A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

476 ❘
Enhancing personal practice
Case study 2: Reflecting – why and how
Reflection, that is conscious and purposeful pondering about our own thoughts
and behaviours, is a fundamental part of life. Without reflection, we cannot make
sense of what happens to us and engender actions aimed at solving the problems
life throws at us. Reflecting becomes particularly important when our views and
expectations are challenged.
In university life, academics are being pressurised to embrace more roles
(research, teaching and management), in relation to more varied student
populations and demands for a higher level of accountability. Academics are now
being called upon to reflect actively on who they are and what they do, on a more
conscious level, than ever before.
As a tutor and assessment adviser to academics taking an HEA accredited
qualification, one area I spend a lot of time discussing with my tutees is the
concept and practise of reflection. This is because some lecturers find it difficult
(if not alien, at times, because of their own disciplinary domain and practices) to
‘discuss’ themselves. Putting such reflections in writing can be challenging, as
it requires the ‘I’ to become central to the act of writing, when it is customary,
in many disciplines, to reach for ‘objectivity’ by using the passive or impersonal
voice. Putting oneself under the microscope, so to speak, in order to question
and refine the thinking and behavioural patterns that guide one’s work can be a
tall order.
However, there are things that lecturers can do to reflect effectively. Here is some
advice I give my tutees:
• Start getting used to describing your work environment in some detail – this
will help you see things you normally do not see, as you take them for
granted.
• In your interaction with your work environment, record how much this
changes you, both as a person and as a lecturer, and how much you manage
to change it.
• However, do not stop at the descriptive level; learn how to routinely problematise
your work environment, asking yourself ‘how’ and ‘why’ things work in a
certain way in your classroom, department, institution and in the higher
education system. For example, if you record a problem in your teaching (say
a lack of student discipline), is this due (solely) to your being unable to control
a class or are there wider factors that create this problem (e.g. time of your
lectures, preferred departmental mode of delivery, the way the curriculum is
organised, overcrowding)?
• Remember that reflection is helped by comparisons, and these can be made
at different levels. First of all, look for similarities and attrition points between