- What have you learned this week about reflection and reflective practice? How did you learn this?
Reflection and reflective learning are interchangeable terms. Reflection is a process that lie somewhere around learning and thinking and reflective learning is a term simply emphasize the intention to learn as a result of reflection. Reflective practice is a new term that came into use particularly as a result of work of Donald Schon (1983, 1987), Reflective practice emphasize the use of reflection in professional and other complex activities as a mean of coping situation that are unpredictable or ill structured (Jennifer A. Moon 2004).
In the above paragraph we try to understand both the terms reflection and reflective practice. In this week we talk on these terms and try to understand through various example and in our discussion with peers we talk about it. This was completely a new term for me although I was practicing this on my own in a way but I was not familiar with the term. During teaching I always use to learn through my experience and try to make things better then before. After this week learning and practice, I started this activity at my own that after every session with my students I sit and spend some time and try to review and recall the things by asking question to myself like this;
- How well I was prepared for my topic? Did I deliver my 100%?
- Did my students were understanding me? Are they with me?
- Which was the best part which grabs attention of students?
- Which areas I’ll improved, if I get a second chance?
- What have you learned this week about the practice of supporting student learning in HE?
Reflective learning and reflective practice also play a vital role in supporting student learning. To connect these terms with supporting student learning McAlpine and Weston examples are very important in which they mention about teacher’s experience and their experiences to reflect and to maintain the quality of their teaching in a on going manner. They use knowledge of learner of pedagogy and of the content of teaching. McAlpine and Weston says:
“Transforming experiential and tacit knowledge into principled explicit knowledge [in this case] about teaching requires . . . intentional reflection for the purpose of making sense of and learning from experience for the purpose of improvement. . . Reflection requires linking existing knowledge to an analysis of the relationship between current experience and future action . . . They go on to say that reflection aids in the reflective processes themselves, thereby building or expanding knowledge. (2002, p. 69)”
Reflective learning also helps in supporting student leaning in it, teacher review and think about the process and try to improve it so he can build a strong understanding and so that his students can get the point in a well manner. Reflective learning also helps where the content is ill structured but a teacher or representor, present that content in a way that is understandable for learners.
- How has your understanding changed from doing this week’s topic and activities?
This week activity was to share our experience about a session recently conducted by us or a memorable session and his experiences. This week at forum I shared information about my session and share my experience on that. Before that session I use to hear about making meaning and working with meaning which is defined and explained along with other three way in which reflection is involved in learning.
Firstly, reflection is involved in process where learner use deep approach. In short reflection is involved from the stage of ‘making meaning’ through ‘working with meaning’ to transformative leaning. Secondly, reflection is involved in meaningful learning when it is represented meaningfully. Thirdly, upgrading of learning (it does not involve new material of learning but learned things from previous experience). Lastly, reflection involved where generation of new ideas takes place that are not related to existing knowledge though clearly based on what we already know. (Jennifer A. Moon 2004).
- What has challenged you?
Challenges that I faced related to this session I discussed at forum were completely unpredictable. When you are applying a new methodology to improve a thing or to do something better and you are not familiar with the outcome of that this is all reflective practice all about. As stated, “Reflective practice emphasizes the use of reflection in professional or other complex activities as a means of coping with situations that are ill-structured and/or unpredictable.” (Donald Schon 1983, 1987). Interaction with students during learning process is something which must be taken care of, in short according to my experience when you are dealing with students and found someone who is not taking interest or not participating in learning process you must deal with the person very carefully. Purpose of your action should only to make the learner attentive not to point him because it may cause something bad and could also affect the whole environment. To avoid such type of situation we have a lot of solution for it, if a learner is not taking part in reflection of teacher help him identify the reasons. A teacher can reflect in many cases, (Jennifer A. Moon 2004) whether if it’s a representation that is challenging for learner, or it’s material that is making the process complex for learner or it’s because of the new idea you adopted to changed.
- What has surprised you?
We learn some particular view of reflection this week and it surprises us as well as help us to build further understanding about it. (Moon, 2003) we discuss following:
- Emotion is central to reflective processes.
- Reflection is about ‘my own’ processes (always done by one person)
- Some people can’t reflect
Reflection is characterized by its emotional components; others note significant roles of emotion in reflection. Reflection and feelings act in an independent relationship with emotion (Taylor, 1997); that emotion is represented sometimes as tacit knowledge (McAlpine and Weston, 2002). Past emotional experience helps us to identify and highlight the issues we dealt with (Mezirow, 1998; Boud and Walker, 1998). Reflective learning is where connected with past experiences side my side it has strong relationship with emotions.
- What has this taught you about your strengths in your practice?
Reflective learning and reflective practice both help us to make our practice good and it really helps us out to look back to our experiences and learn from that. By applying these terms in my own practice, I started getting some amazing results from learners. I use to reflect back and improve the things so that my listeners didn’t face this problem next time. This practice strengthens my work position and build confidence in me to do the things in a better way and in a productive way. I use the (McAlpine and Weston, 2002) theories and principles about refection to understand the term and apply the term in my practice.
- What actions might you take to further develop your practice?
Reflection and learning summary help me and it provides solution to every possible problem related to reflective learning and learning process. This help me to develop strategy and help me to make some principles to make my practice well. Just like to make my content good which must not be ill structured and should not be challenging to a learner. To make the new material in way that meaning of that is understandable for a learner and even he can try himself to understand the meaning of which takes a deep approach. Representation of the content that is challenging for a learner must be smoothen and make easy in way learner can get that. (Jennifer A. Moon 2004)