.,
& Associate, S. (2011). What is Reflective Practice? https://www.communityscience.com/images/file/What%20is%20Reflective%20Practice.pdf
Benade, L. (2015). Teachers’ Critical Reflective Practice in the
Context of Twenty-first Century Learning. Open Review of Educational
Research, 2(1), 42–54.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23265507.2014.998159
Husebø, S. E., O’Regan, S., & Nestel, D. (2015). Reflective Practice and Its Role in Simulation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(8), 368 375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2015.04.005
Hi Alana,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this piece. It made me realise just how important it is that one must reflect on themselves whether it be in teaching or any workplace. I really appreciated how you spoke about your own thoughts on the Gibb’s reflective cycle before and after you researched it, which shows how much that research has impacted your life and is encouraging for those to research and try for themselves! However, I am still very curious on why you believe that we are too critical or too easy on ourselves. Does this mean you don’t believe there is a balance of those who are not as critical or not as easy and what does this mean to society? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Thanks,
Aleks.
Hi Aleks,
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed reading my personal thoughts on individuals becoming reflective practitioners. Reflective practice is something that we often do overlook in our everyday life, despite it being such a critical part of our self improvement. The Gibbs cycle is a important tool that makes reflective practice a useful tool in personal, career and general use. In addressing your question I believe that we need to find a balance that we can be a combination of critical/too easy on ourselves. It mean we need to educate more people on how to effectively use tools such as the Gibbs cycle to become reflective individuals. As a society we need to establish a equilibrium which enables to better ourselves.