Reflective Practice

Introduction

Reflecting critically on our teaching is an important way to maintain ongoing growth and development as a teacher. The links below provide both introductory and advanced materials on reflective practice, including definitions and examples, a tutorial, several approaches to becoming a more reflective practitioner, and tools for reflective practice.

General Resources

“The Getting of Wisdom: What Critically Reflective Teaching Is and Why It’s Important,” Stephen Brookfield, University of St. Thomas. From Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995.
This introductory chapter from Brookfield’s book defines, describes, and provides a rationale for critically reflective teaching. Gives examples of critically reflective teaching, an approach that questions accepted assumptions about teaching and researches students to better understand the classroom. Explains six reasons why critical reflection is important for teachers’ survival.
http://www.bhcc.mass.edu/learning-communities/docs/Critically%20Reflective%20Teaching.pdf

Are You a Reflective Practitioner? Contemplation for Growth, Center for Teaching and Learning, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
An interactive tutorial designed to help you develop your skills as a reflective practitioner. Readings, activities, reflective questions, and links to relevant resources.
http://ctlreflective.project.mnscu.edu/

Introduction to Developing Reflective Practice, The Higher Education Academy, UK Centre for Legal Education.
This is the introductory page to a comprehensive UK website on reflective practice in legal education. Topics such as the following would be useful for all disciplines: “what’s reflective practice?” “what’s in it for you?” and “reflective practice and teaching.”
http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/reflection/introduction.html

“Forms of Reflective Teaching Practice in Higher Education,” Susan Hall, Curtin University of Technology, Australia. In Learning Through Teaching, Pospisil, R. and Willcoxson, L., Eds. Proceedings of the 6 th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, Murdoch University, February 1997. Perth: Murdoch University.
This article explores numerous forms of reflective practice in higher education and defines three levels of reflectiveness with examples of each.
http://otl.curtin.edu.au/professional_development/conferences/tlf/tlf1997/hall1.html

The Critical Incident Questionnaire: Brookfield’s Questions.
A copy of Brookfield’s 5 questions to students that provide the feedback critical to reflective teaching.  This link also includes several articles on using and interpreting the questionnaire, plus examples from actual classrooms.
http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/Dr._Stephen_D._Brookfield/Critical_Incident_Questionnaire.html

Reflective Practice.
This journal, published four times a year, focuses on issues and practices in reflective teaching and
learning in the classroom, workplace, and professions.
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/14623943.asp

Teaching, Learning, and Everything Else:  Conversations about teaching in higher education (Xavier University of Louisiana, Center for the Advancement of Teaching, CAT).
A podcast ongoing series of conversations with teachers in higher education reflecting on a diverse range of teaching issues.  Includes links to online references from each episode.
http://cat.xula.edu/food/topic/podcast/

See also Teaching Philosophy Statement and Teaching Portfolios on this website for further information on reflective practice.

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