Taking time to pause: Engaging with a gift of reflective practice

Abstract

This paper is a call to action to engage readers in cultivating reflective practice. The demands of a rapidly changing global society, the influences on emerging learning and teaching landscapes, and the ubiquity of information in 21 st century society are catalysts for this focus on reflection. The author conducted a literature review, integrated with personal experience, resulting in a proposed PARA model (pausing, attending, revising, adopting, adapting) as an extension to existing reflective practice models. In the context of this paper, reflective practice is addressed in terms of professional development within higher education (HE) and the personal experience of its transformational potential. This model offers an opportunity for educators to take time to experience reflection beginning with a pause. Although not an instant solution, this act of pausing can kick-start and cultivate reflective practice for novices or lapsed practitioners.

Grade R teachers’ understanding of reflective practice

“…2010:15) argued that teachers need to be 'intellectually curious' and that teachers should value reflective practice as a way of deepening and understanding the experience of teaching and learning. This intellectual curiosity has the potential to develop a growth mindset (Ganly 2017). Such intellectual curiosity supports the teachers' ability to improve on their practice.…”

Introduction to section on values in evaluation praxis

“…Collectively, the experiences highlighted within this issue provide practical ideas for evaluators interested in better understanding and attending to stakeholder values within the evaluation. Finally, these articles serve as a reminder for evaluators to be collaborative and continue to engage in reflective practice (Dewey, 1933; Ganly, 2018; Mathieson, 2016) as our field continues to expand, to be refined, and to become professionalized.…”

Reflective Practice: Moving Intention into Action

“…Despite the impor tance placed on reflective practice, ways to develop and enact reflective skills can be unclear due to the complexity of the process (Knightbridge, 2019). Cultivating self-awareness is meant to enable targeted actions in practice and promote lifelong learning (Finlay, 2008;Ganly, 2018). Two reflective practice models described in the evaluation literature include Kundin's (2010) conceptual framework on everyday decision-making and the DATA (Describe, Analyze, Theorize, and Act) model (Peters, 1991;Smith, Barlow, Peters, & Skolits, 2015).…”

“…Innovative and responsive professional practice relies upon practitioners taking responsibility for lifelong learning and, therefore, taking steps to develop a refl ec tive practice that exposes taken-for-granted knowledge and actions (Finlay, 2008;Ganly, 2018). Although the importance of reflection is acknowledged in such fields as evaluation, health, and education (Canadian Evaluation Society, 2018;Kinsella, 2001;Knightbridge, 2019;Mann, Gordon, & MacLeod, 2009; National Physiotherapy Advisory Group, 2017;Paterson & Chapman, 2013;Patton, 2002), ways to develop reflective skills and enact meaningful reflection are few in number and tend to be vague and abstract (Knightbridge, 2019).…”