Page 84 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 84
professional judgement that is developed through a diagnosis of their
practice and critical incidents. Tripp (1993) claims that being aware of what
something means to us is of little practical value unless we do something
about it by creating a critical incident. This critical incident acts as both an
agenda for further action and a way of evaluating and interpreting it. This
cycle can be used instantly during teaching in an informal or more formal
way. It can also be used in professional development in terms of reducing
ESL since creating (or observing) and analysing critical incidents would
enable educators to establish understanding and usage of good (and weak-
er) practices.
Ziecher and Liston (1996) developed an understanding of reflective
teaching which emphasises five key features and where a reflective teacher:
1. examines, frames and attempts to solve dilemmas of classroom
practice;
2. is aware of and questions the assumptions and values they bring
to education;
3. is attentive to the institutional and cultural context;
4. takes part in curriculum development and is involved in school
change efforts; and
5. takes responsibility for their own professional development.
These authors (Ziecher & Liston, 1996) believe that viewing educators
as reflective practitioners assumes that educators can both pose and solve
problems related to their educational practice, including ESL.
Of course, the reflection and self-reflection of educators may have dif-
ferent perspectives and comprise several characteristics. Accordingly, con-
tinuing changes in understanding and interpreting the meaning and con-
tent of educators’ reflection and self-reflection is expected. Thus, a model of
critical reflection was developed (Brookfield, 1995) that views it as a process
where those who are performing the self-evaluation actively engage with a
(most often first-hand and meaningful) situation with the intention to “in-
tegrate the understanding gained into experience in order to enable bet-
ter choices or actions in the future as well to enhance overall effectiveness”
(Rogers, 2001, p. 41).
84
practice and critical incidents. Tripp (1993) claims that being aware of what
something means to us is of little practical value unless we do something
about it by creating a critical incident. This critical incident acts as both an
agenda for further action and a way of evaluating and interpreting it. This
cycle can be used instantly during teaching in an informal or more formal
way. It can also be used in professional development in terms of reducing
ESL since creating (or observing) and analysing critical incidents would
enable educators to establish understanding and usage of good (and weak-
er) practices.
Ziecher and Liston (1996) developed an understanding of reflective
teaching which emphasises five key features and where a reflective teacher:
1. examines, frames and attempts to solve dilemmas of classroom
practice;
2. is aware of and questions the assumptions and values they bring
to education;
3. is attentive to the institutional and cultural context;
4. takes part in curriculum development and is involved in school
change efforts; and
5. takes responsibility for their own professional development.
These authors (Ziecher & Liston, 1996) believe that viewing educators
as reflective practitioners assumes that educators can both pose and solve
problems related to their educational practice, including ESL.
Of course, the reflection and self-reflection of educators may have dif-
ferent perspectives and comprise several characteristics. Accordingly, con-
tinuing changes in understanding and interpreting the meaning and con-
tent of educators’ reflection and self-reflection is expected. Thus, a model of
critical reflection was developed (Brookfield, 1995) that views it as a process
where those who are performing the self-evaluation actively engage with a
(most often first-hand and meaningful) situation with the intention to “in-
tegrate the understanding gained into experience in order to enable bet-
ter choices or actions in the future as well to enhance overall effectiveness”
(Rogers, 2001, p. 41).
84
