Critical Reflection and Community Recreation

LeadershipInstructor: Tyler MacDonaldCourse Date: June 22, 2013

Location: East Gwillimbury Community Centre19000 Leslie ST.Sharon, Ontario

Activity Time Objective

Introductions 9am – 9:15am Learn who is in the class and their background

Review of Critical Reflection Methods

9:15am – 10:15am Review critical reflection methods: What is it and why critical

reflection Graduate Study Programs Professional Development

Workshops Conference Attendance Teaching Logs Teacher Learning Audits Role Model Profiles Survival advice memos Videotaping Students’ Eyes Other (classroom dynamics,

collaboration) Summary

Break 10:15am – 10:30am

Agenda for June 22, 2013

Activity Time Objective

Workshop 10:30am – 11:10am Groups will review current method of teaching, relate it to critical reflection methods and develop thoughts on how to use materials.

Workshop Presentations

11:10am – 11:50am Groups will present results of the workshop on critical reflection and introspection and thoughts for future teaching.

Wrap-up 11:50am – 12 noon Summarize of participant workshop presentations and roundtable discussion on thoughts on the session.

Handout student Critical Incident Questionnaire for completion.

Agenda (continued)

Today’s Instructor – Tyler MacDonald, Brock University Undergraduate student in Recreation and Leisure

Three hour session on Critical Reflection to inspire Community Recreation Leaders to consider using critical reflection to help ensure that your teaching style and the materials you are attempting to teach are actually reaching the participants.

Introductions - go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves, talk briefly about their leadership role and their objectives for today.

Hand out copies of slides so participants can take notes

Introductions

Review of Critical Reflection Methods

Lecture

What is Critical Reflection? Critical Reflection Points. Why critical reflection? Autobiographical Lenses

Graduate Study Programs Professional Development Workshops Conference Attendance Teaching Logs Teacher Learning Audits Role Model Profiles Survival advice memos Videotaping

Peer Observation Students’ Eyes Other (classroom dynamics, collaboration)

Critical Reflection Methods

“no matter what one’s class, race, gender, or social standing, I shared my beliefs that without the capacity to think critically about our selves and our lives, none of us would be able to move forward, to change, to grow”

“Engaged pedagogy has been essential to my development as an intellectual, as a teacher/professor, because the heart of this approach to learning is critical thinking”

bell hook’s quote (hooks, 1994, p. 202)

Sincerity of teaching doesn’t mean success Cultural, psychological, and political complexities Power of human relationships (between students and

teachers) Means teaching not innocent Innocent teaching means naïve teaching – that is assuming

that what you are teaching is what is being received. Reflection means hunting for assumptions Assumptions such as adults are self-directed learners, it is

good to encourage students to take control over designing, conducting, and evaluating their learning, and learning contracts increase student self-direction may not be correct.

In Community Recreation Leadership if you are aware of these potential scenarios you can be more successful when leading activities through a “reflective process”.

What is Critical Reflection?

The assumption that visiting a small group during group work is respectful is not necessarily true.

Cutting lectures down to a minimum is good to reduce passivity is not always good as it can take away from engaging in the ideas.

Participants like group discussion is not always true given power dynamics and communication inequities.

Don’t always assume participants want community leaders to downplay their position of superiority

Don’t assume that if you have been teaching longer you are the more experienced leader as you could be repeating actions that aren’t helpful without some sort of critical reflection.

This is a key point for a community leader to understand and therefore to always be searching for ways to improve.

Critical Reflection Points

Helps community leader take informed action on their teaching habits and content

Helps rationalize the practice Helps avoid self- criticism if you think participants

aren’t learning Provides some grounding in teaching and how its

going It can help to liven up the classroom with new

teaching styles and concepts It can help with trust between participants and leaders

if done properly – participants will see community leaders are trying to improve and leaders will see where possible improvement lies

Why Critical Reflection?

Our autobiography based on our experiences

Our student’s eyes Our colleagues eyes and experiences Theoretical literature

All of these methods will provide critical review of teaching methods, styles and results that can be improved on and can result in continuous improvement.

Critical Reflective Lenses

Autobiographical Lense

Graduate, professional development & conference attendance, teaching logs, teaching learning audits, role

model profiles, survival advice memos & videotaping

One of the three autobiographical methods to be critically “self-reflective”.

