Reflective Account On Learning

Reflection: More than just looking in the mirror

"Ð'...reflection in a mirror is an exact replica of what is in front of it. Reflection in professional practiceÐ'... gives back not what it is, but what might be, an improvement on the originalÐ'..." Biggs (1999).

Reflective practice, in this context, is not about just looking at myself in a mirror and accepting what I see blindly, without any question or evaluation. Rather, it is about looking at what I have learned and how I can utilise that learning in my teaching practice.

In this essay, I aim to only discuss what I have been taught and to see how I have assimilated Ð''professional jargon' terms and the range of teaching tools into my consciousness; to see how I can address different styles of learning and tailor my teaching in order that I may plan, prepare for and provide for the individual learners needs as identified in any initial assessment.

This essay utilises the concept of Ð''reflection-on-action' Schon (1987) that is taking a step back, look at what has gone before and pause to consider how our actions, thoughts and experiences within that situation will affect what we choose to do later.

"Reflective Practice is a process of reviewing an experience from practice in order to describe, analyse and evaluate and so informs learning from practice" Reid (1993)

Reflection is a useful tool of self assessment and evaluation as it often enables you to identify areas where you feel you are performing well and highlight areas that require improvement. In recording my feelings towards each of the subjects taught, I can see where I feel my teaching practice will excel and where I will require further assistance, this of course is useful as

I can identify areas that I feel I need to discuss with my mentor and my PDT, such as classroom control techniques and how to ensure each of my learners achieve personal and group goals.

Teaching is often described as a reflective occupation, the teacher is expected to look at their performance within the classroom and the institution, and well analyse the techniques they employ to ensure that they are always delivering the best standard of practice, ensuring curriculum areas are covered as well as making sure that the needs of the learners are met with each course.

There are many tools of reflection, although I have found that keeping an individual learning log has acted not only as an introspective tool , but also as a starting point for identifying where I needed to do further research in order to achieve a high level of personal and professional development. As with many of the individualised learning tools, this also served to keep m y thoughts in order and allowed me to see how one weeks learning related to the next week, how the individual building blocks of knowing the tools of teaching and the styles of learning can be used in every lesson. It allowed me the opportunity to react in an emotional way to the academic information that was being laid before me and gave me a chance to cement the assimilation between what I already knew and what I was learning.

The concept of logical progression is such an important idea within teaching practice Ð'- It's no good teaching someone to run before you have taught them to walk.

In much the same way that my learning log will enable me to reflect on what I have learned, if I use this tool with my learners, I will be able to see how they feel they are progressing and where they feel that each new topic relates to previous learning. There are of course other techniques that can be used to support a reflective approach to learning and analysis, such as self assessment, personal development plans etc.

Of course, there is a difference between individual and collective reflective practice and in a course such as this; there will always be an element of collective reflection. My peers and I have often been known to discuss any learning that has taken place in lessons, referring to our own experiences in order to consolidate that information.

Prior to starting this course, the idea of Ð'''reflective practice' was totally alien to me. It was only when I redefined the practice in layman's terms that I realised I practice reflection in my every day life. I tend towards analysis and evaluation on a daily basis, whether it is in analysing how I talk to someone, how my sessions with my scout group work or how I use my reading to increase my vocabulary.

The idea of reflective practice in an academic context however is new to me, and I did feel lost at first. Now I can see how reflecting on my own learning and experiences has helped me to see where I have improved week on week and I think that as a result, my confidence has improved and I am able to contribute more in class, I have more confidence in my ability to teach and I feel that as a result I am learning more. The process or reflection, evaluation and adaptation is truly a cyclic one.

The Tools of Teaching and Learning Styles

Before addressing the tools of teaching and learning styles favoured by those who have entered courses of education, my peers and I discussed possible reasons for embarking on a course of study and the motivations for sticking with that course.

My personal reasons seemed to match many of the other students on the course; anything from better job prospects, higher level of job satisfaction, self esteem Ð'- proving that I can in fact do the course and become a successful teacher- through to improving knowledge in a subject area.

This self-analysis proved beneficial because in being asked to look at myself and my needs, to reflect on what I have achieved in my academic studies and what I know I can do through my previous experiential learning, I can see a relationship to my individual learning needs Ð'- much in the same way that it is necessary for a teacher to assess learners needs prior to preparing and delivering a lesson where they can.

The formula we were given as an example of how to define a learning need is

This;

Desired Knowledge Ð'- Existing Knowledge = Learning Need

Taking into consideration what you want to know and what you already know; realising the relationship this has with your personal learning need. So, when applied to my own studies and teaching practice, the equation looks a little something like this.

How to be an effective and Ð'¬Ð'¬__ How to be an effective