Being Critical of Critical Reflection in TAI

This blog is an extension of a couple of points that people have commented on in a previous post – namely the central role of reflection (particularly critical reflection) as part of Teaching as Inquiry.

If I had to be critical of myself, I don’t think I am a critical reflector (even though I understand what it means).  Or am I?  Am I measuring myself against research that suggests I must be at some ‘level’ of reflective practice to be truly reflective?  Great in theory, but difficult in practice. 

Bardane (2014) points to the theory-practice divide when it comes to being reflective in TAI.  This comes about because of the suggestion (I would argue assumption) that the, “practitioner has certain skills and relevant theoretical and practical knowledge, in order to do reflection” (p.110).  This is supported by Saric & Steh (2017, p.67) who note that, “despite the well-established role of reflection, a large gap between the professed goals and actual reflective practice of teachers remains”.

Why the gap?

I suggest this has come about as a result of the increasing complexity of the teaching role.  Not only do we have the ‘core business’ of teaching, but we are also expected to be adept administrators, organisers, coaches, mentors, social workers, and have an understanding of the learners in front of us physically, socially, emotionally/mentally, spiritually, culturally and intellectually.  It is little wonder that Saric & Steh (2017, p.70) write that expecting teachers to, “take time at their own initiative to integrate the process of reflection in their work deliberately is unrealistic”.

On top of this, to be critically reflective (because the literature recognises this as being the most transformative) is no small feat.

Richards & Farrell (2005, as cited in Farrell, 2014, p.1) notes, reflection can be understood as, “the process of critical examination of experiences, a process that can lead to a better understanding of one’s practices and routines”.  But what is a critical examination?  To critically examine something (within the context of teaching) is to challenge personally held beliefs and assumptions about our practice.  To question who is being advantaged and disadvantaged through our current practice?  Finally, it involves looking at our teaching practice from the perspectives of the learner, the learner’s family, and wider community.  This level of examination is inherent in Timperley, Kaser & Halbert's (2014) Spiral of Inquiry (a model suggested by the Ministry of Education) in sentiments such as, "deep understanding" (p.17), "getting deeply held beliefs out on the table" (p.14), and "checking our assumptions" (p.14).

This is a lot to ask of any teacher.  It seems as the role of reflection, (especially the requirement for critical reflection), as part of TAI and of reflective practice has grown in stature, the infrastructure within schools has not adapted accordingly to recognise its significance on teacher workload.  We are robbing Peter to pay Paul with respect to time.  It may be no coincidence that this (in part) accounts for half of all secondary teachers quitting within 5 years.

Don’t get me wrong, I recognise why we want teachers to be critically reflective and critically examine their practice.  We are very good at being reflective but often in such a way that it supports or substantiates our currently held beliefs.  The path of least resistance.  TAI that becomes self-fulfilling and merely a process to get through and finished so that aspect can be “ticked off” for the year.

So how do we address it within the confines of time and school infrastructure (which are outside our immediate sphere of influence)?  The solution may lie in how we perceive and value reflection.

Let’s start by deemphasising critical reflection.  Aspire to it by all means.  Work towards it.  Develop your reflective skills in such a way that is realistic and manageable given the complexity of your role.  Surely being reflective at some level is better than not being reflective at all?

From our previous work on reflective practice, we considered the depth of reflection from surface to deep, theoretical analysis summarised in the five levels of reflective practice noted by Zeichner and Liston (1996, in Finlay, 2007, p.4):

1. Rapid reflection - immediate, ongoing and automatic action by the teacher.

2. Repair –thoughtful decisions to alter their behaviour in response to students’ cues.

3. Review – thinking, discussing, writing about some element of their teaching.

4. Research –systematic and sustained thinking over time, informed by research.

5. Retheorizing and reformulating –critically examining personal practice in the light of academic theories.

We further discovered that through the MindLab survey on this topic, the overwhelming majority of us work at the first three levels of reflection.  This is hardly surprising when we consider the final two levels require a considerable input of time and effort to fully realise.  While it may be argued that the lower levels are somewhat superficial, I would suggest that this “just in time” reflection, or “reflection on action” is perfectly acceptable so long as it can be curated with evidence.

If the importance of being critically reflective is being given increasing status, then teachers need to be given the time and the environment in which to do it properly, otherwise it will remain in the “too hard basket”.

References:

Benade, L. (2015). Teaching as Inquiry: Well Intentioned, but Fundamentally Flawed. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 50(1), 107–120. 

Farrell, T. S. C. (2014). “Teacher You Are Stupid!” – Cultivating a Reflective Disposition. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language., 18(3), 1–10. 

Fraser, C. (2018). Half of all high school teachers quit within 5 years. Newshub. Retrieved 23 January 2018, from http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/01/half-of-all-high-school-teachers-quit-within-5-years.html

Hollis, K (2014).  Benefits of critical reflection – what are the outcomes produced by CR?. (2014). Kristina Hollis. Retrieved 23 January 2018, from https://kristinahollis.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/benefits-of-critical-reflection-what-are-the-outcomes-produced-by-cr/

Saric, M., & Steh, B. (2017). Critical reflection in the professional development of teachers: challenges and possibilities. C.E.P.S Journal, 7(3), 67–85. 

Timperley, H., Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry. Centre for Strategic Education, Seminar Se(April), 1–24.