Our Professors have the power and control our fate. Reminds us of affect of power and that we should

use to good educative effect going forward Keeping a learning journal of graduate study

experience will provide insights for your own teaching

Having reflected on your professor’s “good” and “bad” actions will be to your advantage going forward and it will help you ensure you don’t reproduce the same power dynamics.

Graduate Study Programs

Concerns professional development opportunities for faculty – e.g. workshops, presentations, and institutes

Opportunity to experience what your students do.

Want practitioners to be experienced, “been around the block” to speak to typical situations, and for them to stand for something.

It allows for thought on educator’s words and actions being consistent, on their offering something important, and that they look at opportunities to do things differently.

Professional Development Workshops

Attendance at these sessions can be valuable or they can be “a waste of time”

Can be used as a learning exercise to dissect regardless of whether they were valuable or not.

In other words if it was a learning experience why was it and how can it be applied to your teaching

If it was a waste of time, why was it and therefore what will you do differently when putting together course materials and community recreation programs

Conference learning logs are good to record these ideas and use to our benefit going forward.

Academic Conferences

Weekly record of events that are memorable Its about documenting what has given you as a leader pleasure,

or stress, or puzzlement Its usually about keeping a log of your reactions or interpretations

of events Makes you realize what you assume about teaching – good or bad Idea is to keep it weekly and spend up to 30 minutes on it Types of questions when writing are related to when you felt

connected during the week, when you felt disconnected, what situations caused you grief, and what situation most surprised you?

As a community leader this type of log can help you reflect on programs you may be running and perhaps what you think went right or wrong and it could alert you to areas you require more skills in.

Teaching Logs

Reflective tool to encourage leaders to view themselves as adult learners

Usually done at end of term or annually It involves thinking back and documenting what you learned about

yourself, students, your teaching, changes in your assumptions Allows you to think about what learnings are brand new versus

refinements What triggered what you learned – a crisis, directive, personal

dissatisfaction, desire to experiment, some chance event or other? Process gets you into habit of thinking of yourself as a learner,

makes you aware of how much you are learning, and provides a sense of where you have changed.

Can contribute to better community programs and greater enrollment

Teacher Learning Audits

Talking about instructors you admire and why Its about people we admire regarding abilities and

qualities and how you could emulate their leadership Think back over your career in the community and in

school and write down those you most admired Write down what it is that you admired about these

leaders/teachers. What abilities of these people would you like to

borrow? Remember you usually admire people who do things

easily that you can’t – this helps you to know where you are struggling and why.

Role Model Profiles

Way to discover knowledge and assumptions Pretend you are leaving your leadership role

and must provide successor advice on how to succeed

Reveals knowledge you take seriously and assumptions that most influence you

Document what you need to survive in role, what needs to stay afloat, what you wish you had been told when you started and things you suggest your successor avoid thinking, doing or assuming.

Survival Advice Memo

Can be good but shocking way to see yourself as a leader

You will see your bad or good or odd habits such as looking at the floor, not finishing sentences, repeating certain phrases, mixing up your material, see whether we smile at all, seeing reaction to student comments or criticisms, whether you speak to loud or too soft

This can be a good exercise for a community recreation leader to ensure that the programs we are communicating make sense given our objective is always to increase enrollment.

Videotaping

Peer Observation

Colleague observation can be most helpful Some may fear this due to competition and as a community leader

you may not want others to see your weaknesses. Choose carefully who you ask to observe you Ensure they have a variety of community leadership experience They are good communicators They are considered as someone who wants to help struggling leaders Ask around for the right community leader If you use this critical reflection method tell your students who is in

the classroom observing and why – want outside observation to improve your leadership/teaching skills going forward

Provide your peer observer some instruction on specific areas you want feedback on – am I confusing – am I fair to all participants – am I working hard to ensure full participation?

Tell observer that you will do the same for them Make sure all feedback is actionable and has examples to explain the

observation – good or bad

Peer Observation

Student Observation

Knowing how our leadership style is perceived by our participants can shape our efforts so desired results are achieved.

Best way to unearth power dynamics in the classroom.

