Why reflection matters
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the importance of reflection in our work as teaching faculty and educational developers. It seems to me that as campuses across the United States are in perpetual crisis, and many relationships are tense and fractured, reflecting on what we say and do and the differential impact that we have on the people with whom we interact is critical. Doing this amidst so many competing demands requires courage and discipline. When I speak with faculty about reflective processes, it tends to relate to their students and metacognitive exercises that deepen learning and develop insights. Rarely do they report doing this for themselves, and for some, reflecting on their pedagogy does not occur to them.
Definitionally, reflection is the intentional “mulling over” of experiences in ways that impel us to ask questions of ourselves and others, develop new thoughts or ways of knowing, impact future action, and catalyze shifting perspectives and behaviors (Thompson, 2022). Reflection can alter our beliefs about ourselves, others, or the world we hold to be true. These core or fundamental assumptive beliefs are so fixed that we don’t remember when or how they developed because they have become so embedded in our worldview, and we may never actively interrogate or challenge them. Reflective practices can unsettle or alter our core beliefs.
One way to engage in critical reflection about one’s teaching is to keep a journal. By considering everything about our teaching from how we set the tone of class on the first day, deliver didactic material, facilitate discussions, and interact with our students, intentional and dedicated reflections can help us to teach with more awareness, what Brookfield (2017) refers to as “teaching innocently.” Teaching innocently occurs when we believe that what we understand and do as educators always has the effect on our learners that we intend (in which it may not). It is a kind of complacency that neither benefits us nor our learners and may cause harm. Reflection promotes internal examination and enables us to be honest with ourselves in ways that we may not be able to be with colleagues.
Avoidance of reflection
I recently concluded an 11-month program with nine faculty who teach across disciplines and are at varying stages of their careers. Each struggled to keep a teaching journal and avoided the practice because they used the space for self-flagellation. By the end of the program, many learned that reflecting on their own experiences was not helpful if they were self-denigrating or if it included punishing themselves. Instead, they found journaling energizing and useful when it was used a space for curiosity, exploration, risk-taking, honesty, and a space in which they were willing to accept themselves and even find joy when facing struggles with the process of journaling.
Knowing thyself through reflective teaching journals
For 24 years I kept a teaching journal. It was where I could live in perpetual wonderment about my teaching and unpack challenging moments with students, better understand how to replicate approaches that felt fulfilling and landed well with my students, and ask, “Are you any good at this or are you flying by the seat of your pants?” I crafted action plans to try new approaches and recorded feedback I’d gotten from exit tickets. I questioned whether my pedagogical choices were informed by theory or instinct.
Most importantly, this journal helped me move from being able to only reflect after I’d taught a class (reflection-on-action) to developing an attunement to group dynamics that enabled me to respond quickly and course correct (reflection-in-action). Over time, I became a more adaptive and flexible educator (Schön,1983). I truly believe that this journal helped me become a better teacher. I used it to explore my presence in the class, the impact of my positionality, and the ways in which I asserted power through the tone in my syllabus and class policies. As I pondered these complex aspects of teaching, I was able to use time with mentors in more focused, honest, and effective ways.
Approaches to reflective journaling: Keep it simple
Start small and confine reflections to brief written entries or voice recordings. If you sit down feeling like you must write a chapter, it will become a burden that you avoid.
- Pick one class and journal for ten minutes after the class. As you walk from your classroom to your office or next meeting, record your thoughts on your phone. Doing this right after class will capture your immediate thoughts, feelings, and reactions and you won’t lose the immediacy of the experience.
- Return to the voice recording a few days later to listen to it.
- Take notes and jot down questions and potential action steps.
Prompts for beginners:
- Overall, how do I feel about class today?
- What did I observe happening among the students?
- What learning did I see happening and how?
- If so/If not, how do I know this?
- How did my mindset and feelings affect how I approached my work today, and was I emotionally present with my students?
- What didn’t work so well today? Or, what worked well, and what might I do differently next time to replicate the success?
Prompts for those wanting a deeper dive
For those wanting to engage in deeper reflections, follow steps 1-3 from the above list and then each time you record in your journal, follow this routine:
- Check in with yourself before you teach:
- How are you feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally, and how prepared do you feel to teach?
- What are your hopes for this class?
- Do you have concerns or fears?
- After class, respond to the following:
- What is an experience or critical moment on which you would like to focus?
- Describe what happened (as factually as you can without judgment or editorial).
- What do you think catalyzed it and how did the class react?
- What did this event/moment mean to you?
- What did it mean to your students?
- In this section, describe what went well or not.
- Consider your reflection thus far, and then think about action steps.
- What can you do differently next time to yield a different outcome or what can you do to yield a similar outcome?
- Looking at this experience, what have you learned?
As you distill your learning, feed forward your “action” statements as commitments for the next class. Share with your students that you are regularly reflecting about the work you are doing together, and if you make changes to the course or your pedagogy, let them know that it is the result of your reflections. Engage them in metacognitive activities that are parallel to yours. Over time, you may identify patterns that can lead to paradigm shifts about your teaching and how your learners learn.
Lastly, reflective practices are not self-indulgent when they lead to greater self-understanding that catalyzes changes in attitudes, perceptions, and practices. Try to enjoy investing in your growth in this way. You and your students will all benefit from your taking time and space to reflect.
Dana Grossman Leeman, PhD, MSW, is the senior associate director for Authentic and Engaged Learning at the Tufts University Center for the Enhancement of Learning in Teaching in Somerville, Massachusetts. She works with faculty to help bring their most creative, confident, and intentional selves to their teaching in order to improve student engagement, build community, and optimize the quality of teaching and learning in face-to-face and online domains. Prior to coming to CELT, Dana was on faculty at the Simmons University School of Social Work for 25 years, during which she launched two online degree programs in Clinical Social Work and Behavior Analysis. She was the inaugural Associate Dean for Online Education for the School of Social Work and was then appointed as the Inaugural Provost Faculty Fellow for Online Education in which she provided professional development to all faculty teaching in six online master’s programs across the university. She holds an MSW from Boston University School of Social Work and a Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from Simmons University.
Resources for Teaching Journals:
Mitchell, H. 2018. My little reflective teaching journal. North Haven, CT. Press Unknown.
Getting Started with Reflective Practice: https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswrp/index.html
Reference List
Brookfield, S.D. 2017. Becoming a critically reflective teacher, third edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Rodgers, C.A. 2020. The art of reflective teaching: Practicing presence. New York and London: Columbia Teachers College.
Schön, D.A. 1983. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.
Thompson, C. 2022. Reflective practice for professional development: A guide for Teachers. London and New York: Routledge Press.
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