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
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