- What do you think this statement means: "We do not learn as much from experience, as from reflecting on that experience, as from reflecting on that experience" (pg7)?
- "If teachers do not take time to reflect, they can become prone to burnout" (pg8).
- How can you use this information in your work with teachers (e.g. student teachers, mentor teachers, colleagues, paraprofessionals, etc)?
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Week #1 Discussion Focus (part 1)
Reflective Practice in Action (Chapter 1-4) by Ferrell
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Hellooo?? Anyone on here?
ReplyDeleteI'm here! Late- just got out of a meeting!
ReplyDeleteI think that the statement on pg 7 is saying that if you don't go back and think/reflect about the experience....then you really haven't gotten everything from the experience that you really could have.
ReplyDeleteI think your right Candace. It is easy for us (teachers) to blame the students for failing or not understanding, but how many of us truly stop to think about how we did delivering the lesson. If students are having trouble with a concept, then that should be reflective of our teaching and prompt us to look more deeply at what we are doing and the experiences we are providing to our students.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the reflection on your action/experience is what helps you to grow and change as a teacher (or a person).
ReplyDeletePage 8 reminds me of a saying, "If you do what you've always done, you're gonna get what you've always got". We as teachers get so stuck in our routines and never stop to think to change (reflect) so we keep getting the same results year after year but tend to blame the system or the students instead of taking a look within ourselves.
ReplyDeleteDebbie you are exactly right reflection is part of the growth process!
ReplyDelete"We do not learn as much from experence...
ReplyDeleteIs this somewhat like what happens when you nearly miss having a devastating accident? You live to tell of the experience, but once you reflect upon what could have happened, you see the REAL danger. All this to say, I think it's difficult to reflect while you're 'in the moment' and there's so little time available during school hours to do this. I do my best reflecting in the bathtub! Sorry, Caleb! TMI.
Debbie - I think that saying says a lot about where we are right now in education. Many teachers are stuck doing what they have always done and are reluctant to step away from that because it is not comfortable sometimes to change!
ReplyDeleteI think we need to think about that when we are coaching. How do we move those who are just stuck - not bad teachers - they just aren't reflective in their practices!
Wow! I really like that example Sue! I too think it's so difficult in the moment b/c of the fast pace we tend to keep, trying to get all the teaching in we can for that group in the small amount of time we are allotted.
ReplyDeleteI believe that what Debbie and Candace both said is absolutely right on. Just going through an experience can be an eye opener, but it's afterwards, when you are recalling what happened that you really get a grasp on things. Thinking about what happened with a clear head, without the adrenaline so to speak, and reflecting on the entire situation as a whole is what allows us to grow as both people and teachers. Debbie, again, you are so right....teachers get stuck in suck a rut teaching something one way that they never try anything differently. Like Stephanie said, if the students in the class don't learn the material many teachers blame it on them and don't look at themselves as being at fault. There's a perfect example of that here at my school, but I won't go there. Since we the teachers have had hours and hours and class upon class of training on multiple intelligences then we should know that if a student doesn't learn the material through lesson A, we need to try lesson B, C, and D. It's not about how quickly can I get through this unit, but should be how can I best teach this material to each individual student.
ReplyDeleteOn page 18 the reflection break 8... Do you think reflective practice has become another bandwagon issue in education? Why or Why not?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is a bandwagon issue. I think that it is part of the learning cycle. I think that some of the breakdown is that some teachers have stopped being learners themselves. That cycle has stopped - without reflection - I think Farrell is correct in saying that is when burnout happens.
I find it hard to get teachers to not only be reflective about their teaching, but to also be close observers when I am in their rooms working with their children (for the teacher's benefit). I am working with one teacher now, who is a good teacher, but doesn't seem to be tuned in completely to what I am modeling in the guided reading lessons. Instead this teacher pays some attention to me while also going about other business. It's hard to get teachers to absorb new and different learning.
