Reflective Practice
Overview
Reflective Practice is a very useful tool for those leaders who want to bring a change in the field of Education.
Basics
Reflective Practice:
Reflection was practiced as a form of contemplation in search of truth in ancient Greece 2500 years ago.
It refers to an activity or process in which an experience is recalled, considered and evaluated; usually in relation to a broader purpose.
It is a response to past experience and involves conscious recall and examination of the experience as a basis for evaluation and decision-making and as a source for planning and action.
Reflection helps to turn experience into learning.
Reflective Practice is that form of practice which seeks to problematize situations of professional performance so that they can become potential learning situations and so practitioners can continue to learn, grow and develop through practice.
Objectivity is a crucial aspect of reflective practice.
Attributes of Reflective Practice:
- Open-mindedness
- Responsibility
- Wholeheartedness
Reflection is considered to be one of the key competencies needed for effective leadership as it helps to turn experience into learning.
When to reflect?
We usually reflect about an event when it happens or shortly afterwards. Reviewing it later we can see it differently and discover different feelings about it.
Reflective Practice Process: Reflection => Understanding => Action
A reflective practitioner is someone who:
- Takes time to step back and make sense of what has been done and how.
- Tries to understand the theories of change that guide actions.
- Is not afraid to challenge assumptions, both their own and those of others.
Reflection-in-action: when practitioners think about the practice while doing it.
Reflection-on-action: when practitioners think about the practice after the encounter.