Teacher self reflection images12/2/2023 ![]() Brookfield identifies these four inter-connected components as necessary for our work on becoming a reflective practitioner. The heart of the workshop explored the topic of reflective practice through Brookfield’s (1995) lenses: self, peers, students, and scholarship. In other words, thinking, feeling, reflecting, and acting on an experience (what worked? what didn’t work? why am I feeling this way? what could I have done differently?) are all components of reflective practice. ![]() We then considered a definition of reflective practice as: “one’s ability to identify a problem or issue, reflect or think about it, and make a decision about a solution is a key ingredient to becoming an excellent teacher” (Reynolds, Labissiere & Haack, 2004, p. It is a good image to keep in mind when taking risks, that reflective practice strategies can contribute to our understanding, and development as teachers and practitioners. We also tried to interpret the dual reflection images and there was no real consensus what it meant, and that it required further reflection. We agreed this was a common experience, and rang true for the participants, myself included. ![]() The discussion revealed ‘a fish out of water’ was an uncomfortable feeling when inexperience is combined with change, or when we are facing a new, or even threatening situation. The purpose of showing this image was to encourage thinking about what reflective practice means. I began the session with a discussion on the image of a ‘fish out of water’ with reflections from the fish bowls (Figure 1, royalty-free license, Colourbox). Recently, I facilitated a workshop for graduate students on the topic of becoming a reflective practitioner. Since reflective practice has been shown to be an effective strategy for teaching development, (Gallego, 2014 Henry & Bruland, 2010) especially if it is intentional, and explicit, a workshop was included in our graduate student teaching development program. In my practice of educational development, I contribute to the preparation of graduate students in their current teaching responsibilities, and for their future roles in and beyond the academy. Mann, Gordon and MacLeod (2009) provide a comprehensive review of reflective practice, and support Russell’s claim to teach reflective practice and suggest: “As with other skills, learners may need a structure to guide this activity, especially early in their learning” (p. Russell (2005), asks, and answers the question “can reflective practice be taught?” He states “yes” it can, and that it should be included in teaching development.
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