Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Beginning the internal conversation – spending time to build nourishing & communicative relationships Associate Professor Keith R. McVilly Clinical Psychologist & Principal Research Fellow

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Today’s presentation Propose the case that it is as much about ourselves, as it is about the student Explore how reflective practice might provide us with the tools needed to make a difference Suggest that if we are to make a difference it starts with the individual, but also requires official sanction and systemic action ‘to make it so’

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research The Underlying Premise We need to do things differently It’s our thoughts and behaviour that needs to change We need to consider the complexity of what we are doing We need to have a conversation with ourselves, and make our intentions explicit in practice. And make our intentions explicit in policy.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Supporting people with disabilities IS rocket science. We need to take it seriously, professionally and be committed to doing it well. 4 Take home message

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research A challenge for educators We need to be able to grasp the world beyond our classroom The curriculum is an artificial construct.... It is only a means to an end

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research National Assessment Program “NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy”.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research A Starting Point Input – curriculum / teaching technique and activity Output – student skills

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research But where might we need to be heading? Input – curriculum / teaching technique & activity Process – student & teacher relationship Output – student skills Outcomes – student competence

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research A caution for educators ‘technique is what we do while we wait for the real teacher to arrive … the most practical thing we can do in any activity to know what is going on inside us when we do it’. Palmer, P. J The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research How might we get there? Beginning the internal conversation Building nourishing communicative relationships with students Moving beyond the curriculum task as the focus of activity

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Building a culture of reflective practice ‘a way of examining our own subjective thoughts about who we are, our identities, beliefs’ Smith, E “Teaching Critical Reflection.” Teaching in Higher Education 16 (2): 211–22 See also - Loughran, J “Effective Reflective Practice: In Search of Meaning in Learning about Teaching.” Journal of Teacher Education 53 (1): 33– 43.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Building a culture of reflective practice ‘If we know who to be, then what to do falls into place’. Cunliffe, A. L “Reflexive Dialogical Practice in Management Learning.” Management Learning 33 (1): 35–61.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Reflective thinking The concept of reflection dates back to the time of Aristotle Reflective thinking arose from situations of doubt, hesitation, perplexity, and or mental difficulty, It encourages the person to search, hunt or inquire to find material to resolve doubt.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research What do we need to do? ‘a cognitive function that involves consideration, contemplation, speculation, musing and pondering’ Hedberg, P. R “Learning Through Reflective Classroom Practice: Applications to Educate the Reflective Manager.” Journal of Management Education 33 (1): 10–36.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Components of effective reflective practice An attitude of information seeking Focused observation Selecting and prioritising data Recognising patterns and deviations Interpretation and making sense of data Calm, confident and considered responses Clear communication Openness & flexibility Commitment to improvement Tanner CA. Thinking like a nurse: a research-based model of clinical judgment in nursing. J Nurs Educ. 2006;45:

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Remember Palmer’s challenge ‘Going beyond the technique’ ‘Knowing what is going on inside us when we do it’ Palmer, P. J The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bas

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Keeping a Journal Journaling might be useful Individual reflection Group reflection (a team journal?) Holly, M. L Writing to Grow: Keeping a Personal-professional Journal. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Moderation Sessions Reflection on the student Reflection on the teacher – the self Reflection on the teaching activity

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research

Applying Graham’s Framework of Attainment to Ourselves Framework for Attainment Awareness Attention & Response EngagementParticipationInvolvementEncounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Encounter Are we present in the activity? What evidence is there of our willingness to share the moment – to be a social being social with another social being? What evidence is there of our willingness to tolerate dissonance and how do we cope? Framewor k for Attainmen t Awareness Attention & Response Engageme nt Participati on Involveme nt Encounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Awareness Are we aware of the person with whom we share the moment? Are we aware of the moment? Are we self-absorbed in the action of ‘teaching’? Framework for Attainment Awareness Attention & Response Engageme nt Participatio n Involvemen t Encounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Attention & Response Do we show signs of interest in the person and in the shared moment? Do we share surprise, enjoyment, frustration? Is this a monologue or a dialogue? Framework for Attainment Awareness Attention & Response Engageme nt Participatio n Involveme nt Encounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Engagement How do we respond to and sustain the moment? How do we respond to and sustain the social dimension? Listening; Looking; Feeling; Smelling; Tasting. Sharing? Framework for Attainment Awareness Attention & Response EngagementParticipationInvolvementEncounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Participation How are we at: Sharing the activity Sharing the moment Sequencing our actions Turn taking Signalling back and forth –a Sender & a Receiver Being both a leader and a follower – a teacher and a learner Framework for Attainment Awareness Attention & Response EngagementParticipationInvolvementEncounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Involvement Do we : Make an active effort to reach out to the other? Joining in their moment and their activity? Recognising the worth and validating their moment and their activity? Making space in our moment and our activity for the student? Framework for Attainment Awareness Attention & Response EngagementParticipationInvolvementEncounter

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Policy & Practice What is your school’s policy on reflective practice? How do you make time and space for this? Is it a ‘nice to do’ when we get around to doing it? Is it something that needs an official sanction to ‘make it so’?

Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research