The Language of Reflection Creating a reflective portfolio

Reflection is thinking deeply about your teaching practice, your development, your learners and your impact upon others. Reflection allows you to explore your own learning and your progress. It helps you to find out what works well and why and what could change and how. Reflection challenges thinking and assumptions. It influences your decisions and actions. It helps you to examine your role as a teacher and learner

When and Where do we reflect? Reflection is continuous whether we know it or not and whether we like it or not. The value of reflection is in acknowledging the importance of doing it and paying attention with intention. You could describe it as mindful learning. We can choose to reflect anytime and anywhere.

How can we process and organise our reflections?

Critical Reflection: This is more than just thinking randomly. It is about noticing, questioning, challenging, transforming, examining, looking back, looking inwards, looking forwards and noticing progress and change. It is about finding out, being aware, considering, analysing, being honest, being open, knowing. Let’s look at some reflective language: (P47, handbook)

Ways to Reflect: You could use: images, mind maps, a journal/diary, reflective logs, photos, recordings, charts, diagrams, thought bubbles, poems, posters and more.

Your Own Portfolio: See your reflective portfolio as an extension and Your own reflective portfolio is part of your CLPL requirements and may help some of you to write your final reflective report (Year one teachers). There is a space in your handbook (page 54) and you can add to this or type it if you prefer. You could add samples of pupil work, photos, thoughts about your CLPL and mentor sessions, thoughts about anything you have read or tried. Remember to include what this made you feel, think, do or notice. What did you learn? See your reflective portfolio as an extension and representation of you and your learning in Scotland

Using the Standards for reflection and self-evaluation The Standards for Hanban teachers (From page 19) are supposed to be used as an integral and ongoing aspect of reflection: Select the Standards you wish to work towards Have one separate reflection page for each of your choices Discuss the Standards with your mentor Make notes on the sheet as the year progresses and you work towards meeting the Standard

Consider: What am I doing to progress towards this Standard Consider: What am I doing to progress towards this Standard? How am I doing it? Am I reading, discussing it, trying new things? What am I learning about myself by doing this? What do I still need to do? What evidence do I have for impact upon my learning, my learners or my colleagues? What are my next steps? Look at the example in the handbook, page 49

When selecting the Standards you will use: Discuss with your mentor Think about your own interests for development Think about your context: your learners, your school, your community Identify the steps you could take to working towards a particular Standard Identify how often you will discuss, record and reflect upon your progress Remember: reflection can be messy and organic

Growth , Discovery, Enjoyment Take the time to enjoy your portfolio. By growing your portfolio through reflection, you are also growing your learning. You are taking your learning on a never ending, ever evolving journey and it’s yours!