Graduate Attribute 02
Advance learning and teaching practice through critical self-reflection, evaluation and research.
A core belief of mine is that learning is about growth and development (see themes 5 and 6 of my Teaching Philosophy), and that change is a key indicator of growth and development. This applies as much to teachers as it does to learners. As a result of critical self-reflection and evaluation of my teaching, I have the opportunity to identify strengths (which can often become even stronger) and to identify areas that require development so that I become the best teacher I can.
Examples of how I grow and advance my practice in this way include:
1. Using student feedback to help evaluate my teaching and to modify and improve both my performance and the quality of my courses and materials. In the case of my first Case Study, I provided the learners with this feedback at the end of the course, explaining to them the ways in which I had considered and implemented change as a result of their reflection.
2. Keeping a weekly (handwritten) log of experiences in the classroom, encompassing:
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things that went well or otherwise
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thoughts, ideas and reminders for future sessions
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adherence to and deviation from the lesson plan
3. Conducting research in order to further support my teaching. For example, in my previous role at AUT University, I conducted several surveys of Employers and HR Professionals in order to inform my teaching on the subjects of CVs, cover letters and job applications. This survey formed the basis
of a report which I delivered to my peers in the Auckland CDANZ
branch and helped inform CV writing information sheets and
presentations for students at the University. Examples of the
survey and an analysis of the results are given here ->
My Reflective Practice
Although I am by nature inclined to observe and to reflect, I know that I do not always reflect in a constructive way or when I really need to. Thus I recognise the need for a model of relective practice and have been influenced by the cyclic models proposed by Gibbs (1988) and Kolb (1984).
However, when it comes to theory and models I always seek to find commonalities between different offerings and I also like to keep things simple, so that I am likely to remember them more easily. Consequently my reflective practice is perhaps closest to the following models, whose steps/stages can be summarised as:
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Take notice and describe -> Analyse -> Take action - Hegarty (2011)
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What? -> So what? -> Now what? - Rolfe et al (2001)
These three-step cycles appeal to me due to their practical simplicity and also their similarity to a model that derives from my work as a career practitioner, namely the use of the STAR (source unknown) model for answering behavioural questions in interviews:
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STAR = Situation/Task -> Action -> Result/Reflection
In the case of the two Reflective Practice models, the Take Action / Now What stages are an additional step not always appropriate to an interview situation.
An example of my own reflective practice
1. Take notice and describe
When I first met the student cohort described in Case Study 1, I knew by halfway through the session that things were not going well. The topic for the session was managing one's own career and students were not engaging and were in fact commenting that the workshop materials were not appropriate. I reflected on this at the time and later the same day.
2. Analyse
I reviewed the course materials, session plan and session objectives - all of which I had inherited from a predecessor. I determined that the session objectives were appropriate to the aims of the course the session was a part of, however the handout being used was aimed at too young an audience. It was also rather heavy on the reading/writing approach.
3. Take action
At the halfway point of the session we had a 15 minute break. During the break I prepared a couple of practical activities that I had used with classes before, that got the students engaging with each other more. I also showed a video clip on YouTube to illiustrate a point about employability. There was some imporivement.
Longer term actions were to take this event into consideration when planning the course for the following semester and to be sure to include more diverse course materials, activities and plenty of discussions and group work. Although this was not always easy to achieve, the results and feedback from students by the end of the semester showed a marked improvement.