A Reflection .......

"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death."

Leonardo da Vinci

Reflection........what is it?, why is it?, where is it?, when is it?, who is it?, and how is it?. these are many questions , which throughout one's life you may or more than likely will have had to call upon to use in a multitude of situations and circumstances. However when you do, are you really answering those questions by reflection or are you simply reacting to the circumstances or the situation you find yourself in at the time?......

Coming from a public service perspective (as an ex police officer) I find myself strangely drawn to this paradox of reflection. For many years I worked through blood, sweat and tears, my brain and thought processes exploding with questions about the scenes and the circumstances of the events which I was called upon to deal with, the deaths, the destruction of people's lives, both emotionally and physically and mentally, occasionally touched by instances of gratitude and thanks which made the job bearable and which were more than gratefully received in a world of carnage and destruction. The mental issues being the most destructive of all as you ride upon a permanent emotional adrenaline filled roller-coaster .........where no one can see the damage to the inner soul .....and the scars are invisible.....until?????.

You find solace in self-reflection, you use it as a tool to rebuild...you cannot hope to renew what has been broken, but you can rewire, you can rebuild in a fashion which enables you to live a life which you had thought you would never see again. You find new avenues to learn about, you find focus in your life, you relax, you take one thing at a time, you tell people who fuss and stress to chill........ NOTHING in life is so serious that you make yourself ill over it ......Reflect on it and find the key ........

Good teachers are always the first to acknowledge that no matter how good they think their lessons are, their teaching strategies can always be improved. This is often achieved by asking our colleagues for their opinions. The process of self reflection is important because its a process which requires you to record, analyse and collect everything in the lesson so that you can improve your teaching strategies where necessary. Bringing together effective-teaching and self-reflection is a process, the first step being to work out which part or what feature of your teaching you need to reflect upon - or is the reflection a response to a particular problem which occurs in the classroom?. Whatever it may be, you need to start collating the information. 

There are many ways in which this can be done:-

Peer Observation: Ask a colleague to observe you teaching, create a questionnaire and ask them to complete it and afterward sit down and discuss the observations on your lesson.
     
Video Record your teaching lessons: This enables you to see an unbiased and original record of how effective your teaching is from both a student and teacher perspective.

Student Observation: Handout out a questionnaire to your students and ask them what they thought of your lesson. encourage them to express their thoughts and feelings critically.

Write a self-reflective journal: write down a few notes after each lesson describing your feelings and reactions. Write down observations about your students and where necessary break your journal into sections so you can assess and measure yourself time and time again.

And for those who serve and protect in the public services a few wise words .....https://youtu.be/Jmg86CRBBtw