1. Reflective Practice Group
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

2. Reflective Practice Group (RPG)
Agenda 7-9pm
Why we’re here tonight
The Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC)
A shared learning experience
Reflection on our shared experience
Where we go from here

3. Why we’re here tonight What Why Reflective Practice I’m here tonight
means to me
Why
I’m here tonight

4. “Why do we need strong Teacher Learning Communities? Short answer:
Why we’re here tonight
“Why do we need strong Teacher Learning Communities? Short answer:
They increase student learning and
The quality of professional life.”
Murphy & Sato, Communities of Supportive Professionals, TESOL

5. Why we’re here tonight
“In the Reflective Practice Group … members come to their own conclusions about their own teaching practices. The purpose is to
challenge our perceptions of who we are & what we do
build strategies to become more effective educators
share & learn through each others’ experiences & beliefs.”
Seoul, Korea RPG Mission Statement

6. The Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC)
Experience
Describe
Analyze
Plan Action
John Dewey
“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.”
David Kolb, born 1939
“To learn from their experience, teams must create a conversational space where members can reflect on and talk about their experience together.”

7. Reflecting as a learner… Reflecting as a teacher…

8. A shared learning experience
Korean numbers lesson 네
아니요
일 1
이 2
삼 3
사 4
오 5
육 6

9. Steps of the Korean Lesson
T shows number of fingers & says numbers
Ss practice solo
Pairs practice together
T teaches “yes” and “no”
T points & says numbers, Ss respond
Ss tell T where to match words with numbers
Dice game
ELC
Experience

10. Description of one “slice” What happened?
Write keywords:
How did you feel in that moment (e.g. nervous, confused, relieved)
What happened?
What did teacher do?
What did your peers do?
What did you do?
Like a video, no opinion, just facts
ELC
Experience
Describe

11. Analysis How did it affect your learning?
ELC
Experience
Describe
Analyze
Write keywords/phrases:
Why did you feel that way?
What helped you learn?
What hindered your learning?

12. Action Plans What will you do when you teach?
Write keywords/phrases:
Based on your analysis of what helped and hindered you as a learner…..
What will you do when you teach?
ELC
Experience
Describe
Analyze
Action Plans

13. A New Experience….
Now you’re ready to try out your Action Plans… …. and begin the reflective cycle again!
ELC
New Experience
Describe
Analyze
Action Plans

14. What will you take with you from tonight’s experience?
Example:
“I’d like to try noticing more details of what happens during challenging moments.”
“I want to remember…..”

15. Reflective Practice Group
“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” 
John Dewey, Democracy and Education, 1916