Reflective_Practice

Being a Reflective Practitioner: identifying my own development needs as professional teacher Reflection is an essential part of the learning process and is necessary for effective learning. Reflection is a form of self-awareness. Learners that can reflect are better able to understand themselves and the learning process. Reflection can exercise control over our own learning and achievements. Reflection leads to learning from experience and outlines strengths and weaknesses; by completing action plans to work on weaknesses will lead to continued learning and improvement. Rogers (1996, p.109) observes “Reflection on experience to action forms a large part of the learning process”. The process of reflection enables a practitioner to assess, understand and gain knowledge through experience leading to potential improvement and change. This is a positive process that lets us review, analyse and evaluate in order to develop as a learner and a teacher. The ability to reflect upon practice helps to assess needs and plan to meet those needs, therefore developing teaching and learning skills. To assist the learning process reflection can be a powerful tool to help identify strengths and weaknesses as an individual. To develop new skills as a learner I must reflect upon experience to access my own performances and plan for my future needs. Reece and Walker (2000, p.7) states “What is not so natural but very important is that reflection takes place to ensure learning from experience takes place”. To reflect upon my own experiences and to develop my own needs I have evaluated as a learner and as a teacher. Firstly I identified my own preferred learning style as everyone learns in different ways. There are many ways to establish your preferred way of learning and as supported by Reece and Walker (2000, p.9) “All students are individuals and no two students learn the same way”. It is important to indicate my learning style in order for me to achieve my highest potential not only as a learner but also as a teacher. To identify my learning style will outline my strengths and weaknesses. Rogers (1996, p.116) notes that “Learning takes place in a number of different domains and different strategies are called into play to cope with different types of learning”. Identification of my strengths and weaknesses is crucial in order for me to reflect upon the outcome and therefore improve my learning and teaching skills To indicate my learning style I completed the Honey and Mumford questionnaire. This method identifies learning styles into the categories of Activist, Reflectors, Theorist and Pragmatists, see Appendix 1. This is a personal process where results can link to one category or more showing areas of strength and therefore concludes development areas. As I explored my own results I discovered I have strong links to Activist and Pragmatist theories. This concludes I am a creative individual with good ability to develop and structure new ideas and experiences. The result also highlighted areas of weakness which I need to develop. As I reflect through the key areas of development as a learner I identified the areas I need to acknowledge for me to improve and evaluate my performance as a learner. My main areas for development are study skills and research skills, of which I have completed an action plan and feel confident that I can develop these skills within a short period of time. I am also willing to adapt my approaches to learning in order for me to fulfil myself as a learner and as a teacher using SMART target setting. By reviewing my progress and adhering to my targets I am continually progressing through the learning cycle, which is a necessity to me to improve by assessing myself through experience, reflection, learning styles and development of Key Skills. As I am relatively new to teaching it is also important to reflect as a teacher in order for me to be effective and competent within my job role. It is necessary for me to reflect on my experiences so far and continually highlight areas for development. Firstly I must identify the skills and strengths I have naturally acquired and then to action plan my development needs, see Appendix 2 and 3. My job role requires the full understanding of the assessment processes, to develop schemes of work and lesson plans which inspire and motivate my learners, as oultined by Fento “Interpret curriculum requirements in terms of syllabuses, objectives and schemes of work for learning programmes” (standards, b1). I feel my current qualifications and experiences are a sound basis on which to develop. I also feel it is essential to enhance my current knowledge and monitor my progress to ensure I achieve my long term goals in the shortest possible time. I have completed a development plan which takes into account the need for continued professional development, as listed by Fento “Maintain effective links with appropriate agencies to enhance curriculum delivery” (standards, b3). After completing my action plans I found the actions I took very helpful and worthwhile. I have now achieved a successful approach to completing lesson plans and schemes of work and after receiving peer feedback I feel confident in producing schemes in the future. I now have a greater understanding of scheme aims and clear and appropriate association with the criteria and assessment requirements with a programme. Currently my teaching week consists of a variety of ages and abilities. All of my learners have individual needs of which I need to assess and evaluate to provide appropriate support within the lesson time. To meets these needs it is essential that I understand and use the support systems in place. This is stated by Fento “Provide learners with access to additional specialist guidance and support, as required” (standards, e3). To fulfil these requests I have devised an action plan to ensure I act upon and fully understand the support systems in place. My action plans and development plan have allowed me to be more aware of the support system available to me, of which is necessary for me to improve. I am now more aware of my support needs and have a clearer understanding of the facilities and resources available to me. By observing colleagues and asking questions I am able to confidently follow the College procedures. As I continue to outline and reflect on my teaching in relation to the Fento standards I can identify other development needs within my job role. I need to make full use of the resources available as this would not only benefit my teaching. Making full use of resources would also improve the enjoyment and motivation of the learners by making my lesson more interactive and interesting, as suggested by Fento “The use of a range of differentiated learning materials” (standards, c). This outcome will provide me with opportunities to involve all class members and maintain the attention of the learners. I have set this as an action plan and interactive Smart Boards are available in my classrooms. My final area for development is to give appropriate feedback to all learners. This is an important part of teaching and an area which I could improve. This is reinforced by Fento “Ensure all learners are provided with clear and constructive feedback on assessment outcomes within an appropriate timescale” (standards, f). I feel this is an essential quality and if carried out effectively can greatly improve a learners understanding and progression. I have completed an action plan to observe colleagues within both the salon and classroom environments to give me an opportunity to build on my current experience in this area. I will also request feedback from my mentor and through staff development. Having completed this assignment I have shown the ability to study, research, reflect and evaluate as a learner and this has proven to be a vital key area of my development. The final area I have indicated as a weakness is Key Skills. This weakness was identified during my Cert Ed interview for which I undertook an initial assessment in both Literacy and Numeracy. By carrying out a further diagnostic test in both areas I was able to reflect on the areas highlighted for further study to enable effect action planning. After addressing each area of development as a learner and committing to my action plans I feel confident these actions will assist in the learning process. To help me achieve these areas the essential points are to get productive feedback from my tutors, peers and to observe fellow colleagues. The observation of colleagues will provide me with real life class situations, of which I can learn from and compare my own learning practices. This will enable me to recognise and accommodate my weaknesses in order for me to be successful in the learning process. After completing this assignment, not only have I outlined my strengths and weaknesses but have progressed as a learner and as a teacher. By using my development plans and working on action plans I feel I am focused and committed to my progression. When structuring my action plans I made them as realistic and productive as possible. I will amend my plans should I feel it necessary to do so and feel I will comfortably achieve all my actions. Through observation and reflection I have been made aware of my current abilities and have identified and focused on the Fento standards to guide me in my reflection and planning. I intend to continue to reflect and evaluate in the future to maintain a high standard within my job role. I have successfully identified my strengths and weaknesses throughout this assignment and included appropriate action plans. I feel the skills and knowledge I have gained will keep me motivated and assist me in reaching my long term career goals.