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The “U” Model: Reflective Practice Guidelines for Educators

Engaged Inspired Transformed

Purpose: The purpose of this guideline is to help you critically reflect on your teaching practice.

You will be challenged to uncover your assumptions, beliefs, opinions and biases about the

learner, learning and the learning environment. This ultimately speaks to how you live your

teaching philosophy, whether that philosophy is formally articulated or not. The desired outcome

of this reflective process is the creation of a safe, student centered learning environment.

While there are different goals for reflective practice, this model focuses on the goal of

transformation (Chapman & Shaw Anderson, 2005, p.543; Lyons, 2010, p. 16). It is the desire

and hope that through reflection a competent, confident, compassionate, conscientious,

committed, professional, student centered educator emerges (Roach, 1987/2002).

Rationale:

For engaging in reflective practice:

higher education faculty are content experts, not teaching experts (Brookfield, 1995;

Cranton, 2002).

it is a key component to the development of competent educators, therefore enhancing

teaching practice (Brookfield, 1995).

For building student centered learning environments:

foster life-long learning cultures (Attard, Dilorio, Geven, & Santa, 2010, p. 11; Weimer,

2013).

support an increased motivation to learn as well as independence and responsibility for

learning (Attard et al., 2010, p. 8).

impact educators by providing a more interesting/challenging teaching role, resulting in

positive working conditions (Attard et al., 2010, p. 9).

What is reflective practice?

Reflective practice is an intentional action driven by someone who wants to discover the purpose

and meaning behind an interaction. It involves asking questions that ultimately explore your

values, beliefs, assumptions, and perspectives. It requires taking responsibility for those values,

beliefs, assumptions, and perspectives and either affirming them or intentionally seeking new

knowledge to change or broaden the understanding of them. The final step in the reflective

process is action that is based on this new understanding. True reflection results in

transformation. It is about having an impact on humanity. You as “the reflector”

are changed through the process, thereby creating an environment characterized by

openness, respect, and understanding. This environment is necessary for student

centered learning. The following four steps within The“U” Model serve as a guide

for reflection.

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Why a “U” model?

The “U” Model serves as visual representation of the guidelines. The “U” has

significance for two reasons. First, the title of the model reflects Dewey’s (1933)

beliefs of reflection as a personal journey with the individual bearing the

responsibility for the process. Reflection is about you (U)! Secondly, the shape of

the “U” symbolizes depth. Staying on the surface, mulling over interactions will

not result in transformation.

(Step 1) Description of an Experience

What happened with your student? What happened in your

classroom? What happened with other faculty? What did you do as a

result?

(Step 2) Identified Learning

What do you believe about your role as an educator in this situation?

What conclusions did you make about yourself, students, others in

this situation? How did your beliefs, biases, assumptions, and

opinions influence the situation? Do these need to be challenged to

move you to student centered learning? Could you have dealt with

the interaction in a different manner?

(Step 3) Resource/Research Supported Learning (VERY

IMPORTANT PART!!)

Critical reflection/thinking is what you do to challenge your current

knowledge and perspectives. Here you will summarize the relevancy

of your findings to the situation you described. What resources

(actual SOURCES of information such as journal articles, best

practice guidelines, etc.) did you use to challenge your knowledge

and perspectives? How is this information informing your practice? Do you need to change some of your values, beliefs, assumptions,

and perspectives? How has this new information/awareness changed

or reinforced your original knowledge and perspective?

(Step 4) Implications for Future Practice

In this section you will need to think about what this learning means

for your future practice. What will you do in your future practice as a

result of this new information/learning?

* It is important to note that even though four steps have been identified

within the model, reflection is not a linear step by step process.

It is an individual journey and the steps are identified as a guide.*

Intentional

Thought

Practice:

The Act of

Questioning

Awareness/

Understanding

Action

Action leads to Transformation

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The “U” Model

Do you have the 4 attributes that are important for reflective practice?

Being Present (Are you able to set aside your own thoughts, cares and concerns in order to be fully engaged with

another?)

Open mindedness (Do you have a sense of curiosity to learn more about the way you see yourself and the world?

Are you willing to explore the concept that other people see the world differently? Are you willing to hear the

viewpoints of others?

Whole Heartedness (Are you passionately engaged in the process? Are you willing to do the work in order to

understand others?)

Responsibility (Are you willing to be responsible for your thoughts, opinions, and assumptions that result in actions and

choices that impact the world around you.

(Dewey, 1933; Rodgers, 2002)

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“Who is thinking for you?”

(Brookfield, 1995; American Psychological Association, 1997; Mezirow, 1998; Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005;

Nairn, Chambers, Thompson, McGarry, & Chambers, 2010; Weimer, 2013)

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Author Note

This work is the result of a collaborative effort between Linda J.M. Cavanaugh BScN,

RN and Leanne M. Topola MN, BScN, RN, BA, IBCLC, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Program, MacEwan University. Please reference as:

Cavanaugh, L.J.M., & Topola, L.M. (2014). The “U” model: Reflective practice guidelines for

educators. Unpublished manuscript, BScN Program, MacEwan University, Edmonton,

Canada.

References

American Psychological Association. (1997, November). Learner-centered psychological

principles: A framework for school reform and redesign. Washington, DC. Author.

Attard, A., Dilorio, E., Geven, K., & Santa, R. (2010). Student centered learning: Toolkit for

students, staff and higher education institutions. Brussels, BE: Laserline.

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

Chapman, V.-L., & Shaw Anderson, B. (2005). Reflective practice. In L. English (Ed.),

International encyclopedia of adult education (pp. 541-548). New York, NY: Palgrave

MacMillan.

Cranton, P. (2002). Teaching for transformation. New Directions for Adult and Continuing

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http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1536-0717

Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Boston, MA: DC Heath.

Knowles, M., Holton III, E., & Swanson, R. (2005). The adult learner: The definitive classic in

adult education and human resource development (6th ed.). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.

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Lyons, N. (2010). Reflection and reflective inquiry: Critical issues, evolving conceptualizations,

contemporary claims and future possibilities. In N. Lyons (Ed.), Handbook of reflection

and reflective inquiry: mapping a way of knowing for professional reflective inquiry (pp.

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Mezirow, J. (1998). On critical reflection. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(3), 185-198.

Nairn, S., Chambers, D., Thompson, S., McGarry, J., & Chambers, K. (2010). Reflexivity and

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Roach, M.S. (1987/2002). Caring, the human mode of being. Ottawa, ON: CHA Press.

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