KINE4P31: Reflect the Unreflected

Being able to reflect upon ourselves can aid in our own personal development, provide meaning to our practice and create a better learning environment for our students. Tsangaridou and O’Sullivan (1997) define reflection as “the act of thinking about, analyzing, assessing, or altering educational meanings, intentions, beliefs, decisions, actions, or products by focusing on the process of achieving them (pg.4).” Throughout this semester, we have had the opportunity to explore the different avenues of reflective practice and what it means to become reflective practitioners. We both agree that individuals do not learn from doing, but they learn from reflecting on what they are doing. This idea of reflection reaps many benefits and rewards in regards to personal but also professional development. Supported within literature, Hamilton and Pinnegar (1998) explain that teachers who are reflective systematically, collect evidence from their practice, allowing them to rethink and potentially open themselves to new interpretations. This is an ongoing process that should eventually help the teacher change, adapt and modify his/her teaching practice (Attard & Armour, 2005). The following blog post will outline our thought-provoking experiences on reflection, our connections to the outside world, how to be an effective practitioner, what we have learned from this experience and any final thoughts we may have.

We hope you enjoy!

Thought Provoking Experiences

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We begin our dialogue by reflecting back to our very first lecture within KINE 4P31. The course began with an ‘Every and Only’ activity. I (Vanessa) believed the activity was irrelevant as the majority of the students in the class had already known one another for the past four years. I formed a group with three other peers around me who I have personal relationships with outside of the classroom, which lead us to get off topic rather quickly. At the time, I subconsciously reflected in-action and assumed that this activity was set to fill time and develop a learning community that had already been established. Reflecting back on-action, I can now recognize its significance to the course and my field of practice. Although a major group of the class had this community feel, it would have been daunting to those not being a part of the group to enter and feel welcomed. This is essential to my future practice as an educator, as I will receive a new diverse body of students each year who have different experiences. Specifically to physical education, activities such as cooperative games can help to establish and create this learning environment and develop a sense of belonging and success. 

As I (Emily) reflect back on the various lectures from this semester, it is no surprise that there are some significant moments that have impacted myself and my future practices. However,  there were a few significant lectures for myself that I found extremely beneficial.  I am a very practical person that love hands on work. Therefore, I found that the opportunity for us to go into the gym and observe the reflective process of a professor (Tim), was very useful for myself. I never realized how much reflection happens in-action throughout teaching. From the little details of standing in a certain position to make sure the students could view the board, to changing a thought process based on student feedback, all were concepts that I never previously recognized. I was able to see a different side of teaching that allowed me to critically analyze and think about different aspects of being a reflective and effective educator. Specifically, I can take the skills of reflection-in-action to better my educational practice.

Through our dialogue, it was evident to see that the dynamics of the classroom had a significant impact upon our learning experience. It was through autonomy and feedback that we felt as sense of ownership towards our learning. We appreciated how the material was brought forth, as reflection was not only focused within the educational setting but was also related to a variety of career paths.  Being a part of the Faculty of Kinesiology there is a wide range of career opportunities that are attainable to us. It was intriguing to see that reflection can be made useful within these other health promotional settings as well. Another aspect of learning we valued was the use of communication within lecture between a wide range of individuals. Having the opportunity to converse with not only our professor and peers but also other professionals outside of our learning community. Through the various perspectives of multiple professionals, we were able to see that the concepts and theories taught in lecture, were feasibly implemented and achievable.

Connections to another course

After reflecting back on this past year, both of us have had an amazing opportunity of being a part of our own learning community. We have had the privilege of facilitating group discussions among first-year students (KINE1P93). Although this experience has allowed us to gain knowledge as prospective teachers, is has also allowed us to become reflective practitioners within our own learning community. After reflecting back on our experiences, we both can agree how important it was to create a positive learning environment with our students and realized that the discussions that were focused on student collaboration and student directed teaching, were the most productive and influential. Focusing on the dynamic of our experience, both of us benefit from reflecting on our own thought-provoking experiences. However, this opportunity forced us to write weekly reflections through journals to communicate our thoughts and feelings throughout the year. With writing not being our number one choice of reflection, we found that it pushed us out of our comfort zones and ended up being beneficial for us to look back on to improve our overall practice for the following semester. Each week we taught students new concepts and theories that they were expected to understand, but what we found crucial were the learning communities we created that provoked dialogue and self-expression that the students were able to partake in. This helped them grow not only as a student but also as an individual.

