The Framework itself refers to Evidence Based Reflection as a cyclical process. I agree with this, as ultimately in order for reflection to actually work, it is a process you need to established in a sustainable manner - and a cyclical mindset around it is important to develop. I feel that as I move forward, I am experienced now (and hence more confident) to reflect on each day or event, and identify what worked well, or what can be improved. I somewhat seem to find myself doing that regularly already (it was something we were urged to do during the DkIT MALT course) but now, via this ePortfolio/blog, I have a platform to document and record it. Also, a previous ePortfolio I put together for a separate accreditation was focused on 'Background/Evidence/Reflection', and hence I practiced focused reflections there also which helped me further develop that skill. What has impacted me when I started to reflect on my previous PD, is the diverse and broad range of it - and how fortunate I have been to work on so many initiatives, each of which has helped me develop new skills or ways of thinking. In order to illustrate how the NF Framework's model of evidence based reflection works, I am going to focus on a specific experience to show the cycle in action.
As illustrated in the figure above (from the PD framework), four types of learning are associated with PD learning activities.
Reflecting, I feel the PACT PD course activities that I have engaged with are helping me develop across a combination of the Framework’s ‘types of learning’. For example, I am learning from everyone each week, but particularly from the ‘mentoring’ and support from facilitators and my fellow triad members. Course participants have such a diverse skillset, primary discipline and range of expertise, yet the course feels more and more like a team taking a shared approach to learning, with everyone encouraging and supporting each other in a constructive way. The forum debates, and break-out rooms, have provided me with some ‘new learning’ while our triad activities and discussions have brought up new ways of approaching things, which has been a benefit for me to learn from. I feel many of the activities have allowed me to engage with ‘consolidated learning’ too; working through the domain self-assessment exercise and sitting to compose a reflection post on a trial blog reengaged the ‘reflective practice’ concept. Also, generating the ePortfolio, and discussions around this, has brought a range of previous learnings back to the fore. To conclude, I think the final ‘leading’ aspect is evident in all of us, in our PACT commitment. I feel each of us are learning by ‘leading’ too, with everyone developing innovative ways to reflect and capture our unique PD journeys, experimenting with various platforms and sharing experiences, all while doing plenty soul-searching reflections along the way!
PD can take place in so many diverse forms, with contribution from an array of sources - including within! Many reported previously that capturing the elements of their PD was difficult. In recent years, the broadening of ePortfolio possibilities has provided numerous avenues to assist, to collate and display evidence and reflections.
Going back to the framework, consideration has been given to all forms of PD activities and how they can be 'classified' or categorised. Engaging with Table 1 of the framework document allows you to consider activities that are non-accredited (including collaborative, unstructured and structured) and those that are accredited, such as a masters etc. Very helpful to get you started with how you could categorise your PD in recent times - as well as realise the extent of PD we are often engaged with.
From engaging with this article, it clearly highlights numerous ways to actively reflect better, in addition to justifying every aspect. So how will reading this article help you reflect better?
