Last week we had a reading and lecture on the importance of reflection within creative teaching practice. So far I have found every aspect of the course engaging and educational, even noticing shifts in my teaching informed by my learning. However I struggled with both the reading and the lecture, it felt simultaneously obvious and overly academic. It made me step back and look at the teaching environment I operate in, and found that it is generally very supportive with regular opportunities for reflection and feedback between peers and managers. Having only briefly worked in another teaching role I recognised that the lecture felt obvious because much of it is all I have known, and feels intrinsic enough that academic scrutiny feels unnecessary.
When I compared this to working as an architect in practice (which I do alongside teaching and studying) I realised that I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to reflect and gain feedback in an open and constructive way. The idea of specifically carving out regular time for this in an office environment feels almost laughable, when project deadlines and financial margins are so tight that I have become accustomed to an atmosphere that at it’s best is fast paced and work-focussed but at its worst is tense and occasionally fearful, leading to poor teamwork and unproductivity.
I am aware of the irony of critiquing a lecture about reflection in a reflective text and finding that by reflecting upon it I appreciate its value. But having been through this process I now have a greater appreciation for the environment I teach in, and will hopefully find ways to develop this in wider practice.
XPE Feb 2024: Reflective Practice (2024). Available at: https://ual.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b42a549d-4b17-4867-aa73-b116010fdb6c (Accessed: 16 February 2024).