On discovering that a reflective blog was a component of the qualification, I felt it pertinent to revisit some of the literature on reflection that I came across during my Masters. I always found this to be a valuable exercise, if a little difficult to grasp at first.
Black and Plowright (2010: 246) give a useful definition of reflection: “Reflection is the process of engaging with learning and/or professional practice that provides an opportunity to critically analyse and evaluate that learning or practice. The purpose is to develop professional knowledge, understanding and practice that incorporates a deeper form of learning which is transformational in nature and is empowering, enlightening and ultimately emancipatory”.
Similarly, the article by Chapman, Dempsey and Warren-Forward (2009) explain a few of the questions that might guide reflection: “What happened and why? How do I feel about it? What have I learnt from it from it?” (p. 168). I also found this blog post useful in elaborating on some of the questions to ask yourself when reflecting: “…why did/didn’t it work? What other factors could have affected it? Were the outcomes different than I expected, and if so is that necessarily a failure? If it was successful, how could it further be refined? What else might a successful outcome look like?”
Bearing in mind some of these guidelines, and the purpose of reflecting, I am reminded of its’ value and how to go about getting the most from my experiences on this course.
The first session provided an opportunity to meet the other individuals from the course, as well as knowing what to expect in the coming weeks. I am looking forward to getting to know the group better as everyone has come from such different backgrounds, which should bring a diversity of experience and knowledge to sessions, providing an opportunity to learn even more.
I hadn’t really considered how much time outside of sessions the course would consume, so I am a little concerned about time commitments. During my Masters degree, I often got frustrated at having to put other commitments on hold whilst I was working. I don’t think this would have stopped me doing the course, because I can see the long-term benefits it should have both to me as an individual and in terms of the quality of my teaching, which should hopefully benefit learners at the College. However, it would have been of benefit to me to be better prepared, perhaps by contacting the Teacher Ed. department in advance about knowing what to expect.
The first part of the session required us to do a SWOT analysis of ourselves in relation to the course. I found this a useful exercise because it got me to consider how I could overcome potential barriers, but also highlighted stronger areas. Sharing with the group enabled me to see that a lot of our concerns were similar, which was reassuring, as well as helping to break the ice.
Further tasks encouraged us to think broadly about providers of education, which enabled me to see learning happening beyond more ‘traditional’ means. Towards the end, we had to establish a list of guidelines or rules that we might put in place for learners. It was interesting to think about this in the context of my own past experiences, how and what I’d’ve wanted guidelines to be and communicated to me, and how they might be worded based on my knowledge of how learning is now.
At the end of the session I felt that I was thinking more broadly about teaching, within the context of my understanding, but also being made aware of things that might not even have occurred to me had I been thinking of them in isolation. I also felt the need to question why I might make certain choices through the way that the tutor facilitated discussion and through some of the questions posed to us before embarking on the exercises.
My main motivation for taking the Level 3 qualification is to improve the quality of my teaching in the study skills sessions currently on offer through the library service at Leicester College. The sessions follow a standard format in terms of content and structure. The sessions are also scripted, with a sheet that can almost be read from word for word. Whilst I appreciate the need for standardisation, so that all learners receive the same experience, I have found that even though my teaching experience is very limited, it has made me lazy because I know that very little preparation is needed for a session. I also think that the current offerings have made me uncritical, when I know there is room for improvement. I hope that this course can highlight to me techniques and ideas that might improve the offerings, especially now as we endeavour to design sessions that are suitable for FE learners going into the new academic year. I am hoping that the micro-teach element at the end of the course might provide an opportunity to design an engaging ‘how to find academic literature / research’ session suitable for learners at level 3.
References
BLACK, P. E. & PLOWRIGHT, D. (2010) “A multi-dimensional model of reflective learning for professional development”, Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 11 (2), pp. 245-258.
CHAPMAN, N., DEMPSEY, S.E. & WARREN-FORWARD, H. M. (2009) “Workplace diaries promoting reflective practice in radiation therapy”, Radiography, 15, pp. 166-170.
MOON, J. (2007) “Getting the measure of reflection: considering matters of definition and depth”, Journal of Radiotherapy, 6, pp. 191-200.
Reflective Blog 