5. For those trying to ensure they get the most from engaging with reflective practice, the article presents the 5 R's (although they present 6!); Reacting, Recording, Reviewing, Revising, Reworking, Reassessing. These are presented as a checklist to ensure you get the most from your reflections. Here, an overview of self-assessing questions are provided to assist. They also provide an overview of particular activities such as a learning journal etc., and in each case a 'what are they' and 'what happens' approach is taken to help the practitioner. 6. Finally, the authors provide a printable 1-page list of relevant articles for further reading around getting started with reflective practice. I think this article supports practitioners of the importance of reflective practice for practitioners at all levels. You can see the benefits from watching the lecturer videos included. The article is structured to help people starting in this area as well as those wishing to ensure they maintain and get the best from engaging,. It also shows how to win over any doubters by addressing common misconceptions. All in all, a wonderful resource to appreciate being engaged with reflective practice. Original Article available at the link below:
Getting Started With Reflective Practice. Cambridge Assessment International Education; Teaching and Learning Team. https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswrp/index.html Accessed 22nd Nov 2020. Identify a professional event that had an immediate significant effect on you. Select one that either encouraged or forced you to react immediately and/or to subsequently reflect on your practice. A few years ago, I attended a visiting speaker present in DkIT around assessment, a leader in the field who was in Ireland at the time (Prof. Chris Rust). He gave a lunchtime seminar to staff associated with the MA in Teaching and Learning. I have been to many seminars, events etc. over the years, but this one inspired me to reflect....and most importantly....act on my reflection. Describe how you felt when this event occurred. What immediate thoughts occurred to you? Immediately, I drew on the inspiration and motivation one can draw from attending a visiting speaker seminar. When I was working in science research, at NUIG, we had visiting national and international speakers almost on a weekly basis. This allowed networking, sharing of ideas and most importantly collaborations to form. It was almost part of the weekly schedule. So I did think back to that a bit, and perhaps how I missed this element (although now, with the way things are, and events such as the NF seminar series, we do have opportunities to virtually attend 'guest speaker' sessions). Referring to the event outlined in Q1, the value of self-assessment, and including this approach in assessment strategies, was discussed. My immediate thoughts were around the potential benefit for my students (of this approach being integrated), and how I could work on including an element of this in my assessment of practicals (a project I was working on at the time, introducing more formative approaches etc.). What action, if any, did you take when this event occurred? I designed a self-assessment sheet, and included it in the laboratory practical manual. Here, students had to self assess against a rubric and then identify certain features they were happy/not happy with regarding their submission. This form would be submitted with their lab reports. Examining this further, students fed back that it made them reflect and think about their work more - with some saying it made them feel guilty as they knew they could do better. Hearing these aspects, and knowing that students were reflecting and considering their work, and its quality, before submitting was great to hear. After the event was over, how did you reflect on the event and any actions you took? Would you do things differently now? What would you do? Overall, this event led to a benefit for my students, so that was the main aspect, i.e. that it had a positive impact. They were considering their own work before submitting, even identifying areas they would work to improve on. I still reflect on this event a lot, and consider it a trigger point for me with this element of assessment. With the introduction of the self-assessment forms, and other assessment aspects, I surveyed the class group and engaged with focus group discussions for feedback on it. This led to further iterations, but it is an element still used in the manual currently. I was proud I took an active approach to something from the seminar I attended, and am grateful to Prof. Rust for how he broke it down in to a simple approach to consider, with the self-assessment aspect really resonating with me. If I was starting again with this process from scratch, i would include a student partner group in developing the rubric and forms...this is something I am considering doing in the near future with the next iteration. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards” Søren Kierkegaard Reflective practice is something I engage with regularly, in fact I realise I have actually been living the process for many years - unknowingly! I spent nearly ten years as a research scientist where you design experiments, carry them out before analysing - and reflecting - on the data/outcome. This reflection leads to the basis for designing the next steps to take. When I commenced my MA in T&L, I became much more in tune with reflective practice. We were asked to spend our commutes reflecting on how the day had gone, keep a reflective journal and discuss our progress with critical friends. These initiatives all facilitated the process of reflection....and from this, you determine a baseline from where you can improve. Reflect backwards to move forward! One interesting point in a zoom break out room made by a fellow PACT participant was that in the current global situation, without commutes, and falling from one online meeting in to another, there is less time to reflect in the way we used to. Perhaps it needs to become a small time slot we input in our schedules and actively engage with! Professional development has become a key element for one's career, and personal progress. In recent years, PD has been named as one of the National Forum's strategic priority areas. Like many, I have encountered PD quite often, albeit in many environments. I learn quite a lot from my colleagues in informal discussions, yet that is often not 'captured', while if I complete a formal accredited course, that is more visual. I was delighted to see the NF PD framework begin to provide a platform to document and capture all forms of PD ranging across the four typologies, and five domains. I enrolled for this course for several reasons. PD is a constant goal (it's almost personal as well as professional development!). This course provides a unique opportunity for me to build my network, meet new colleagues and explore new ways of thinking - and of course be part of a peer triad group. It will also allow me to be a participant in a fully online course, while providing me with an impetus to consolidate my PD work, and develop a structure to move forward with. Very excited to get going! |
Ronan BreeEducation Developer,Science Lecturer, Archives
March 2023
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Any opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer.
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