ReplyDeleteAs we are getting ready for a new evaluation format here in the state....the one that is being field tested here in East TN has a very reflective component to it. It really has a coaching feel to it.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is something that we have to get across to others - reflective practices is part of the teaching/learning process!
I totally agree with you Sue. The whole time I kept reading these sections my favorite quote kept popping up in my head..."when you know better you do better" If you don't take the time to reflect on your experiences how will you know to do better? BTW Sue, I do my best thinking in the shower.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I don't get out enough, but if I see much reflection going on here (me included), it is only a surface level reflection. We, as teachers, will notice that students are not responding to an example/lesson we're using, so many times we'll give another example/switch gears and try to scaffold their learning. But do we ever go back and question/dig deeply enough to find out the cause of the problem we had in the first place? It takes time and a willingness to be open, and possibly asking for help. Journey was just here and always asks questions that cause me to reflect on my 'moves'. I pray that some day I'll be able to help my teachers reflect without feeling defensive.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a fine line when we ask the teachers to be reflective to make sure that we are not just adding one more task to their plate. Example: For some people a reflective notebook works wonders - for me it would just be another task that I have to do. I'm like Sue I do some of my best thinking/reflecting in the shower or in the car when I'm driving.
ReplyDeleteI definitely enjoy my long drive to and from school each day b/c my friend and I do lots of talking and reflecting not just on school but also on life in general. :o)
ReplyDeleteWhile we have been meeting on some of our RTI kids - I think that may reflective talk about individual teaching experiences is going on. There now is a reason to stop and discuss it out loud with a group - and - from what I am seeing it is starting to be more productive. I along with one of the CIM teachers were having a reflective discussion just today on things that are working well and those that aren't. And then we started thinking about how do we improve. I think sometime that (if you have the time) group reflection is good b/c it gives you instant ideas in areas that your may be struggling. There is sort of a support group there for you. I'm thinking about during the weekly planning meetings maybe focussing more on a reflective part.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe reflection to be a band wagon issue because here at my school I don't see enough of it being done. Younger and newer teachers are doing it more than the seasoned teachers, just because they are worried about doing things correctly. I've heard too many older teachers say, "Well, I taught it. Not my fault they don't get it." Stephanie, I agree with what you said about having a hard time getting teachers to pay attention to the lessons I model for them. They seem to be too busy checking their email, grading papers, or leaving the room to notice what I'm doing so of course that makes it difficult for them to grow as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI do have moments in the shower when I think, oh, wow, I could've done this instead. Typically I try to ask the students routinely if they are understanding, and if not, to tell me so I can help them. I look for those confused little faces, or even better, the blank stares! Somehow I've often been able to think on the spot whether I'm getting through or not, not that I necessarily know at the moment what I should do instead but at least I give myself a heads up that I need to ponder on the issue some more before moving on.
Candace, I hope I'm not stepping on your toes, but I wanted some feedback on pg. 13, Reflection Break 6. I got hung up on the Responsibility (Careful consideration of the consequences of our actions). "Open mouth, insert foot". I guess what I'm struggling with is that I need assurance that I truly am on the right path. Example - in Reading Recovery, I might be identifying/reflecting that my student has an issue with _________ and when Journey comes to visit OR I go behind the glass, I find, that with collaberation, other educators' questions/discussion, I can get on the right path. I reflected...but maybe on the wrong thing? Isn't that reason for colleague visits, observing each other, etc.? (Remind me of this comment when I have to take a video to Arky).
ReplyDeleteThis is a group discussion - I'm not leading - just the creator of the page. :) So - taking the discussion to other areas is perfect!
ReplyDeleteI think that the characteristics of reflection: 1)Open mindedness
2)Responsibilty
3)Wholeheartedness
Sue I think you - as well as the rest of us - have a responsibiltiy to teach the kids using best practices. And that we have the responsiblity to be knowledgeable in those areas. Also - if we don't know the answer to something it is our responsiblity to research it until we find out the answer.
