Assignment on Critical and Reflective Practices in Education

Assignment 1 (Fall, 2016)

Maidah Khalid
Bc150403099

1. Discuss different types of reflective practice. Explain how the process of reflective

practice helps in developing critical thinking in individuals.

Answer:

Reflective practice is a process associated with professional learning, which includes

effective reflection and the development of metacognition, and leads to decisions for
action, learning, achievement of goals and changes to immediate and future practice.
There are two types of reflective practice:
1. Dialogic Reflection.
2. Critical Reflection.
Dialogic Refection:
 The dialogical reflection guides the student teacher to reflect on the aims and means to
devise a course of action for a particular situation and teaching group. It challenges and
critiques the course of action to invite the student teacher to formulate sound
justifications for decisions and judgements made and respond to any perceived
developmental needs and facilitates the construction of an improved course of action as
considered necessary. In this way, the dialogical reflection simultaneously affirms and
encourages the interrogation of the student teacher’s own voice
 The role of the dialogical reflection assumes great significance in enabling student
teachers, through reflective conversations with a critical friend, to build a vocabulary of
shared understandings which can be used to help them express what they mean and want
to convey about situations within the teaching-learning context.
 Thus, action research for improving practice, thinking and creating more meaningful
work environments seeks to take the value laden, socially constructed nature of practice
as its starting point. When student teachers identify action for improvement this can
 usefully be viewed as both a dialogical and reflective process. The commitment to learn
and improve practice is characteristic principles of action research, as is the concern to
generate and produce knowledge. Reflective practice lies at the heart of action research,
which aims to provide student teachers with a greater sense of autonomy over their own
work and to identify possible avenues for alternative practice.
Critical Reflection:
 Critical reflection allows us to synthesize different perspectives (whether from other
people or literature) to help explain, justify or challenge what we have encountered in
our own or other people’s practice. It may be that theory or literature gives us an
alternative perspective that we should consider, it may provide evidence to support
our views or practices or it may explicitly challenge them.
 Part of the power of critical reflection in opening up new perspectives and choices
about practice may only be realized if the connections between individual thinking
and identity, and dominant social beliefs are articulated and realized.
 Critical reflection involves the examination and remaking of fundamental dominant
assumptions to do with power with the primary purpose of bringing about some
improvements in professional practice.
 To examine reflectively our own assumptions about critical reflection and the cultural
practices and climates, this may support its undiscerning use. Perhaps there is a need
not only to value the practical nature of the approach, but also to develop more
inclusive ways of understanding, representing and researching the great variety of
benefits we know, from our own experience, that it provides. There may need to be
more and other ways of representing our experiences of critical reflection; ways
which can also speak to the more skeptical amongst us, and illustrate how such a
process might be used to good effect in a variety of very different settings. The
flexibility of reflective practice may in fact demand that there be much more
inclusivity in the way it is researched.
The process of reflective practice helps in developing critical thinking in individuals by
following:
Thinking about what has happened is part of being human. However, the difference between
‘critical thinking’ and ‘reflective practice’ is that reflective practice requires a conscious effort to
think about events, and develop insights into them. Once you get into the habit of using reflective
practice, you will probably find it useful both at work and at home.
Critical analysis and evaluation refocuses your thinking on your existing knowledge and helps
generate new knowledge and ideas. As a result, you may modify your actions, behaviour,
treatments and learning needs.
Reflective practice is a tool for improving your learning both as a student and in relation to your
work and life experiences. Although it will take time to adopt the technique of reflective
practice, it will ultimately save you time and energy.

