What does it mean to be a reflective practitioner

Week 6 – Discussion 1

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Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

 Why Educators Should Conduct Research

Your written response to this discussion prompt is your time to reflect on the action research cycle. This discussion also supports your achievement of Course Learning Outcome 4.

Educators need to conduct research in order to make effective decisions about student learning and student achievement. In addition, teachers must be reflective about their practice in order to make appropriate changes and accommodations, especially for diverse student populations.

*Note: there are two parts to this discussion.

Initial Post: Post an initial response that addresses the following areas:

Part A:
Read the following articles about being a reflective practitioner:

• “The articulated learning: An approach to guided reflection and assessment”
• “The Role of Reflection in the Differentiated Instructional Process” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Using information you gathered from the articles, provide an analysis of the following questions:

• What does it mean to be a reflective practitioner?
• Why should teachers be reflective?
• How would you describe yourself in regard to being a reflective practitioner?

Part B:
Provide an evaluation of this question from Barth (as cited in the Phelps, 2008): “How much are you prepared to risk of what is familiar, comfortable, safe, and perhaps working well for you, in the name of better education for others?” (p. 122). Reflect on current practices and how you can be a reflective change agent. Think about the following questions:

• How will you use research to improve your practice in order to facilitate student achievement?
• What two areas of practice in your educational environment do you think need researching and why?

Guided Response: After reviewing the initial posts, substantively reply to at least two peers. Asking clarifying questions and sharing personal experiences are excellent methods of extending the discussion.

Though two replies are the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and application of the material, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you (including your instructor) before Day 7. This ongoing engagement in the discussion will deepen the conversation while providing opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic.