Activity 8: Key Changes in my Practice

Rolfe’s model of reflection is used this week to reflect on this week’s activity.

What

THEME 1: COMMITMENT TO THE TEACHING PROFESSION (Education Council, 2017)

Professionally and personally the Research and Community Informed Practice course challenged my thinking and ways of informing my practice based on well informed research, factual data, and most importantly reflection. I believe that Finlay’s (2008) reflection in/during practice is most valuable only when you are fully aware of your actions at that point-in-time, otherwise it is reflection after practice.

As an example the new Digital Curriculum invoked nationwide mass hysteria to implement infrastructure before 2020. It incited a sense of hopelessness for my subject at my school particularly because the school lacks the finance to upgrade ICT resources, assessments, and computers (which are 9 years old and dying). Current reflective practice means to NOW compile a long term plan to present to management complete with what students are required to learn, resourcing required, and aligned to the overall long term tertiary path. Future practice requires ongoing revisitation of this plan, and following through until implementation.

So What

SO WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH MY MIND AS I ACTED? 

Self critical reflection reveals the positives and a few uglies which made me feel uncomfortable at times. Discovering two sides of yourself bouncing between the doubting cynic who faults and challenges ideas, to the proactive transformational leader inspiring others towards new initiatives. Deservedly, both are vital as the cynic merely provides a damage control perspective, and the transformational approach can only incite positives.

Now What

NOW WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO MAKE THINGS BETTER/STOP BEING STUCK/IMPROVE MY TEACHING/RESOLVE THE SITUATION/FEEL BETTER/GET ON BETTER/ETC., ETC.? 

For future and current practice, and with reference to Willis (2013), having a teacher peer support team to confide in all important work related issues prior to major decision making is absolutely necessary. It's a filtering method sifting out that which must be covered to that which must be abandoned for the protection of students, information, and professional reputation.

A couple of models highly recommended below that I have found useful are displayed in figure 1 and figure 2 below. For instance, figure 1, the Ishikawa Fishbone Model (1968), assists problem solving allowing you to look at everything at once, prioritising and categorising ideas, as well as ing reflect before, during, in, and after the event has taken place. It takes a 360 degree perspective into the situation that reveals the uglies, the positives, as well as extraneous variables, looking at what can or can’t be controlled.

Figure 1. The Ishikawa fishbone diagram and 
how it can be used with any example.

Rolfe’s reflection model has been widely recognised through my entire web blog, and and as seen below in figure 2 integrated into this Reflective Teaching Practice Model as a part of a wider context of teaching and learning model of reflection 

                   

Figure 2. Adapted from Langer, Colton, & Golf (2003), 
and York-Barr, Sommers, Ghere, & Montie (2011)

More specifically, figure 3, highlights how the Ishikawa design can be adapted to suit any needs and filter through all ideas, small, big, extraneous etc. As seen below, this is how I would use it to tackle the rising concerns of implementing the new Digital Technology curriculum. 

Figure 3. Ishikawa Model breaking down issues 
around implementing the new Digital Technology curriculum before 2020.