Inquiry and Reflection

Looking back before moving forwards

 

The most significant understanding that I have developed throughout this diploma program is that professional reflection is key for creating a growth mindset. When I notice the differences or changes that I have made in my practice, I now understand that these changes are not because what I was doing in the past was wrong.

 

The Blockbuster metaphor helps put this into perspective. Four short years ago, if anyone wanted to watch a movie, the process involved getting dressed and driving down to a local Blockbuster to hopefully find the movie you wanted to watch. You were required to pay for the rental and also make sure that the movie was returned on time. This was common practice, and only made sense at the time. Fast forward to 2015, and the process for watching a movie is quite different. There are now various options including streaming videos from the web, purchasing and download movies instantly, or renting movies on demand through cable providers. I’m not trying to say our current methods for watching film are superior or that what we were doing before was wrong. The point is that in 2015 if I drove around looking for a Blockbuster to rent a movie, I would not be successful. I would be using a tried and true method, but would find that the implementation would no longer achieve my goal. This metaphor has helped me understand that I do not need to completely overhaul my teaching practice and start fresh. I now make sure to create time for critical reflection, and then make adjustments where change is needed. It is important as an educator to follow your heart, listen to your head, and be vulnerable.

 

Connecting with students comes naturally to me, and it is something that I always instinctively understood to be a crucial part of the learning process. All students remember when we have done something specifically for them. It can be, and most often is, the simple things that matter most. “Without trust, students will not take the risks they need to take to learn” (Learning in Safe Schools, 57). I came across this quote and it really resonates with me as it is a reflection of my own observations in education, and something that I have attempted to integrate into my practice. I don’t have a definitive answer as to how best to build trust or establish connections, but I know that to belong, to feel safe, and to be respected are fundamental values need by all human beings.

 

Being a staff member at the Sea to Sky Alternative School means that I have been privy to years of extensive Neufeld training, workshops, and presentations. I know, without a doubt, that teaching and learning needs to be safe, purposeful, and powerful. It’s amazing to see evidence of Neufeld’s attachment theory when interacting with students. This diploma program has challenged me to branch out, and find other educational practitioners to help guide my learning. I am fortunate to work in a school where our administrator is very supportive and has allowed opportunities for me to take workshops with Martin Brokenleg, Gabor Mate, and most recently Ross Greene.

 

I was able to identify similar pedagogical elements within the Collaborative Problem Solving frameworks of Ross Greene’s work to my own. I believe that the rate of academic development will increase as the child’s sense of belonging, safety and connectedness improves and I strive to make sure that my teaching is relevant and meaningful for the students. During the process of integrating Ross Greene’s Plan B theory into my daily practice, I had a few game changing discoveries. One big insight was that I needed to give up trying to be a mind reader. We do not validate that fact that most of the answers that we look for as educators, lie within the child whom we are so desperate to help.

 

 The field study process has become a structure that plays an integral role in my professional development and I now understand that I must not laminate my learning, because it’s never truly finished! I am more competent and confident in my ability to differentiate instruction in order to actively engage my students. Equal is not always fair, and therefore I personalize the learning experience so that all students can be successful. The approach I took during the planning stage of my field studies was very systematic. I know that assessment must be evidence based, include formative and summative elements, and inform the next steps in the learning process.  I think that this set the foundation and integrated solid strategies leading to the conceptualization, creation, implementation of reflection into my daily practice.

 

If I do truly believe that there needs be a change in our public education system, then it is essential that I continue to challenge myself to participate in educational communities and continue to work collaboratively on meaningfully initiatives within the local district, as well as the provincial and global scale. I am an active participant who contributes to the learning of other staff members at my school. During the last two years of graduate work, I have joined the ‘Belonging Initiative’ team and experienced various shared leadership opportunities as the Sea to Sky Learning Connections representative during a three-day district wide ‘Pathways Refresh’ symposium. It has been amazing to have senior district staff, cultural workers, teachers, and parents involved in purposeful conversations and making connections to the ‘Pathways’ instructional approaches: assessment, collaboration, engagement, technology, purpose and authenticity, play and exploration.

 

  This spring I was fortunate to be selected as a participant for a colleagues' ‘Learning Rounds’ team in School District #48, and I also had a ‘Learning Rounds’ team come into my classroom. A Learning Round is a non-judgemental, evidence-based group observation, which encourages those taking part to view their practice and approach from a new perspective. As a result, both those observed and those observing develop and deepen their understanding of the importance to include inquiry and reflection into daily practice. I recognize that my cohort colleagues, mentors, and program facilitator have been essential to my growth as a professional. It has been amazing to share, give and receive feedback from local teachers with a wide variety of pedagogy and experience.  Creating and maintaining a professional network where you receive critical but supportive feedback is something I now see immense value in. 

I know, without a doubt, that emotional intelligence trumps academic intelligence and it is my duty to be teaching skills and strategies that address both. “If in the past a teacher's main objective was to simply transmit information and currently the internet has replaced that role, then what capacity is a 21st century teacher responsible for now?” The answers to this question may vary, but any response should have a focus with student learning as the end goal. Now is the time for the system to meet the needs of the children, rather than expect children to meet the needs of the system.