Reflective Practice in Teacher Training and Teaching CLIL Delivered by Vita Valdmane NAF Language School Riga, Latvia

Individually: 1) Look at the picture and describe it. What does it symbolize for you? Why? 2) How does it personally relate to you? 3) Look at the name of the card. What does this name/word personally mean to you? (both as a person and a teacher) 4) What do you think – why did you get this particular card? How does it relate to what is happening in your life at the moment?

Reflective Practice is: 1) Received knowledge+experiential knowledge+practice+reflection = professional competence 2) Process of self-evaluation and self- observation 3) Looking at what you do and thinking why you do what you do and how it works / if it works.

Reflective practice is 1) Exploring your own practices and underlying beliefs 2) Becoming the best trainer/teacher you can be.

Reflective Practice: 1) May lead to changes and improvements 2) Can be practiced while dealing with problems 3) Is raising awareness about your strengths and weaknesses and how to exploit them in response to ever-changing environment

Reflective Practice Is Empowering Yourself: My father can fly the biggest plane. My father can fight the strongest tiger.My father can swim the widest ocean. My father can climb the highest mountain. He can do anything. But most of the time he just takes out the garbage.

Reflective Practice What reflective tools are there available?

Reflective tools 1) team teaching 2) peer observation 3) reflective diary 4) learner feedback 5) record lessons 6) reading and research 7) buddy support

Reflective tools 8) taking up another course 9) learning another language 10)metaphor 11)storytelling 12)leading workshops for teachers 13) attending drama course or yoga 14)gardening 15) psychotherapy

Activity “Projection” Can be used as one of the reflective tools to help us become more aware of the things about ourselves as people or teachers- strengths and weaknesses, patterns of behaviour, needs and wants.

Autobiography in five short chapters (Portia Nelson) Chapter 1 I walk down the street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I fall in, I am lost It isn’t my fault It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2 I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I pretend I don’t see it I fall in again I can’t believe I’m in the same place But it isn’t my fault It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3 I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I see it there I still fall in It’s a habit My eyes are open, I know where I am It is my fault I get out immediately

Chapter four I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I walk around it.

Chapter five I walk down another street.

1 person – tells the group the situation going through the reflective cycle 2 person – listens and then asks questions 3 person – makes a brief summary of what he/she heard + questions(optional)

Experience is not what happens to you but what you do with what happens to you.