CRITICAL REFLECTION FOR CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: using the SOAP strategy to analyze pedagogical experience Padmini Boruah Department of English Language Teaching Gauhati University

Reflection Definition: recording and analysis of experience Includes: experiencing, observing, analyzing, hypothesizing and application Requires: self knowledge, meta cognition, hypothesization, synthesis of experience

Models of reflection Bloom’s taxonomy of reflection (1956): Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model (1976 ): Concrete experience, Observation and reflection, Formation of abstract concepts, Testing in new situations Gibb’s reflective cycle (1988 ): Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, Action Plan

The SOAP Strategy Subjective narration Objective data and observation Assessment Planning Imp difference: Includes inputs from others (From the UCSF LEaP Guidelines developed by Aronson L, Kruidering M, Neihaus B, O’Sullivan P. MedEdPortal; 2012, available from:

The acronym: SOAP – Subjective: exploring your experience - your thoughts, feelings, and perception of events – Objective: incorporating inputs from others, additional research – Assessment: analyzing the experience to integrate the subjective and objective data, so that it leads to new understanding and more focused learning goals – Plan: evolving an action plan that is specific, detailed, achievable and measureable

Step 1: Subjective (narration) Describe what happened : the events, your thoughts and feelings (content) Describe how it happened: how you acted, how students acted, what went well, what didn’t (pedagogical process) Discuss why it happened: what were your assumptions, what were your students’ assumptions, how did the physical / linguistic / social environment contribute to it (context )

Step 2: Objective interpretation Reconsider the experience and identify key issues by eliciting opinions, perspectives and feedback from other professionals (colleagues / peers) by consulting objective data from the literature

Step 3: Assessment Analyze the data gathered from subjective experience and objective inputs Synthesize the learning obtained Identify strengths and weaknesses Relate this experience to past experiences to identify patterns and challenges

Step 4: Plan Make a SMART plan Specific next steps Measurable goals Attainable objectives Relevant action Timely intervention

Language of reflective questions Vague generalizations – I need to give proper instructions Specific comments – The pair work activity took more time than planned – I should have given instructions before giving away the worksheets and made students repeat instructions; this would have made students do it quickly

Statements about teacher beliefs 1Good teaching involves explaining the lesson to students; they would otherwise not understand what it contains 2Pair and group work sounds like a good idea; but try it in your own classroom – it’s noisy, messy and unmanageable 3Reading aloud has many benefits; when the teacher reads aloud, students get an opportunity to hear the spoken form of the language. When students read, they get pronunciation practice.

Statements about teacher beliefs 4 English classrooms are unbelievably large and noisy – there’s no question of using an activity based approach to develop language skills 5It’s okay to talk about developing the language skills (LSRW) at Primary level; but after that, students are expected to use these skills, not learn them. 6Many things can go wrong in a class – I can’t possibly take care of everything that doesn’t work – I don’t think a good class is my responsibility alone.

Statements about teacher beliefs 7No matter what people say, I still feel formal grammar teaching is important; if we only focus on fluency, chances are that students will always speak and write ungrammatically. 8 My students know so little English that I need to translate every sentence, every word into the local language – the syllabus has to be finished - where’s the time for special language activities?

Statements about teacher beliefs 9Most of my students understand English, but cannot speak or write it. Making them pass exams is my responsibility, so I cannot afford to let them write whatever they like. I dictate answers and make students memorize them – this way they learn at least a few sentences in English. 10 Frankly, my own English is not very good – so it is better to use the local language to teach English – at least I can make them understand the lesson.

Demonstrating SOAP Types of statements for SOAP steps

Practising SOAP reflection

Tips for effective reflection Pick an experience that evoked a strong emotional reaction in you. In your subjective analysis, avoid making excuses for your actions and do not indulge in self pity or self-congratulation. Adopt an attitude of suspended judgment until you get more data

Tips for effective reflection Follow every step because this is a cyclic process, and each step builds from the previous Work with an open mind, so that you can accept a new perspective and a new set of skills or attitudes. Remember that the aim of critical reflection is professional development, not writing a good narrative or advertising your skills

Thank you!