Our knowledge of practice has grown by creating and implementing a vision for our future practice. According to Kosnik and Beck (2011), a vision is “…comprehensive set of principles and images of practice that guide a teacher” (p. 108).

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Let’s first start off by explaining why it is important to have a vision!

1. It keeps you aware of the wide range of goals and processes of your practice
2. It helps you connect various elements of your practice (ex. your instruction assessment practices, behaviour management strategies)
3. It helps you explain to your students the purpose of your activities
4. It helps you explain to others (parents, and colleagues, etc) the purpose of your activities and practices

(Tim Fletcher, 2016)

Now here is OUR vision as future educators...

As we look back at our vision assignments that we created at the beginning of the semester, we both can agree that our perspective of what a vision is, was very limited. Emily believed that a vision for teaching consisted of creating an inclusive environment and teaching students the value of physical education. Whereas Vanessa believed that her vision was to develop her students knowledge through a diverse physical education class. However, after reflecting back from the beginning of the semester to now, our perspective of what a vision is, has drastically changed.

Our NEW Vision...

Throughout the semester, our idea of a vision has altered our perspective on what we have envisioned for our future practice. The most important aspect that we have learned is the concept of a never-changing vision that grows and develops as we do. Having the opportunity to dialogue with various professionals about their reflective practice and visions, have allowed us to acquire the knowledge of a dynamic vision. This stood out to us because we failed to realize the amount of professional development that occurs decades into teaching. For example, when Andy Vasily discussed how his visions change from year to year, even after decades of experience. Who would have thought a vision could change so much...not us!

Through our own experience with facilitating group discussion (as mentioned previously) we would now incorporate the importance of creating a learning community with the educational environment. As much as it is important to create a connection between the teacher and students, it is of even more important for an educator to purposely develop situations for their students to build a strong learning community. 

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How did we learn our vision?

• Dialoguing with other professionals (athletic therapist, coach and teachers)
• Reflecting on our own professional practices (1P93 focus groups, placements)
• Networking with outside sources (researching, social networking)
• Connecting with our peers (projects, discussions, group work)
• Discussion in and outside of the classroom (professors, teachers, parents, peers)

So, what is your vision for your professional practice?  

Don't know yet...Here are some resources that have helped us form our vision :)

@andyvasily

LAMPE Blog

     It's More Than a Job
     The Physical Educator

Self-Learning

Throughout this semester, we have both grown to learn that we reflect a lot more than we actually thought we did. When we used to think of the word ‘reflection’, we always pictured writing in a journal. However, after seeing how many ways there are to reflect (ex. writing, reading, talking, recording, watching etc.) has allowed us to change our perspective on reflection and become more aware of the ways in which we reflect. In fact, Emily learned that she actually reflects a lot with her friends...can you imagine that!? And Vanessa learned that she reflects a lot through her own personal time.

We also have learned that as a professional, there is always room for improvement, growth and development. We are not going to be the perfect teacher's right out of university. Growth and development within the field of teaching comes with time. Professionals that have been doing it for 20 years are still changing from year to year and developing their teaching practices. It is okay not to be perfect, as long as we reflect upon our practice and modify it to fit the needs of our students.

I (Vanessa) have learned that I have a lot more biases than I originally thought. I have to realize that not everyone has the same experiences as myself and I must take that into consideration when I go into teaching.

I (Emily) have learned that I love to interact with others and have a group discussion to foster my learning. I realized that I love being surrounded by individuals who share common passions and interests. I also see the importance of being immersed within a strong learning community and hope to implement that into my future practice to aid in my students development.

How did we learn this?

Through reflection! … how ironic, huh?!

Whether it was group discussion, self-reflection, and/or the assignments given in this class, it has allowed us to reflect on our past and determine how it will affect our present and future. It has always been said to us that most educators teach how they were taught. It is essential to incorporate what we have learned within our last 4 years and use it to aid in the development of our future practice.

         Overall, this semester has been a journey for the both of us as we have dug deeper in trying to understand how to incorporate reflective practice into our future careers. It is evident to see how our visions have altered within these last few months and we can't imagine how much they will change over the next few decades. But, it is clear that our use of reflective practice will help guide our way. 

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