Task 2c: Reflective Theory

“We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started 

And know the place for the first time”

(TS Eliot, Four Quarters, 1943)

I came accross this poem whilst studying A Level English and thought it suited this task quite nicely!

For me, being a teacher heavily relies on me to constantly critically reflect on everything I do, whether I realise it or not! In this profession you have to keep up with changes in the curriculum for one but also, working with children, I feel it is important to make sure what you are doing is relevant to them. For example, being a young and recent graduate, I feel that the choreography I bring is current and and challenging, not an “old school” jazz piece to “Jamirioqui” that has been taught to the 20 years prior to them.

When researching online about 'Existing tools for reflection within Professional Practice' I got a link to a file, Improving Learning Through Reflection where it discussed how “Reflection is a way of maximizing deep learning and minimizing surface approaches” (Hinnet, 1997). It also looks at how reflection is a key component of the artistry in performance-based subjects (something I feel is very relevant to all those participating in the BAPP course). It then goes onto say, “Writing in the form of learning journals and reflective logs is often used as a way of capturing reflection” (Hinnet, 1997). We then use these journals to learn something from the experiences we wrote down. 

This leads me on to Kolb’s Learning Cycle. 

Concrete Experience: This is where Kolb’s cycle begins. This could perhaps be an individual or team task that has been assigned to them. In a teaching environment, more specifically, it could be ice-breakers, a practical exercises, or even a discussion or debate. In Kolb’s model, the individual or team member must actually “do” in order to learn.

Reflective Observation: This is stage two in the cycle. A time to step back from the “doing” part of the task and review (reflect) what has just happened (what they have just experienced). Again, from a teaching perspective this could be, peer evaluation, self evaluation or in the form of a journal. I know in the school I currently work in, through-out both the dance and drama BTEc courses, the students are asked to keep a log as part of their learning. For Kolb, it was very important for the individual/team to communicate to one another and discuss their learning.

Abstract Conceptualisation: This is the process of making sense of what has just happened. The individual/team makes comparisons between what they have done and what they already know and reflect upon this. When teaching, this would be the point where the students “give something”. Fore example, the theories or facts they have come up with based on the information they have been provided with, or more formally, present their findings to the rest of the class.

Active Experimentation: This is the final stage of the cycle and a chance for the individual or team to out what they have learnt into practice. It also leads them onto make predictions of ‘what happens next’. This is key part of both learning and reflecting because it is reflecting upon your learning that leads you onto where you will next take your learning and then cycle would repeat. In teaching, especially in say drama, give the learner the opportunity to use role play to express what they have learnt throughout the lesson. Or more simply, homework!

Looking back over my ‘Reflective Practice’ in both my online blog and private journal it would seem that I am reflecting on reflections.

“Reflection can happen while you are in the middle of it; reflection-in-action, 

or,

 reflection can happen looking back on it; reflection-on-action” 

(Schön, 1987)

When teaching, I often find myself adapting choreography to suit the capability of the children. This is a prime example of me ‘reflecting IN action’ in order to make the most out of the lesson and also get the most out of the pupils. One argument could be that I should know the standard the class are at before entering the room and so therefor should have planned an appropriate class, but everyone knows that there are always “off-days” or just wanting to push the class that bit further and this is why I feel, particularly in the teaching profession, reflection-in-action, is a vital part of the learning. I say “learning” because at the end of the day or lesson, you go away and use reflection-on-action and see what it was you had to change. You then use the experience for the planning of the next lesson.

“A reflection in a mirror is an exact replica of what is in front of it. Reflection in professional practice, however, gives back not what it is, but what it might be, an improvement on the original” (Biggs, 1999). In other words, reflection is not simply acknowledging the events that took place and where we might go next with the information we have and what may become of that, but it is a transformational process.