Reflection, reflection, reflection...

Anyone who is taking part in the Professional Practise in Creative Industries course will have certainly come across the idea of reflection. A huge part of discovering and understanding what our practise is, is by reflecting on our training, our lives and our jobs.

‘Reflection is a process of exploring and examining ourselves, our perspectives, attributes, experiences and actions / interactions. It helps us gain insight and see how to move forward.’ 

Docs.hss.ed.ac.uk. 2020. Reflection: What Is It And Why Is It Useful?. [online] Available at: <http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/iad/Learning_teaching/Academic_pastoral/Reflect/Reflection_explanation_HO.pdf> [Accessed 20 October 2020].

I have quite enjoyed looking back at all my past experiences, training and my influences, that have helped mould me into who I am today. It’s really made me appreciate how far I have come and how brave I have been starting up this course during such a difficult time (we are all doing great!) This blog focuses on some research I have found interesting and useful when looking into ‘Reflection’.

An interesting read I found was from Neil Thompson’s book ‘People Skills’, It is suggesting that there are six steps to reflectional practice

1. Read - around the topics you are learning about or want to learn about and develop
2. Ask - others about the way they do things and why
3. Watch - what is going on around you
4. Feel - pay attention to your emotions, what prompts them, and how you deal with negative ones
5. Talk - share your views and experiences with others in your organisation
6. Think - learn to value time spent thinking about your work

Docs.hss.ed.ac.uk. 2020. Reflection: What Is It And Why Is It Useful?. [online] Available at: <http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/iad/Learning_teaching/Academic_pastoral/Reflect/Reflection_explanation_HO.pdf> [Accessed 20 October 2020].

It opened my eyes to the many ways we can reflect on situations and experiences. Most people learn from experiencing something, however we need to reflect on that experience, to learn how to be better next time.
I have in my previous blog researched ‘Kolbs learning cycle’ (feel free to check that blog out)… Now I have come across ‘Gibbs reflective cycle’

Professor Graham Gibbs published his Reflective Cycle in his 1988 book "Learning by Doing." 

Here is an image representing Gibbs Reflective cycle

I am going to relate a personal situation I have had with part of my practise and reflect on it using Gibbs principles

1.DESCRIPTION

My first time teaching a baby ballet class by myself. I had been organised by thinking of some imaginative games I could play with the children and some ways to incorporate the use of story telling and mime into their ballet. They were only 3 years old, therefore I had created a list of fun things I could do with them to fill the 40 minute class. As I was getting through the itinerary that I had created and constantly checking the clock, I had soon realised that I was quickly running out of things to do and still had 20 minutes left! I couldn’t believe it, as I thought I had been so organised. I quickly had to start improvising things for us to do on the spot. Small children’s attention spans are short and If they aren’t entertained, they will soon find ways to entertain themselves… which isn’t the aim for a paying parent. 

For the rest of the class I had to think on the spot and come up with some imaginative / ballet related exercises.

2.FEELINGS

My confidence was going from organised to overwhelmed very quickly and I knew that I was going to have to think on my feet… I started to feel a little stressed, but I couldn’t let the children feel my nerves! I had to remain calm and react quickly.

3.EVALUATION

The positive to the situation was I had been prepared and what I had taught them so far had worked and they had reacted in an excited, engaged and positive way. The negative was I didn’t have enough material for the length of the class and the activities ran much quicker than they did when I was planning.

4.CONCLUSIONS

You cant plan exactly how to do the lesson and you cant predict how the children will respond either. However, having more ideas for activities would have been great for a time like this... but I have learnt so much through this experience, that I will be more prepared and won't be thrown off next time!

5.ACTION

My actions for future classes was to take more time on each exercise and repeat the dance activity twice or as many times as it is deemed appropriate. I learnt that little children like to answer your questions and be engaged, so I would ask them eg. what colour their imaginary fairy wings are? Which Disney character is their favourite or what fruit they had picked from the imaginary tree. This takes up more time, but also boosts their confidence, imagination and social skills. I learnt that some exercises were enjoyed more than others and that you can repeat and add progressions to the exercise. I now know I have to teach at a slower pace, as when I got nervous I tended to talk faster and move quicker through each exercise.

I really learnt so much about myself and my teaching style in that short 40 minute class. I reflected on the situation and learned how I could be a better teacher!

Mindtools.com. 2020. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle: Helping People Learn From Experience. [online] Available at: <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/reflective-cycle.htm> [Accessed 20 October 2020].