Week 25

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

What is reflective practice?Reflecting on practice is an active learning process whereby practice is analysed in its applied context. This is the point where theory and practice meet and are refined and developed. This reflective practice is underpinned by the notion of reflection-on-action, and continual learning for improved outcomes.

Why do you need to know about this?Finlay (2008) called attention to the “bland, mechanical, unthinking ways” (p.1) of reflective practice, especially for time-constrained professionals. Without critical reflection, superficial thinking might simply reinforce existing assumptions. Therefore, it is important that reflective practice be cultivated and fostered to become effective. It can then be a “powerful tool to examine and transform practice” (Finlay, 2008, p.10).

Developing critical reflection in your practiceYou should start by examining your current reflective practice. Fill in this evaluate your reflective practice survey ( you can see how others have responded by clicking on “see previous responses” after completing the survey).

The first question in the survey is intended to test your understanding of what critical reflection is. If you consider critical reflection as criticising your own practice or your colleagues', then you should reconsider.

According to Fook and Askeland (cited in Finlay, 2008), critical reflection looks at individual concerns within a wider perspective, “connecting individual identity and social context”. It should be done in a systematic manner, be challenged by differing angles and be informed with reliable sources.

The second question of the survey is adapted from Zeichner and Liston’s (cited in Finlay, 2008, p.4) five levels of reflection:

1. "Rapid reflection - immediate, ongoing and automatic action by the teacher.
2. Repair – in which a thoughtful teacher makes decisions to alter their behaviour in response to students’ cues.
3. Review – when a teacher thinks about, discusses or writes about some element of their teaching.
4. Research – when a teacher engages in more systematic and sustained thinking over time, perhaps by collecting data or reading research.
5. Retheorizing and reformulating – the process by which a teacher critically examines their own practice and theories in the light of academic theories.”

It may be, for example, that your current reflective practice sits at the lower levels of the spectrum due to time constraints or the priority you place on reflection. If so, what could you do to help you reach a higher level of reflection?

In pages 7-10 of this week's reading Reflecting on reflective practice, Finlay introduces and critiques some reflective models. Adopting a suitable model of reflection could enhance the quality of your reflective practice. For example, Gibb’s six basic stages of the cycle of reflection (Finlay, 2008, p.8) has some similarities with the Teaching-as-Inquiry model from the Ministry of Education (2009). Alternatively, the more elaborate typology of reflection developed by Jay and Johnson (Finlay, 2008, p.8) could guide you to scrutinise your practice through a more critical lens. Is there any model that you find suitable for your own reflective practice?

Question three of the above survey explores the ways you reflect on your practice. You may prefer having solitary reflection or informal conversations with colleagues other than written reflection.

However, Larrivee (2000) recommends that keeping a reflective journal is a way to ensure time is set aside for deep and regular reflection. A reflective journal enables you to integrate knowledge and learning and analyse the significance and implications for your professional practice. Electronic journals are able to be shared with others, so there are opportunities for you to share and create networks, whānau of interest, and professional communities of practice. A reflective journal is an important evaluative learning tool for you as a learner and as a professional. Sharing aspects of your journal and working collaboratively in shared e-reflective journal spaces is part of the reflective process. The feedback you give and receive can be critical for further investigation, reflection, and change.

In this course, you are required to create weekly reflective journal entries preferably in the form of blog posts in which you critically reflect on different aspects of your practice.

Note: (Important)

Before you create a professional personal blog you need to consider the moral, ethical and legal responsibilities you have to your organisation with respect to the content you will create, post and share. Most employment contracts set out your obligations around the use of social media which must be considered when you are creating or sharing views on open online platforms.

You can find some helpful information on blogging such as the platforms to choose, the privacy concerns, the copyright license, the length and structure of a blog in The Mind Lab’s blog post “How Should I Blog”.

Once you have created your blog, you can share the address with your fellow students by filling in this “Share your blog’s address” form. Even if your blog is private, you can always grant the permission to view later. You can find your fellow students' blog address from here.

