Models of Reflection

 
If Reflective Practice is to become anything more than
  random navel gazing, it is advisable that the reflective  
practitioner employs a particular process or model.
 
One of the simplest approaches to take is to consider:
 what worked well?
 why?
   what did not work well?  
 why not?
 what will I do the same next time?
 what will I do differently next time?
Alternatively, tutors might wish to consider:
 what knowledge, skills or abilities are necessary to
deliver a specific learning experience.
 to what extent do I possess those skills?
 what do I need to do to develop or enhance those

  skills?  
 how will this affect the way I present that
learning experience?
 what problems might this entail that I need to
anticipate and overcome?
(This approach is based loosely on SWOT analysis.)
 
Rolfe's framework for Reflective Practice can be
(over-)simplified as:
   What? (Describe the situation.)  
 So what? (Theory & knowledge building.)
 Now what? (How to improve the situation.)
 
Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D. & Jasper, M. (2001) Critical
  Reflection in Nursing and the Helping Professions: A User's  
Guide. Basingstoke. Palgrave Macmillan.
 
     
 Roth (1989) summarises Reflective Practice processes as
follows:
 Questioning what, why, and how one does things and
asking what, why, and how others do things
 Seeking alternatives
 Keeping an open mind
 Comparing and contrasting
 Seeking the framework, theoretical basis, and/or
underlying rationale
 Viewing from various perspectives
 Asking "what if...?"
 Asking for others' ideas and viewpoints
 Using prescriptive models only when adapted to the
situation
 Considering consequences
 Hypothesising
 Synthesising and testing
 Seeking, identifying, and resolving problems
 
Roth, R. A. "Preparing the Reflective Practitioner:
  Transforming the Apprentice through the Dialectic." Journal  
of Teacher Education 40, no. 2 (March-April 1989): 31-35.
 
     
Peters (1991, pp. 91-95) describes a process called DATA
that consists of four steps:
 Describe
 Analyse
 Theorise
 Act
First, the problem, task, or incident that the tutor desires to
change is described. The tutor identifies the context in
which current practice takes place and the reasons for
changing it.
 
Next, through analysis, factors that contribute to current
practice are identified.  An important part of this stage is to
identify the assumptions, underlying beliefs, rules, and
motives governing teaching and learning.
 
The third step of the DATA process involves theorising
about alternative ways of approaching teaching by taking
 the theory derived from the previous step and developing it
into a new one.
 
Finally, the tutor will try out the new theory.
 
 
Peters, J. (1991) "Strategies for Reflective
Practice" Professional Development for Educators of Adults.
   
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. no.51
ed. Brockett, R. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass
 
     
4 Critical Lenses
 
Brookfield (1995) suggests that we employ four “critical
lenses” through which to view and reflect upon our practice. 
These are:
 our own view (which he refers to as autobiography);
 that of our students;
 that of our fellow professionals;
 and the various theoretical perspectives propounded
in educational literature.
 Despite the fact that teachers’ personal experience runs the
risk of being dismissed as “merely anecdotal”, Brookfield,
whilst conceding that “all experience is inherently
idiosyncratic”, asserts that our autobiographies are “one of
the most important sources of insight into teaching to which
we have access.” (1995 p.31)
 
Examining our own experiences as learners as well as
teachers helps us “to uncover our most deeply embedded
allegiances and motivations as teachers.” (Brookfield, 1995;
p.32)
 
However, in considering any particular learning experience,
tutors should not merely be asking what "worked well" for
themselves (often constrained to considerations of
classroom and lesson management) but should also be
asking whether or not the learning experience was a
profitable one for their students (with regard to achievement
of learning outcomes).  Additionally, tutors should consider
whether the learning experience was inclusive and
 motivational.
 
“This is why, in my opinion, the most fundamental
metacriterion for judging whether or not good teaching is
happening is the extent to which teachers deliberately
and systematically try to get inside students’ heads and
see classrooms and learning from their point of view.” 
(Brookfield, 1995. p.35)
 
Talking to colleagues about what happens in our classroom
(all too rare an occurrence) may help to throw new light on
our experiences; not necessarily because it provides a
solution but because it may help us to realise that what we
thought were our own idiosyncratic failings are in fact
shared by others who work in similar settings.
 
Similarly,
“Studying theory can help us realise that what we
thought were signs of our personal failings as teachers
can actually be interpreted as the inevitable
consequences of certain economic, social and political
processes.” (Brookfield, 1995. p36)
 
 
Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective
   
Teacher.  San Francisco: Jossey Bass
 
     
   

               
 
Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to Teaching
  and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit,  
Oxford Polytechnic.
 
 
  Useful summary of Theories of Reflection