University of Liverpool John Moores

Critical Reflection and Developing Practice

Omar Sani

(R2006D11017434)

user11017434

LJMU-7531-PEDI-33914

06/09/2022

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 Critical reflection and developing practice.

Introduction

"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and

failing to achieve anything useful." Margaret J. Wheatley.

Critical reflection is, without doubt, the single most important ingredient for development, be it

at an individual or organizational level. As an educator, one must always help students with

reflection, providing a safe and nurturing environment that helps students flourish and develop.

So how can we make learning reflective? What are the obstacles standing in its way? And how

can educators develop their practice? This essay aims to go through some critical reflection

theories and practices, shedding light and answering these questions.

Main Body

Critical reflection, a crucial element of how people learn, is encouraged in many fields of clinical

conduct, especially in curricula where rich learning is attainable through particular experiences.

However, according to authors, not all reflection is critical, and sometimes critical reflection is at

a higher, more complex level that presents difficulties for both learners and teachers (Hatton &

Smith, 1994; Harvey et al., 2010).

Critical reflection is vital before transformational learning, which could alter one's perspectives

and behaviours. Furthermore, it is linked to numerous learning outcomes, such as better learning,

thinking, and self- and social evaluation (Smith, 2011). While Dewey (1938) acknowledges that

while thinking is a skill that cannot be taught or learned, establishing the practice of reflecting

can help people improve their thinking. Educators can instil this habit through several means;

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 first, educators should promote student-centred classes by pausing and allowing students to

discuss and reflect on the presented material. Instead of the traditional teacher-centred method,

the educator must also consider past experiences of their students, be it good or bad, allowing

individuals to contribute to their personal experiences while considering the social context.

Crucial misconceptions that many educators fall into is assuming their students have a set

learning style. While this may seem true at first glance, it has no scientific backing, as

demonstrated by Aji Budi Rinekso (2020). Observations have stated that learners given time to

reflect critically with their peers will reach an acceptable level of understanding as learning

should involve many mental senses while not neglecting emotions and feelings.

One last consideration by educators is an open dialogue; as David J. Voelker (2017) mentioned,

a specific form of conversation called reflective dialogue may be strategically employed in the

classroom to cultivate engagement, improve listening skills, and encourage personal reflection.

For example, to lead a metacognitive dialogue, the instructor takes a back seat and gently guides

the discussion, mainly to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinions and

keep the conversation centred on predetermined inquiry topics used to explore an important

theme.

Supporting these ideas are the theories of reflection in education founded by John Dewey and

have been further developed and reviewed by many Scholars and philosophers. Most noticeably

is the theory of Donald Schon. Developing the concept of reflective practice where he

differentiates between the concepts of knowing in action, where an individual has prior

experience on a subject matter and unconsciously behaves according to their experience.

Similarly, in "reflection in and on action", he describes the former as acting on the spot versus

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 the latter, which involves reflecting on past experiences and coming to relevant conclusions

(Smith, 2001).

Conclusion

In the words of John C. Maxwell, "Reflective thinking turns experience into insight." the

utilization of critical reflection in education promotes the fusion of practical and theoretical

while promoting student learning and self-assurance. Regardless, a thorough literature review on

reflection's function in experiential learning by Harvey et al. (2010) established no compelling

correlation between reflection and successful student learning outcomes. Accordingly, there may

be room to investigate the function of critical reflection in education and create an academic

framework for collective education (Patricia Lucas, 2012).

Title of section explanation

This assignment will focus on the importance of critical reflection,
which to me is an essential method of self-improvement and
learning.
Introduction and Ra-
I am highly analytical, and throughout my life, I have found that critical re-
tionale/Topic
flection works best for me in developing my learning and understanding of
everything I experience. Lately, I have started teaching, and I have found it
to be a crucial element in the development of my students.
This article's purpose is to reflect on how students might use critical
reflection in education. We'll examine how it might benefit students,
considering current learning theories, as well as the necessity of upholding
Aims, objectives and argu- strict boundaries and moral integrity, and to critically reflect on one's own
ments professional experience and explain how theoretical perspectives may
influence practise.

This review of the literature is restricted to works that address critical

reflection from a variety of perspectives. Several criteria were adopted,
Methodology including the utilisation of current works and peer-reviewed scientific
publications that detail study techniques to ensure the legitimacy of the
research material.

(628) words
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 References

Cooper, R. K., & Sawaf, A. (1997). Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Business. London: Orion

Business Books.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Touchstone.

Goleman, D. P. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ for character, health and

lifelong achievement. New York: Bantam Books.

Harvey, M., Coulson, D., Mackaway, J., & Winchester-Seeto, T. (2010). Aligning reflection in the

cooperative education curriculum| Macquarie University ResearchOnline. Asia-Pacific Journal of

Cooperative Education, 11(3), 137-152.

Lucas, P. (2012) Critical reflection. What do we really mean? Auckland University of Technology.

Maxwell, J. C.

Smith, M.K. (2001). Donald Schon (Schön): learning, reflection and change– infed.org: [online] The

encyclopaedia of pedagogy and informal education. Available at: https://infed.org/donald-schon-learning-

reflection-change/ [Accessed 3 Sep. 2020].

Smith, E. (2011). Teaching critical reflection. Teaching in Higher Education, 16(2), 211-223.

Rinekso, A. B. (2020). Pros and Cons of Learning Style: An Implication for English Language Teachers.

Acuity Journal of English Language Pedagogy Literature and Culture 6(1).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347510840_Pros_and_Cons_of_Learning_Style_an_Implicatio

n_for_English_Language_Teachers

Voelker, D. J. (2017). The “4Rs” of First Nations Education. https://davidjvoelker.com/reflective-

dialogue/

Wheatley, M. J.

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