Task 2c C Reflective Theory

By making Reflective Practice relevant to me and my specific Practice of teaching it is not something I have been aware that I have been using before starting reader 2, although it is something that I have been doing day to day in my life as a teacher. More specifically Donal Schon's reflection-in-action has been a type of reflection I have been using subconsciously whilst I teach.

Schon's (1987) describes reflection in action and being 'fostered in artists who respond to what is happening as it happens'. 

School (1987) also says how reflection action 'is the more difficult to achieve, but the more powerful for improvement of practice because it results in 'on-line' experiments to adjust and improve one's professional actions. It is more difficult to achieve because the actor must simultaneously attend to performing the action and observe and analyse visor her action, as if from an external perspective.'

I always go into the classes I teach with a lesson plan, or having at least decided what it is I intend on doing during the lesson. However this does not always go to plan. Whether because many of the class are not there, they haven't remembered exercises as well/or better that I had anticipated they would, more commonly, (as children can be so unpredictable) the class could have had a really exciting day at school or they could be really tired and this affects how they learn and respond. This is something I have to very quickly identify early on in the class, so I know how to adapt the class, so it suits all the class and I can get the best out of them, despite what mood they may be in. This means I am constantly reflecting during lessons. After each exercise I do with them I think to myself 'How did that go?', 'What shall I move on to do?', 'Maybe it wouldn't be suitable to do this today?', 'Maybe I should start working through the exercises quicker as they are really engaged?'

Now I am aware of Schon's Reflection in Action I feel I can use this to my benefit and become better at doing this in the future.

As John Dewey was an educationalist I particularly found his theories interesting. As reader 2 says - 'He saw education as an experimental action. He felt that the quality of the education was linked to the level of of engagement with, and consciousness of the experience. He defended the educational process as a "continual reorganisation, reconstruction and transformation of experience" Dewey 1916. For this I feel like you must first acknowledge that you are having an experience and that it must be a constantly be  ever-changing and adapting.

I feel that Deweys idea nicely links on to Kolbs Learning cycle, which was created with the idea that learning does not have a beginning or an end, but it is intact a constant cycle that keeps going round.

Most people will enter the cycle at 'Concrete Experience' This is assuming you are able to identify your experience, from there it is important to reflect on the experience and to then use this understanding you have gained from the reflection to then go forward to gain knowledge from this, leading on to using and applying these new skills, which will then take you back to the start of the cycle. I really like this cycle and It is something I would like to use in my practice. I feel that in any career, for myself this is a teacher, that you should never assume you know everything you need to know and you can always improve on your knowledge and expand your skills and using reflection is a great way to continue to learn, grow and improve.