2. Differentiate between foundations models of reflection and critical models of

reflection. Explain each of these models in detail taking an example from the
educational context.
Answer:
FOUNDATIONS MODELS OF REFLECTION:
John Dewey(1933):
John Dewey’s work is particularly helpful in defining and describing the relationships among
experience, reflection, and learning, because faculty expects students to learn, especially the
knowledge within their respective disciplines, reflection on course readings and field experiences
is essential. Across a variety of disciplines, journals are a well-established way to record, reflect,
and continue to learn from experience. John Dewey has defined what experiences are educative,
how learning proceeds, and what role reflection plays in learning.
Dewey distinguishes between four different modes of thinking: imagination, belief, stream of
consciousness, and reflection. Dewey acknowledges that imagination, belief, and stream of
consciousness are certainly part of our thinking activities, yet they do not necessarily contribute
to learning and even less to lifelong learning. Reflection, however plays a different role. Dewey
defines reflection as the:
Reflection is active. When we reflect we examine prior beliefs and assumptions and their
implications. Reflection is an intentional action. A “demand for a solution of a perplexity is the
steadying, guiding factor in the entire process of reflection”
In fact, to Dewey, reflective thinking fosters the development of three attitudes that further the
“habit of thinking in a reflective way.” These three attitudes are:
• Open mindedness (freedom from prejudice)
• Wholeheartedness or absorbed interest
• Responsibility in facing consequences
These dispositions are the foundation for education that gives people “a personal interest in
social relationships and control and the habits of mind that secures social changes without
introducing disorder.”
Donald Schon(1983):
Schön proposed a new emphasis on reflection and artistry as an alternative to the traditional
‘technical rational’ paradigm for professional practice. His work was a product of the gradual
realisation in the 1970s that the positivism and technology which had established the modern
professions could not account for all human experience. Schön’s ‘reflective practitioner’ was
also a response to those ‘experts’ who shield their practice with an air of mystification, aiming to
preserve status and autonomy in the face of challenging criticism, and to achieve the
‘cooperation’ of their clients. He also attempted to address the gulf that separated nomothetic
academic research and idiographic frontline practice.
For Schön (1983), reflectivity is the key to learning through experience and developing
‘unrestricted’ professionalism. Schon proposed that professionals tacitly use ‘reflection-in-
action’: whenever facing complexity, uncertainty and cognitive conflict they formulate an
explanatory theory unique to the case at hand that informs their immediate action.
Schön describes two processes that contribute to the development of expertise: reflection-
inaction and reflection-on-action. Professionals reflect while they are engaged in an experience
(reflection-in-action) and after an experience (reflection-on-action). In this process of reflection,
novice professionals develop the theories-in-use that underlie competent, expert decision
making.
For most professionals, the journal is a reflection-on-action zone allowing them to slow down the
constant array of demands, scrutinize their actions, and determine whether their present activities
contribute in the long run to their goals and desires. Thus the journal can become a place where
professionals can develop the ability to identify tacit, unspoken knowledge that is not typically
taught. Many professional preparation programs have relied on Schön’s work to guide their use
of journal-writing activities.
David Kolb (1984):
David Kolb's Learning Styles concept has become a classical model representing the way we
experience learning in our everyday life and work, and how we learn best in a practical sense,
moving between active and reflective modes, and specifically through the stages.
Kolb proposed that if we become better at using all the stages of the learning cycle, notably
including reflecting on experience, we will become better life-long learners. In other words, if
we learn better and have better outcomes, we will be more successful in life.

Kolb's concept is among many that advocates 'trial and error' (extending to reflection,
conceptualization and experimentation) through our own direct personal experience, and asserts
this ('trial and error' approach) as an important mechanism for successful learning.

For Kolb reflection is the engine that moves the learning cycle along its path to further learning,
action, and more reflection. Without it, the learner is “stuck” in the experience without gaining
any new understanding. Kolb’s work elaborates a cycle of learning that leads to informed future
action.
Roth(1989):
Engaging in reflective practice takes time and effort but the rewards can be great. The following
list summarizes reflective practice processes by Roth :
 Questioning what, why, and how one does things and asking what, why, and how others
do things
 Seeking alternatives
 Keeping an open mind
 Comparing and contrasting
 Seeking the framework, theoretical basis, and/or underlying rationale
 Viewing from various perspectives
 Asking "what if...?"
 Asking for others' ideas and viewpoints
 Using prescriptive models only when adapted to the situation
 Considering consequences
 Hypothesizing
 Synthesizing and testing
  Seeking, identifying, and resolving problems

Roth describes twenty four procedures of a reflective practitioner. The procedures range from
those that correspond to cognitive models of reflection and teaching techniques to an embracing
of uncertainty like "adapt and adjust to instability and change," to more formal procedures like
"hypothesize," "synthesize and test" . The list reads much like the upper levels from Bloom's
taxonomy, and while it does seem to take into account the notion of different time frames, it does
not locate the processes in the day-to-day work that constitutes professional practice.

Peter(1991):

One such model, advocated by Peters is the DATA model. DATA is an acronym for the four
stages of the model, as outlined below:

1. Describe: In the first stage of the DATA model educators describe in detail an incident or
aspect of their practice. This involves paying attention to what happened, who was
involved, and their thoughts, feeling and emotions as they related to the incident.
2. Analyze: In the next stage, educators explore why this practice operates as it does,
examine the underlying values, beliefs and assumptions that maintain the practice and
consider what sources of information they draw on to make sense of the situation.
3. Theorize: The next stage requires educators to think about new or additional sources of
knowledge that may be helpful to make sense of what happened. Here, educators think
about their practice from different perspectives in order to formulate a new or different
understanding and consider a new or different approach.
4. Act: In the final stage of the model educators put their new way of thinking into practice
by trying out a new or different way of doing things in order to enhance and improve
their practice.

