Reflection On Reflective Practice

Reflection entails reviewing experience from practice so that it may be described, analysed, evaluated and consequently used to

What is reflection? Reflection is defined by Wilkinson (1996) as an active process whereby the professional gains an understanding of how historical, social, cultural, cognitive and personal experiences have contributed to professional knowledge and practice.

I find reflective practice useful both personally and professionally. When I step back, observe and reflect helps me become more self-aware and understand my own and others’ emotions. I would be able to see things from different angles. When working with families, it will help to learn how to empathize and develop a better understanding of other people. I learn to better communicate through a better understanding of behavior which will help me build better relationships with families. To support children's continuous learning, I begin to ponder and question about children’s engagement in learning and what/how we can do to improve our teaching methods to meet the needs of all the children. In the see/think/wonder thinking has changed the way

making Practice-Based Learning work Reflection on PRACTICE A resource commissioned by the Making Practice Based Learning Work project, an educational development project funded through FDTL Phase 4 Project Number 174/02 and produced by staff from the University of Ulster. www.practicebasedlearning.org Author Patricia McClure School of Health Sciences, University of Ulster www.practicebasedlearning.org contents Reflection on Practice 02

The capacity to reflect relates directly to how effectively individuals can learn from their personal experiences (Boud et al., 1985) and therefore reflection provides a meaningful way for leaders to gain genuine understanding.

Reflective practice is when you think about the work you have done and how well it went,

Reflection is a serious thought or consideration that contributes to the lifelong process of personal development. Similarly, the two concepts of reflection and personal development are intertwined in a way that one contributes to the others success. In the Untitled Image by Sarolta Ban, a man is holding the hand of his younger self in a forest of paint brush trees. While walking through the forest, he reflects on his life where personal development has led him the accomplishments he has obtained today. Reflection is a key aspect in his personal development as it allows him to build confidence in everything he does and enhances his performance.

“Death starts from the feet.” She was an 86 year old Guinean woman who was accompanied by her son to the family medicine clinic. Her son explained to us that his mother was very anxious and feared that she would be dying soon because of the pains that she was having in her lower extremities. In their culture, there is a saying that “death starts from the feet,” and because she was experiencing these pains she was convinced that her time was near. After obtaining a more detailed history and completing her physical examination, I discovered that the patient had bilateral crepitus in her knees as well as joint swellings, indicating an osteoarthritic presentation. What my patient feared to be symptoms of death were instead osteoarthritic pain! This patient encounter was an eye opening experience on just how impactful our backgrounds can be in medicine. By improving our cultural competences we improve the quality of healthcare. As a family physician I hope to make a difference in the lives and communities of patients from various backgrounds.

There are a number of approaches to reflective practice. This is to ensure that learning practices are fully evaluated and not just based on thinking alone. These practices include:

Reflection is thought by linking recent experience with early experience to promote more complex and interrelated mental models or patterns. The thinking involves looking for commonalities, differences, and interrelations beyond their superficial elements. The goal is to develop higher order thinking skills.

Reflective practice is a set of skills that the early childhood educator should have. Reflective practice is an ongoing process and as an educator, you commit to an ongoing learning about your teaching, by teaching and then thinking about what the educator should have done, what others did, and what happened during the process (O’Connor & Diggins, 2002). However, being reflective educators does not mean that they have to ignore others perspective but it is vital to engage and discuss it with others (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2012). Educators can also reflect on a question or questions in order to challenge their critical thinking (Children’s Service Central, n.d.). It is important to consider different perspectives and consider

What is reflective Practice? Reflective practice is when you reflect on what you have done to see how it has worked or improved your teaching practice. The reflection practice is very important to the instructional practice and helps the student teachers to develop responsive practice. Reflective practice is part of the teaching professions standards for teacher education programs.

As pointed out before, RP is a trending topic nowadays but also confusing. The ambiguity and the overlapping use of terms complicate the understanding (hebert, tsingos 2014). Boud 1985 p.8 points out that it is not a single facet term but a generic/umbrella one that involves a range of ideas and activities.

approach maybe useful for teaching what the focus of reflection entails. The student may choose whether or not

Reflective practice, in this context, is not about just looking at myself in a mirror and accepting what I see blindly, without any question or evaluation. Rather, it is about looking at what I have learned and how I can utilise that learning in my teaching practice.