Traditional method to gather information occurs when all sessions are done for a course – problem is you can’t action on it as its after the fact

There are a few methods that can be used to gather student observations which can be more immediate and actionable.

Student Observation

More immediate methods of gathering actionable student observations during the session include:◦ Run a specific exercise to see student participation and then

gather information through a critical incident questionnaire immediately following the session.

◦ Student Learning Journals – weekly process that allows students to think about how they learn allows the instructor to see their teaching through a student’s eyes and see what they find helpful versus confusing. Can become a monthly journal provided to instructor who can use it to make better choices.

◦ Troubleshooting – time as beginning of every class to talk about course, how it is going and what can be improved.

◦ Participant Learning Portfolios – allows participant to be self-reflective and instructor is provided useful information about how the students are learning. Students are provided instructions on content to help with consistency.

Student Observation Methods

Other Critical Reflection Methods

CIQ – one page form handed out each week Five Questions Not about what they liked or didn’t like but rather focused

on significant happenings that were important to them Questions concern:

◦ Moment you felt most engaged?◦ Moment you felt most distanced?◦ Action of instructor or student you found most helpful?◦ Action of instructor or student you found confusing?◦ What from the class surprised you the most?

Alerts instructor to confusions or ambiguities that could be causing student problems

Gives instructor time to course correct Teaches students to be reflective

Classroom Dynamics & Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ)

Collaborative critical analysis to help instructors address problems they face.

Three phased approach where instructors reflect on their experience for responses to common problems they experience.

Done with groups of instructors working together Three phases are:

◦ Problem formulation – identify most pressing problems they face each day and agree on most pressing

◦ Individual & Collective analysis of problem – individuals review the problem on their own and then collectively with the group and create a best/worst experience matrix as a learner, colleague, and teacher

◦ Compile Suggestions for Practice

Group Collaboration & Good Practices Audit (GPA)

Summary of Critical Reflection

Many methods and opportunities to reflect and gain feedback to better your instruction

They are all useful tools that can be used individually or together to help you with your community leadership practice going forward

They all have pros and cons in terms of helping improve instruction and taken together are an excellent way to critically reflect and improve

The list can be overwhelming but helpful in giving you options to explore and think about

The exercise we will do next will help you to think about how you could use any one of them to improve your leadership in the community

Summary of Critical Reflection

Workshop

Objective:◦ To brainstorm in small teams these various “critical reflection activities” described

earlier.◦ Prepare the group’s thoughts on which critical reflection activities would you like to

pursue and why◦ For the activity rated number one – explain why your team suggested it is the most

useful tool for a community leader and provide material on this activity about your team. For example if you have chosen survival advice as #1 then provide what that advice is.

You have been placed at a table of 5 folks and this is your group – therefore 6 groups Everyone must participate and each group to appoint primary roles of leader, a recorder

of the information and the presenter of the information Everyone must listen, participate, and question but eventually one presentation per group

is required Remember each group should have secondary roles of questioner, silent observer, and

active listener. This is similar to “circle of voices” process (Broofield, p. 153) where you have a problem

poser, reflective analyst, devil’s advocate, detective, theme spotter, and umpire.

Group Work (40 minutes)

Each group will be given 7 minutes to present their thoughts◦ Group1◦ Group 2◦ Group 3◦ Group 4◦ Group 5◦ Group 6

Total of 42 minutes of presentations

Workshop Presentations

Wrap Up

Critical Incident Questionnaire◦ Will make course better going forward◦ Anonymous◦ Please leave at the door when leaving◦ Past forms have helped to improve content of this course

Questions are:1. At what moment today did you feel most engaged with what was

happening?2. At what moment today did you feel most distanced from what was

happening?3. What action that anyone (teacher or student) took in class today did

you find most affirming and helpful?4. What action that anyone (teacher or student) took today did yo find

most puzzling or confusing?5. What about today surprised you the most? (This could be something

you reacted to, something someone did or anything else that occurs to you).

6. Would you recommend this class to others? Why or why not?

Wrap- up

Thank you for participating

Instructor: Tyler MacDonald

Brookfield, Stephen D. (1995). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

hooks, bell. (1994). Teaching to Transgress – Education as the Practice of Freedom. Routledge: New York.

References