Reflection is not about proving you are right

I think some may become confused when it comes to a positive reflective practice and think that good reflection is about proving you are right. Instead good reflection is about taking an honest look at the work you do to decide how you might improve.

How does one do this?

First, it's important to zero in on the topic that you are reflecting on. For example, a topic I am reflecting a lot on is how to teach our most challenged students better.

Then, it's important to look at what's happening related to this topic with questions such as these:

• Where are we seeing success?
• Where are we seeing a lack of success?
• What are the attributes of success we notice?
• What are the attributes of lack of success we see?
• What time, staffing, environment, pedagogy, and resources lead to greater success?
• How can we effectively maximize the use of those positive contributors more?
• Where does research and development play a role here? How are we maximizing the use of collaboration too to develop this effort?

Good reflection looks at the big picture independently and with others. They create a discovery path, and then act upon its findings. Information is shared readily and inclusively--it's not a competition, but instead a collegial effort towards betterment.