We have to be openminded through it all because there is no ONE right way to reach a kid. We just have to keep trying until they get it!
As educators we all have the responsibility to give our students the best we possibly can. Whether that be through best teaching strategies, reflecting with ourself and others, or having those aha moments during teaching. I don't feel that reflection has been a priorty with teachers but I do feel that it must become one. So many teachers try to just wing it and never look back to try to improve their teaching. As an Academic Coach we are expected to relect on the teachers lesson and then discuss it with the teacher after we have both had the time for reflection. We all seem to be learning alot.
ReplyDeleteTrying to log in!
ReplyDeleteEveryone has nicely hit on the importance of reflecting to grow as educators. I still remember that paper we all had to write in college about our teaching philosophy. I remember that being the first time I really reflected about my educational beliefs. It was those beliefs that have molded me into the teacher I am today. Through the years as I have gained experience and more educational knowledge those core beliefs have further developed.
ReplyDeleteSo often we as educators are in survival mode. Keeping status quo becomes the key to our sanity. It is uncomfortable to put ourselves out there for criticism, even if it is just from ourselves. As I reflect on my years of teaching, I can see many opportunities I missed to really improve my instruction. At the time I was merely surviving the daily grind.
I feel lack of reflection from educators contributes to the bad feelings teachers have about professional development. So often they feel they are being forced to improve when they feel what they have done for years is working just fine. These target areas of improvement are selected by a group that has identified what they see as an area of weakness. Imagine what the educational world would be like if all teachers spent time reflecting and working with administration to develop a personal plan for self improvement……I want to live in that utopia.
I don’t think reflection is a bandwagon issue. I think reflection is something some teachers do everyday. It has always been around and will continue to be an important part of the model classrooms in our buildings.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy for teachers in AC to look back over the last decade and ridicule the things they would consider “bandwagons” in our system. (Love and Logic, Essential Questions, Curriculum Mapper, DOK, MAX Teaching……to only name a few). Over the years I have noticed that the reflective teachers are not usually bothered by these educational bandwagons. They take in and process the new information and see how it fits into their classroom. They are continually reflecting and looking for ways to improve.
The statement, "We do not learn as much from exerience, as from reflecting on that experience," strongly reminds me of learning from my mistakes. Normally, we are somewhat "forced" to reflect on our mistakes. We're rarely ever permitted to just forget about them. I've always told my students that it is ok to make mistakes as long as they learn from them. On the other hand, if mistakes are made and no reflection takes place, nothing is learned.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, not all lessons are perfect! Consequently, reflection is necessary to make decisions that improve future instruction. One of my priorities, as a coach, is to encourage teachers to self-reflect. I'm working on methods of reflection that will be most beneficial to each particular subject area as well as grade level. We do not want our teachers to become overwhelmed or experience "burnout", so we need to encourage reflection in order to avoid these problems.
I agree that reflection is definitely the best way to improve a lesson, especially when you have some direction with your reflection. We must self-reflect and reflect with others as coaches. Teachers do feel overwhelmed but reflection is a way to avoid negative feelings. Reflection is necessary to improve future instruction. Thinking back on my own teaching, I realize that the teaching of a lesson generally improved after I taught it the first time of the day. Generally, my second and third time teaching of the lesson were best because I reflected as I taught and between teaching classes. Most teachers are continuously reflecting but must do it more formally to make a great impact on their teaching.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, I think I am slowly, but surely figuring this thing out! Thank you for setting it up, Candace!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post, Angela, especially when you said "reflection is necessary to improve future instruction". I think about how much reflection is part of life in Reading Recovery. The use of the "glass" is genius...to help us become more reflective practitioners. I always feel like a better teacher the day after a Reading Recovery class. Even if the child is completely different from the child I teach, having the opportunity to watch a child and talk about teaching and learning makes me better.
I think having the time to reflect is the biggest issue. Even with this assignment, on this book. Finding time to post ideas etc. is problematic.