Comparing relevant theories, principles and models of reflective practice Essay

Reflective practice is an evolving concept. In the 1930s, pot Dewey defined thoughtful thought as Active, persistent, and careful consideration of each belief or supposed form of knowledge in the loose of the grounds that support it and the boost conclusions to which it tends. He set out tail fin phases or aspects with which we go off see a process of considerateness. however using phrases such as phase and stage does give a sense of sequence, a set method and in that location seems to be no room for interaction or communication rather that the teacher reflects individu all toldy.Of course, this can be the case we dont all have somebody to discuss and reflect with following every pedagogy experience. However it there is a definite place for interaction and dialogue with e.g. colleagues, mentor in order to evaluate what has gone before and how we can move on. I have found that through reflection with my mentor and by discussing points increase I have seen my principle fr om another perspective and have interpreted on board diametric approaches.Shortly after starting instruction I was keen to achieve to a greater extent involvement of the students in my school terms and through reflecting with my mentor I introduced various questioning techniques that have made my sessions more interactive and have benefitted the students. This wont of Blooms taxonomy of questioning (1956) broadened my way of thinking almost questions and as well as impacting my sessions certain my literacy skills by thinking most the way in which I communicate with others and being aware of my audience.The institute of Boud, Keogh and Walker (1985), addressed emotions and reduced Deweys five phases to three. For them reflection is an action in which people Recapture their experiences, think about it, mull it oer and evaluate it. This approach is very much reflecting on action which enables us to spend time exploring why we acted as we did, what was happening in the chemica l group etc.This goes against the idea of reflection as a continual process, a way of life, and there was criticism of Boud et al from Cinnamond and Zimpher (1990) when they argued that They (Boud et al) constrain reflection by turning it into a mental activity that excludes both the behavioural share and dialogue with others involved in the situation. More and more I shape myself reflecting as Im teaching and adapting my teaching as the session progresses to meet the needs of individuals who have brought their own view to the session and presented me with an surplus way of looking at the subject matter or prompted me to use an example which I had previously dismissed or forgotten about.The cipher of Kolb (1984) has been influential for the majority of educators as he approaches reflection in a cyclical way as one that is ongoing and constantly tune for improvement (see Diagram below).This to me is a practical and usable model of reflection that can be applied to many aspects of our life experiences not totally education. An example of how I have worked in this cyclical way and developed my ICT skills is my use of power point presentation within sessions. I began teaching using pre-prepared power points that did add to my sessions but could still be preferably dry at times. By researching ways in which to improve on this I have progressed to adding animation, DVD clips, sound and am now in the process of compiling my own power point presentations using up to date and more relevant entropy which the students can relate to. By using this ICT tool in this way I have seen students response increase as well as their interest in further research.Brookfield (1995) saw reflection as viewing teaching from quaternary different perspectives, he maintains that The heart of the reflective process is viewing teaching from four different perspectives or lenses our autobiographies as teachers and learners our students eyes colleagues perceptions and relevant theoreti cal literature. We all come to teaching from different backgrounds and with differing life experiences. Using this together with information gleaned from dialogue with colleagues and students and researching our subject specialism so as to keep up to date with new information will all add to the reflective process.On my short courses I like to find out, if possible, what type of galvanizing work the students are currently undertaking and then I flak to relate the theory to practical situations they will be familiar with. This dialogue with students is, I believe, one of the reasons they have been so successful. Reflective practice requires a commitment to self-development and the time to achieve it, this as we know is one of the issues go about us all as educators as we strive to improve our teaching but can be held up by a neglect of resources including time. Teachers improve their ability to react and respond as they are teaching, to assess, edict and implement approaches and activities on the spot. Reflection is key to moving forward and providing the beat out possible education for those students in our care. Word Count 774ReferencesBoud, D et al (eds.) (1985) Reflection. Turning experience into learning, London Kogan Page. Kolb, Da. (1984). Experiential learning Experience as a source of learning and development, New Jersey Prentice Hall. Brookfield, S (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco Jossey-Bass. Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives The classification of educational goals Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York Longmans, Green. Cinnamond and Zimpher. (1990). Reflection. Available www.infed.org/biblio/b-reflect.htm. Last accessed 20 environ 2010.