Educators can continue to use this model as part on a cycle of ongoing learning and continuous
improvement.

CRITICAL MODELS OF REFLECTION:

Brookfield (1998):
Adult education scholar Stephen Brookfield proposed that critically reflective practitioners
constantly research their assumptions by seeing practice through four complementary lenses: the
lens of their autobiography as learners of reflective practice, the lens of other learners' eyes, the
lens of colleagues' experiences, and the lens of theoretical, philosophical and research
literature. Reviewing practice through these lenses makes us more aware of the power dynamics
that infuse all practice settings. It also helps us detect hegemonic assumptions—assumptions that
we think are in our own best interests, but actually work against us in the long run. Brookfield
argued that these four lenses will reflect back to us starkly different pictures of who we are and
what we do.

 Lens 1: Our autobiography as a learner. Our autobiography is an important source of

insight into practice. As we talk to each other about critical events in our practice, we start to
realize that individual crises are usually collectively experienced dilemmas. Analyzing our
autobiographies allows us to draw insight and meanings for practice on a deep visceral
emotional level.
 Lens 2: Our learners' eyes. Seeing ourselves through learners' eyes, we may discover that
learners are interpreting our actions in the way that we mean them. But often we are
surprised by the diversity of meanings people read into our words and actions. A cardinal
principle of seeing ourselves through learners' eyes is that of ensuring the anonymity of their
critical opinions. We have to make learners feel safe. Seeing our practice through learners'
eyes helps us teach more responsively.
 Lens 3: Our colleagues' experiences. Our colleagues serve as critical mirrors reflecting back
to us images of our actions. Talking to colleagues about problems and gaining their
perspective increases our chance of finding some information that can help our situation.
 Lens 4: Theoretical literature. Theory can help us "name" our practice by illuminating the
general elements of what we think are idiosyncratic experiences.
Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper (2001):

First, this very simple and memorable model offers a very flexible process for using Reflective
Practice, and especially for getting started and experimenting with the concept. Rolfe et al.’s
reflective model is based upon three simple questions:
What?

So what?

Now what?

What?
The first stage is a mere description of what happened and of the experience you would like to
analyse and take forward for your own learning.
So what?
Once the description has been completed carefully you should ask yourself what the experience
and situation means. To this end you will need to consult literature and colleagues if you are to
get a comprehensive insight into the matter, as otherwise you will rely on your own
interpretations only.
Now what?
At this last stage of Rolfe et al.’s model you are asked to consider the steps you will be taking in
order to improve your practice and learn from the initial experience. We ought to complete a
simple action plan with key pointers about what we will do and how we will decide that our
practice has improved.

Rodgers (2002):

Engaging in critical reflection, however, helps us articulate questions, confront bias, examine
causality, contrast theory with practice and identify systemic issues all of which helps foster
critical evaluation and knowledge transfer. While critical reflection may come more easily for
some students than others, it is a skill that can be learned through practice and feedback (Dewey,
1933, Rodgers, 2002).

When students learn new concepts or subject matter, they often experience a sense of uncertainty
and disequilibrium until they can make sense of the new information. Critical reflection is
necessary to assimilate the new information and resolve the state of disequilibrium. It takes time
to do well; sparking students’ curiosity can motivate them to engage in the reflective
process (Dewey, 1933; Rodgers, 2002). Providing appropriate question prompts, activities,
problems and tasks can help spark the necessary curiosity.
Gore and Zeichner (1991):

According to Gore and Zeichner (1991), reflective orientations have long been ‘fashionable’ to
the extent that ‘there is not a single teacher educator who would say that he or she is not
concerned about preparing teachers who are reflective’.

Gore and Zeichner (1991) describe four essential orientations that have characterized the focus
of critical reflective practice. First, an academic orientation refers to Lee Shulman’s (1987) thesis
of orienting reflection on the process of transforming academic knowledge to pedagogic content
knowledge. Second, and in a similar vein, a social efficiency orientation refers to reflections on
the implementation of research on pedagogy, or, putting theory into practice. Third, a
developmental orientation recognizes the importance of incorporating student interests and needs
in developing teaching and learning activities. Fourth, and in a shift towards a more contextual
and critical, rather than a pedagogical, focus is a social reconstructivist understanding of
reflective practices. Such a position recognizes and analyses the systemic inequalities that
determine outcomes of schooling. Characterized by inquiry, participation, dialogue, inclusivity,
an appreciation of diversity and a commitment to reflection and empowerment (Shor, 1992),
such an orientation encourages to construct understandings of teaching and learning that have
relevance and meaning for them but also recognizes the importance of context and the
capriciousness of any definitive responses.