Again, remember to move beyond description and be more critical in your reflective journal. View this required Reflective Writing video for an idea of how to write reflectively and effectively.

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

What is your community of practice?Your teaching practice is based on a particular context within the community that you serve. Wenger first coined the concept of “communities of practice”, which are defined as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion or about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p.4). A community of practice differs from other group types in terms of learning and knowledge and practice sharing rather than management objectives. In the school context, this occurs through informal learning via daily conversations, lesson reflections and other exchanges (Jurasaite-Harbison & Rex, 2010). A community of practice is defined by three distinct elements: joint enterprise, mutual engagement and shared repertoire (Wenger, 2000).

• Joint enterprise: is a shared domain which is the “collectively developed understanding of what the community is about”.
• Mutual engagement: within the community, the members engage through interactions, building mutual trust in the relationships.
• Shared repertoire: is “the communal resources” that the community of practice produce (Wenger, 2000, p.229)

On the Wenger-Trayner website, the three elements have been termed as domain, community and practice, respectively.

In order for a community of practice to thrive, its members have to ensure that they are collectively working on all three elements. Regardless of the community size, it is important that the members understand the community of practice’s shared purpose and strongly feel they belong to the community. They also have to commit to regular interactions to keep the dynamics of the community of practice. These interactions either onsite or online would lead to the accumulation of the community of practice’s shared resources which in turn becomes valuable assets that the members can turn to when they seek assistance.

In the Edpuzzle "Cultivating communities of practice: Making them grow", the author has discussed an interesting analogue of the community of practice, making the concept easier to understand.

Why do you need to know about this?In this knowledge age, community of practice serves as a model to facilitate and enhance learning and knowledge management in a shared context among practitioners. Cambridge, Kaplan, and Suter (2005) suggest that communities of practice provide an environment for people to connect, interact, build and extend the shared resources within shared learning goals. A community of practice that is cultivated and effectively operates can result in improved practice.

THIS WEEK’S ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

Activity 1: My practice within the community

Create a post where you critically define your practice with reference to Wenger’s (2000) concept of community of practice. Following these 3 steps may help with your assessment:

Step 1: Identify your community of practice. When doing so, you may realise that you belong to a variety of communities of practice which are sometimes overlapping. However, you need to be careful that the identified one is a community of practice not a community only. Being able to articulate the three elements of the community of practice that you have identified will clarify the criteria.

Step 2: Explain the three elements of your community of practice using the the following questions to guide your thoughts:

• What is the joint-enterprise or the shared domain of interest that you identify with your community of practice?
• What are some examples of the activities or events that the members in your community of practice engage? How often do the activities or events take place?
• What kind of shared repertoire does your community of practice produce?

Step 3: Define your practice within the community of practice using the the following questions to guide your thoughts:

• What sense of connectedness or belonging do you have within your community of practice?
• How would you describe your role within the community of practice? For example, a leader? A facilitator? An active member? A newcomer?
• At what extent you are contributing towards your community of practice?

* Please note that all of the above questions serve as a guide to your reflection. When writing your reflective journal, you don’t have to answer each and every question.

References

Cambridge, D., Kaplan, S. & Suter, V. (2005). Community of practice design guide: A Step-by-Step Guide for Designing & Cultivating. Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NLI0531.pd...

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file…

Jurasaite-Harbison, E., & Rex, L. (2010). School Cultures as Contexts for Informal Teacher Learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 267-277.

Knox, B.(2009, December 4). Cultivating Communities of Practice: Making Them Grow.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMPRZnRFkk

Larrivee, B. (2000).Transforming teaching practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 1(3), 293-307.

Ministry of Education.(2009). Teaching as Inquiry. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-stories/Case-studies/Teachers-as-learners-Inquiry/Teaching-as-inquiry

Wenger, E.(2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization,7(2), 225-246.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.