Reflective journey

‘Learning and teaching are not simple, usually you will never arrive at a final decision about the nature of learning and teaching but will continue to develop your understanding all throughout your career, never ‘arriving’ is not a problem as the journey is so fascinating’ Petty (2004, p.488)

Below is a section of the original essay

The journey to being a critically reflective teacher has not been without bumps in the road. I have modified and adapted my teaching throughout the year whilst always striving to keep my teaching student centred and enjoyable ‘critical reflection is a matter of stance and dance. Our stance toward our practice is one of enquiry. We see it as being in constant formation and always needing further investigation. Our dance is the dance of experimentation and risk’ Brookfield (1995, p. 42) Brookfield also suggests that becoming more critically reflective makes you less prone to self laceration, I have to agree whole heartedly, I have always been my own worst critic. I have found that just because you don’t get immediate or the desired response isn’t necessarily a bad thing. One of my enlightened peers once said on the blog ‘we are like actors on a stage and just because the audience isn’t clapping doesn't mean they are not enjoying the show’ Tess (2006) and it has stuck with me as so true.

I am now a storyteller and if you would have described me as such 9 months ago I would have laughed. However, from day 1 blogging we were all story tellers, we were sharing teaching war stories from the front line as just one example ‘stories are the mode we use to make sense of ourselves and the world. We tell and retell episodes both minor and major to our colleagues, our loved ones, therapists and priests’ Bolton (2002) As yet I haven’t shared my stories with therapists or priests but I’ve found it wise to never say never. I have thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue we have shared and the many, many stories we have shared. My passion for IT and new found storytelling is being given a platform using PebblePAD. I have loved every moment of the PGCE and my initial predictions from my learning autobiography that the PGCE would be ‘the most scary, intense, nerve shattering, exciting and rewarding nine months of all of my learning journeys’ was completely accurate. Brookfield sees the future for qualified teachers in a rather sad light of lost innocence ‘the gradual realization that the dilemmas of teaching have no ultimate solution. It dawns on us that becoming a skillful teacher will always be an unformed-unfinished project – a true example of lifelong learning’ it is for all these reasons that I look forward with excitement, not sadness to spending my life as a teacher.

References

BOLTON, G (2005) Reflective practice, writing and professional development. London: Sage

BOUD, D. et al. (1996) Boundaries of adult learning. GB: Open University Press

BROOKFIELD, S (1995) Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey Bass

FAWBERT (2003) Teaching in post compulsory education. New York: Continuum

PETTY, G (2004) Teaching today. GB: Nelson Thornes

WALLACE, S (2002) Teaching and supporting learning in further education. Exeter: Learning matters