Reflection On Being A Reflective Teacher

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‘No one can consider themselves a professional unless they are prepared to engage in reflective activities’. Gardner 2006

Critical reflection is essential in developing effective practice. Our own values and attitudes do come into play as individuals and as teachers. The trick is to first acknowledge that we have personal biases, identify where these are and work with them. O’Connor & Diggins highlight that having reflective practice as a frame of mind assists educators in catching their own assumptions and exploring them rather than taking their biases for granted (Arthur et al. 2008, p. 138).

Becoming a reflective teacher is going on a journey and becoming
Berk (2013, p. 566) insists in the context of moulding childrens’ development, nothing equals the family in power and total breadth of influence. According to Piaget children’s thinking shows their unique way of understanding and interpreting the world (Arthur et al. 2008, p.92). Families do have a vision of their values and attitudes towards early childhood education, whether that is a firm belief, an assumption,or
Children who would be marginalised by my teaching values and attitudes would be children who cannot engage in play easily, require an adult’s assistance in choice of activities, selecting an area of play, a child needing an adult’s constant approval or children who follow solely adults around, engaging them in conversation but not engaging with their peers. According to Flanagan (2007, n.p.) critical incident reflection needs space so to highlight and catch assumptions.

Critical engagement is a systematic way of thinking about overlapping and related ideas, whilst thinking more about them and their impact on the immediate world around (Nolan&Raban, p.63).

The what for myself would be to catch myself as a teacher at the critical incident stage (Flanagan, 2007 n.p.) to remind myself that each child is different, learns differently, and needs to be treated both as an individual and as part of the group. According to Flanagan (2007, n.p.) having a critical framework is a guided progress, increasing potential for positive outcomes for the child, the family, the teacher and the wider community.

Developing a personal culture of reflection and re-examining our values and biases takes strength, desire and constant adjustment. Engaging in reflective

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