Practice Context/Reflective practice in teaching/Reflective Practice and Learning

Timing is an important part of reflective practice.

Donald Schön (credited with highlighting the importance of use of reflection in professional practice in the early '80's) introduced two types of reflection that can be defined by their timing.

Reflection on action

This involves looking back on something that has occurred and considering the actions, thoughts and outcomes and what you would do differently if a similar situation occurred again.

Reflection in action

This involves thinking about a situation whilst it is occurring and changing your actions as a result of this reflection during the event.

Self evaluation
The overall aim of self evaluation for teachers is to monitor and adapt what they do to improve learning for their students.

Through this aim self evaluation and reflective practice are interlinked and self evaluation often involves reflecting on action but may also include reflection in action. The ability to do this second type of reflection increases as professionals become more experienced.

“Donald Schön (1983) suggested that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning was one of the defining characteristics of professional practice.” (Atherton, 2005, reflective practice, para 2).

Find out more
The following links provide some good starter readings into reflective practice.

[http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/personal-development-planning/what/  What is reflective practice? For both learners and teachers]

What is reflective practice?

What is critically reflective teaching?

Reference: Atherton, J. S. (2005). Learning and Teaching: Reflection and Reflective Practice. Retrieved from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/reflecti.htm