Case Study: The Power of Reflection

Reflection should always be a part of personal and professional continuous improvement.  Rethinking your actions in terms of “plus/deltas” provide you an opportunity to improve upon them for the next time.  Reflection is time to examine your innermost thoughts, beliefs, and actions and get to the core of the matter.  This is a realization of new quality.  Hopefully, something you have not seen before come out of the reflection process. You want to make deeper personal issues conscious.  Thus, analyzing complex situations is the key to effective action.  Reflection should be used as a proactive not reactive mechanism. Reflective collaboration include analyzing student work, sharing practices that worked and/or did not work with students, participating in a post-observation/follow-up, etc. 

Math leaders can help operationalize reflective practice for teachers by including it on meeting agendas, ask appropriate follow-up observation questions, etc.  Reflection should be embedded within practices and explicitly discussed. For example, Gerald had teachers to work alone, silently and in writing in order to collect and organize their thoughts before group discussion.  He wrote down individual’s exact reflection.  This showed that he valued their suggestion and demonstrated that he was the facilitator with no intentions of imposing his ideas on the group.

In my district, when we implement a new district initiative that directly impact the teaching and learning process, teachers fill out a reflection sheet.  For example, several years ago, our middle schools adopted Connected Mathematics Project (CMP2).  After each lesson, teachers had to complete a reflection survey to provide the district insight on necessary professional development as well as a tool for teachers to improve the implementation of lessons.  Teachers also discussed the survey with colleagues.

My personal practice of reflection is to lay across my bed and replay situations in my mind.  Most of the time, I have a notepad or my Ipad with me so I can ponder over the facts and jot down any new solutions.  No one should make a hasty decision unless it is absolutely necessary because many times you do not have “all” the facts in a situation. You want to provide yourself with the opportunity to connect the information, make sense of it, and possible gather more.  Also, if any personal feelings are involved, this will give you time to make an objective decision.