Zeichner and Gore's (1990) warning about study results in teacher socialization research is most
appropriate in the field of technological education. Using a lateral thinking process, one might
well ask the question: Into what are technological education teachers being socialized? Perhaps
the reason teacher socialization research is not as liberating as it could be is because schooling,
as a system, is itself aslant. Experience in teacher education for technological education teachers
suggests that socialization into the subject subculture is relatively smooth.

Gibbs(1988):

Gibbs is another common model of reflection that is used within the health professions. Gibbs is
clear and precise allowing for description, analysis and evaluation of the experience helping the
reflective practitioner to make sense of experiences and examine their practice. To reflect is not
enough, you then have to put into practice the learning and new understanding you have gained
therefore allowing the reflective process to inform your practice. Taking action is the key; Gibbs
prompts the practitioner to formulate an action plan. This enables the reflective practitioner to
look at their practice and see what they would change in the future, how they would
develop/improve their practice.

Below is a guide for how to use Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle:

1. Description: In this section, briefly describe the event; this should be one of the smallest
sections of your reflection. Include important details to indicate what happened; such as
the reason for your involvement, what you did and who was there and what they did (if
appropriate). Whilst it is important that you include information that is necessary to make
sense of the event, the key point here is on keeping it brief.
2. Feelings: This section gives you the opportunity to explore any thoughts or feelings that
you were having at the time of the event in isolation from the other components. In order
to achieve this, it is important that you do not include any further description and do not
try to evaluate them. Ensure that you make a clear distinction between thoughts and
feelings. Also, do not just use descriptive words for how you were feeling; tell your
reader what this actually felt like. For example, what is it like to feel nervous – do your
hands shake? An important component in this section is that you expand to tell your
reader how the thoughts and feelings that you were having have impacted on the event.
Evaluation The evaluation section gives you the opportunity to explore what was good
about the event and what did not go so well. It is important that you try to consider both
the good and the bad, even if the incident seemed totally negative or positive. This
includes what others did or didn’t do well.
3. Analysis: This section is where you make sense of the event and should be the largest
section of your reflection. It is useful at this point to take all the issues that you have
highlighted previously in the reflection and consider them separately. It is important in
this section that you consult relevant academic literature to help you make sense of the
incident. For example, if the reflection relates to being nervous about asking a placement
supervisor to explain details of a complicated procedure and this has had a negative
impact on your understanding of the procedure; in this section you could consult the
literature on how to communicate effectively. Conclusion At this stage, if you have
 completed all the sections effectively (this includes being honest about your contribution
and feelings) you bring them all together so that you can sensibly conclude from
examining the incident and consulting the relevant literature, how what you did led up to
the incident (and what others did if appropriate). From this, you should be able to make a
logical conclusion about how you can overcome or develop in this area.
4. Action plan: In this section, taking into account the previous elements of the cycle, you
suggest a plan for if this event (or similar) were to happen again. What would you do
differently or keep the same? This is the final section of the cycle and the end of this
particular reflection. Therefore, even if a similar incident happened in the future, it is
important that you revisit the cycle rather than assuming that it is already dealt with and
that you already have the answer.

CONCLUSION:
There are many different models of reflection. Although the structure and format of these models
may vary, they share many common features.

Reflection usually begins with a description of what has happened. It is important at this stage to
identify exactly what the key elements are; what makes this an incident worthy of
reflection? This starting point relates to a low or superficial level of reflection .

Very often a negative or uncomfortable situation (a ‘critical incident’) prompts reflection. 'We
learn from our mistakes' is certainly true! However, positive experiences can also provoke
reflection. It can be very powerful to reflect on what worked, in order to reproduce that again.

The next stages of reflection require you to relate what you already know to the situation – how
is theory relevant? Awareness of your own feelings, assumptions and lack of knowledge should
also be recognized and challenged; what did you bring to the situation that had an impact? What
didn’t you bring (knowledge, openness) that may have made the situation different? Making
sense of all of these factors allows you to recognize what has been learnt and what changes you
should make for future situations.

The final stage of reflection is one of change; for example, of how you see yourself, how you see
others, your beliefs, your values, your views and/or opinions. It is the deepest level of reflection.