Reflective Strategies

Video Transcription

Hi, my name is Ashley. And today's lesson is titled Reflective Strategies. In today's lesson, we'll look at the main focus areas in reflection. We'll identify reflective strategies and explain how reflective questions can be used. Lastly, we'll analyze how reflective strategies can be used in coaching.

What are the main focus areas in reflection? Instructional coaches may help teachers focus on many areas. One of those areas are students' needs and responses. The coach helps the teacher to reflect on how to make learning more engaging and meaningful for students, identify how engaged students are and their learning processes, analyze how students respond to strategies, and determine if learning content is effective for students.

The coach guides the teacher through reflection on his or her professional experiences. The teacher reflects on their views and feelings from lessons that have been taught and identify what they have learned as a result of the classroom experience or new techniques that they have applied.

Another main focus of reflection is the approach to instruction. The coach guides the teacher to reflect on what can be done to improve the lesson. The coaches help with brainstorming strategies for implementing technology and innovative learning opportunities. Lastly, the pair reflects on how to engage more students. It's crucial for collaboration to take place between the coach and the teacher in order to brainstorm and have discussions about different options that can be implemented in the classroom.

What are reflective strategies? There are many reflective strategies a coach can use to guide the teacher through reflection. Just having simple discussions about the teacher's learning process and instructional approaches can help teachers engage in the reflection process.

The coach can use interviews to engage in reflection. The coach can interview the teacher or a professional learning community can interview one another. The interview can be formal or not. This strategy can help the teacher think and reflect on what they have learned and how they are applying what they have learned.

Coaches also use reflective questions to engage teachers in the reflection process. The questions should be learning centered, and teachers should answer them honestly. Questions should focus on successes, what has been learned, and what changes need to be made. Lesson reviews are another strategy. The coach and teacher can review each part of the lesson play by play. This can be used by taking advantage of the video review tool.

And lastly, logs and journals are also reflective strategies. Teachers may be asked by their instructional coach to jot down their reflections from a lesson to share and think about on another occasion. Logs and journals encourage reflective thinking. The journal should include what the teacher has learned, how those learnings can be applied, and ideas for changes.

How can reflective questions be used? Reflective questions are an effective tool that is used during the reflection process. These questions can be developed by the coach or the teacher. Effective questions will meet the following criteria. They're open ended. There's no quick yes or no answer to the question. Take this question, for example. Do you enjoyed teaching physical science? That can be answered with a yes or no. But if we alter the question to say, what do you like and dislike about teaching physical science, then the teacher must go into detail and give explanation to answer the question.

Questions should be specific and not overly general. Take this question, for example. How was the lesson? This is not specific. Let's alter the question to be more specific. What are three things you think went well in your lesson? The first question was very general, but the second question is creating some limits and boundaries. And now the teacher has to think critically and only decide on three things that went well.

Lastly, the question should focus on the teacher and not the students. Take this question, for example. How can students be more engaged? This question is not focusing on the teacher. To change the focus to the teacher, it may ask, how can you design your lessons to engage more students? Now the focus is on what the teacher can do and how the teacher can implement new strategies to increase engagement.

How can reflective strategies be used in coaching? Coaches are needed to help teachers have meaningful reflection. Coaches may even have to teach reflective strategies at the beginning of the process. A coach will also help the teacher choose reflective strategies that are best for them. Initially, the coach leads the relationship. But eventually the teacher will become a full collaborative partner. At first, teachers may find it uncomfortable to reflect. But with the positive, trusting relationship from a coach, teachers learn to explore their own teaching and learning processes.

Coaches also guide the focus of reflection, helping teachers to remain on topic, to stay positive and relevant to their goals. Though reflection is non-evaluative, coaches may challenge teachers by asking complex questions. Coaches also give teachers opportunities to analyze the progress they have made for their goals and identify future improvements that need to occur.

Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. The main focus areas of reflection are students' needs, professional experiences, and the approach to instruction. Discussions, interviews, reflective questions, journals and logs, and lesson review are reflective strategies that can be used during the reflection process. In order for reflective questions to be effective, they should be open ended, specific, and focused on the teacher. And lastly, reflective strategies are used in coaching. Coaches help teachers have meaningful reflection by teaching reflective strategies and guiding the focus of reflection.

What reflective strategies will you choose to use? As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the Additional Resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skill set.