Posted on No Comments on Illuminating Growth: The Transformative Power of Reflection

Illuminating Growth: The Transformative Power of Reflection

Introduction: Our lives are busy and filled with “must do” and “oh no, I forgot to do” moments. An old saying comes to mind, “The hurried-er I go, the behind-er I get.” How can you slow down, disconnect, and re-center yourself?  By reflecting, when you examine your thoughts, actions, experiences, and outcomes. Reflecting is a conscious choice you make to help you understand the events of your daily life.

Benefits of Reflection:

Enhanced Self-Awareness: Reflect on your teaching style and interactions with your students. What are your areas of strength, and where do you show a need for more growth?  What can you do to address those areas you identify as needing improvement? How can you share your strengths with others so they can grow?

Continuous Improvement: By reflecting on past experiences, you can identify what worked well and what could be refined, leading to constant growth in your teaching methods. By adapting your lessons based on the insights you gained through reflection, you increase your effectiveness as an instructor and create a more engaging and inclusive learning environment.

Informed Decision-Making: Reflection informs your decisions by helping you make choices rooted in a deeper understanding of your values, goals, and the needs of your students. As you review your students’ weekly assignment submissions, reflect on what is and is not being understood by your students.  Is the misconception widespread or limited to a small group of students? Would a course announcement be sufficient to address these observed areas, or would a Zoom meeting be a better option?

Deepened Connection: As a direct result of your enhanced self-awareness, where you reflect on ways to grow in your teaching and the decisions you make, you can build stronger connections with your students and meet your students where the need is greatest.

Strategies for Effective Reflection:

End-of-Day Reflection: Dedicate a few minutes daily to reflect on your interactions, successes, and challenges.

Journaling: Maintain a reflective journal where you jot down thoughts, observations, and insights from your teaching experiences. What went exceptionally well in your teaching today?  How can you build on that experience?  What was a challenge you faced today?  How did you respond to it, and how would you respond if something similar occurs in the future?

Peer Collaboration: Engage with colleagues to share experiences, exchange perspectives, and gain new insights. Are other professors teaching a different section of your course?  What other professors teach in your program?  Collaborate with others to help build a supportive learning community and increase personal and professional growth.

Student Feedback: Regularly seek feedback from students about your teaching methods, and reflect on ways to implement their suggestions. Belhaven has the end-of-course student feedback report, TEBS, where students anonymously provide instructor and course feedback, but you can solicit their feedback throughout your course.  Ask open-ended questions in your responses to student discussions, ask for feedback during your Zoom meetings, and post announcements asking for student input.

Scheduled Reflection Time: Allocate dedicated time in your schedule for deep reflection, allowing you to engage in the process without distractions. Some find using reflective protocols helpful in guiding the reflective process.  One protocol is to answer three questions (What? So What? Now What?).  Another protocol revolves around the Four Rs (Recall, Relate, Reflect, Revise).  Using a protocol allows you to structure your reflection time to more effectively analyze your practice and make an action plan for growth.

Conclusion: Reflection provides you with an opportunity for personal growth.  By analyzing your areas of effectiveness and need, you can identify ways to adjust your instructional practices to better address the requirements of your course and the ever-changing needs of your students.

References:

Cochran, C. (May 19, 2023). Transformative Practices: Harnessing the Power of Reflections for Teacher Growth and Student Outcomes. SchoolEd. https://www.schooledhousemedia.com/transformative-practices-harnessing-the-power-of-reflection-for-teacher-growth-and-student-outcomes/

Gavett, G. (2023). The Power of Reflection at Work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/05/the-power-of-reflection-at-work

Posted on No Comments on Building a Vibrant Online Community by Dr. Cindy Wilkins

Building a Vibrant Online Community by Dr. Cindy Wilkins

I hope you’re all doing great! Today, I’m excited to chat about how to make our online community a truly Christ-centered and supportive space for our students. Here are some ways we can nurture our connections and grow together!

Let’s Embrace Love and Respect

One thing that’s super important in our faith is love. So, as we interact with our students, let’s ensure we show genuine care and respect. When they feel valued and heard, they’ll feel more comfortable opening up, leading to meaningful connections. When I have something critical to say to a student, I’ve started entering my response into ChatGPT and asking it to revise so the message is “firm but compassionate”.  The ChatGPT response is usually much longer than my submitted response, but the wording is excellent!  I tweak some of the phrases to make the message more personal (for example:  “our institution” becomes “Belhaven”) and make other changes as appropriate, but I use most of what ChatGPT presents as my message.  One big bonus to taking this extra step:  I find the ChatGPT response filters out any emotion I might have put into my response (I know none of you ever get exasperated with your students and struggle with how NOT to let that show in your response) but relays the same message in a kinder, gentler way.

Support Each Other Through Prayer

Life can be tricky sometimes, and that’s why it’s essential to create a space for prayer in our virtual classroom. We can let our students share their prayer requests; as a community, we can pray for each other. It’s a beautiful way to show support and care for one another. In the “Course Resources” section of your course, there are “Prayer Request” and “Questions for the Professor” discussion options.  Student submissions to these areas are not automatically triggered by your “To Do” notifications, so you must check them regularly to avoid overlooking a student needing help.  But, if you habitually check regularly and respond to student concerns, word spreads rapidly among students in your class, and they start posting more frequently.  As a bonus, you develop a cohort of loving, caring individuals who pray for each other and support each other through the rough patches.

Be All About Servant Leadership

Do you know what makes a real difference? Being a servant leader! Leading by example and showing our students how serving others is at the heart of our faith is an effective way to spread the message of love. When they see us putting others first, they’ll be inspired to do the same, creating a caring and supportive atmosphere.  Offering grace whenever possible is also a visible testimony to servant leadership.  While we must maintain the academic integrity of our courses, programs, and university, we must also support our students when they need exceptions.  I know that many times I’ve had to swallow my feelings of “but this is a graduate program, and we shouldn’t need to . . .” when dealing with student issues or demands, sometimes exceptions are warranted. If you have a sticky issue with a student and don’t know what options you may have, please get in touch with me so we can discuss different ways to address the situation.  Sometimes bending the rules is the right approach, but please work with me before you try to bend them too far!

Celebrate Together and Give Thanks

Whenever something extraordinary happens, let’s remember to give thanks and celebrate! We can acknowledge that our achievements result from God’s blessings. By sharing our joy and gratitude, we’ll strengthen the sense of community among us We can use this blog to celebrate together and give thanks.  You can use the announcement section of your course to celebrate and give thanks for your students’ achievements and successes.

Disclaimer:  I used ChatGPT to help identify potential topics for my blogs, including this one, but the thoughts and ideas expressed are mine.  Upcoming potential topics, as identified by ChatGPT, include the following:  enhancing online learning, improving course design, supporting diverse learnings, fostering academic integrity, leveraging student feedback, and sharing success stories.

If there are specific topics you would like me to address, please let me know in the comments section below. I look forward to seeing our online community flourish with our Christ-centered approaches. Together, we can create an environment where students learn, grow spiritually, and feel supported by their professors.

In Christ,

Cindy