Reflective Writing: the essence of effective teaching and learning?

Welcome to my blog.  This is my reflective account of the use of technology in higher education.  By way of introduction, I'd like to offer my thoughts about the value of reflective writing in teaching and learning.  I hope you find this collection of blogs informative and entertaining.  Please feel free to add to the discussion by rating the content or leaving a comment, if you so wish.

The mastery of narrative skills in practice has oft been considered essential for professionals, particularly those in education, as well as medicine and law.  An excellent way in which to harness narrative competency is the practice of reflective writing (Bolton, 2001).  Reflective writing challenges the dominant paradigm in professional practice and training by casting aside the rational, quantitative and logical in favour of the intuitive, imaginative and, dare I say it, ruminative mode of thought.  This may sound overly simplistic, a cop out for those who do not possess the skill to command a writing style suitable for academia.  I can however, from extensive experience of reflective writing for the counselling component of my undergraduate degree assure you that this is not the case.  I would agree with Hudson Jones (2001) who alludes to reflective writing as requiring 'courage' and 'honesty'.  Such writing can take you to places you never considered, leading to refreshing insights and new ways of knowing that other forms of writing cannot emulate.

So, why is it now considered so imperative for teachers to engage with reflective writing and practice as part of professional development?  Does it really improve the teaching?  Should teachers be just that- teaching instead of spending endless hours ruminating over the delivery of a module, self-evaluating every last detail.  Is time taken reflecting better spent improving the quality of course material, tailoring the delivery to the learner group or just researching so that the teacher really does become all-knowing in the eyes of the student. I would suggest that the process of reflection, if done properly naturally does all of that.

Honest reflection can allow the teacher to recognise gaps in the learning experience faster and better than any form of re-validation or academic prose.  It's all good and well to have the knowledge to put together course content, aims and objectives.  The detailed lesson plan is seen as the holy grail of practice but what good is all that if we aren't able or willing to consider what really works when we are actually teaching? Reflective writing and therefore reflective practice bridges the gap between actual practice and the theoretical endeavour of teaching, allowing the practitioner to efficiently identify genuine concerns, issues or, conversely what really works so the next course design is more robust.  The lesson plan becomes fluid, responsive to the needs of the learner as well as capturing the strengths and challenges of the teacher, long before staid protocols and procedures identify these things.

The question was: 'Reflective writing: the essence of effective teaching and learning?'  I'd say most certainly.  

References

Bolton, G (2001).  Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. London:Sage.

Hudson Jones, A (2001).  Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. London:Sage