EDLD 5399
Week 4
Reflective Practice
To gain a new level of insight
into personal behavior, the reflective practitioner
assumes a dual stance, being, on one hand, the
actor in a drama and, on the other
hand, the critic who sits in the audience
watching and analyzing the entire
performance. To achieve this perspective,
individuals must come to an
understanding of their own behavior; they must
develop a conscious awareness of
their own actions and effects and the ideas or
theories-in-use that shape their action
strategies. (Osterman, Kottkamp, 1993)
Reflective practice is most effective when the
practitioner makes a conscious effort to make note of his or her actions, then
do an analysis of them from as objective of a standpoint as possible,
reconceptualize the meaning of those actions, and apply that newly acquired
knowledge to experimentation in an effort to improve the outcome. In my journey
through the superintendent certification courses, I have had the unique
position of being a retired educator. This has given me more time to look at my
own behavior when approaching problems, as well as an opportunity to analyze
choices of others, in an environment that has not been affected by stresses of
day to day distractions. Instead of taking one step back, I have had the luxury
of understanding the system I have been observing as an insider as well as
seeing the big picture as an objective bystander. This had given me several
degrees of separation in order to clarify my reflective practice that has been
a definite advantage in improving my own reflective habit. No doubt, being an
administrator at any level can be extremely stressful. However, seeing that
acting in a stressful environment without taking the time to reflect can be
harmful, I realize it is a necessity to carve out the time to reflect and
analyze. In the long run, an administrator who cultivates reflection will be
able to make wiser decisions in a shorter amount of time. Without the use of
reflection, many missteps will be repeated. By taking the time to
reconceptualize the situation, new solutions for improvement will come much
easier. At first this may seem counterintuitive, but making time to do
reflection is not a waste. It is an opportunity to clarify practice and arrive
at improved ways in approaching problems. It is essential skill that I intend
to continue to cultivate.
In the assignment to discuss the budgeting process
with the Director of Finance, there are several lessons learned through reflection.
First, people who are skillful in an area that a superintendent may not be an
expert, usually want to share their knowledge and help that person understand.
There should never be any reluctance in asking someone how they approach a
difficult task and the steps they use to tackle a multi-level concept. Second,
gaining knowledge about how the people who work under a superintendent think is
just as valuable as understanding the unique skill set they bring to the table.
It is imperative a superintendent have personnel that will be honest and
forthright to protect the district and do right by the students and the
community. Thirdly, I learned a tremendous amount about the budgeting process
from this person, but even more importantly, about the integrity necessary for
a person in this capacity and how integral that position is to the health of
the district.
When interviewing the interim superintendent, it was
interesting to note he felt he was suddenly thrust into a position where he had
to look at the big picture instead of the only the areas he was previously in
charge. I saw this as a correlation to any promotion I had ever gone through,
that is, as I acquired more understanding of how thing worked, I could see
beyond my current scope of responsibilities with greater insight. I imagine
this observation will intensify as I move into a superintendency. What seems to
be something that should be obvious, actually brings home the importance of
consciously studying the different components that a superintendent is
responsible for and having a clear understanding of how those things work
together. Having an organizational system to be able to manage those different
elements is essential.
When looking at the correlation between a school’s
vision statement and the master schedule, I observed the vision statement had
recently been revised because it had been deemed out-of-date. Even though there
seems to be a connection between the statement and scheduling, looking more
closely, it was more happenstance than direct
application of the vision statement because the statement was so vague. The
master schedule went through a complete transformation from a 4 x 4 schedule to
an 8 period day because of a superintendent mandate. This inherently gives the
students more opportunities and more flexibility in their schedules. Obviously,
a vision statement should not be so specific that it locks a school into an
inflexible situation, but being too vague avoids giving a school or a district
purpose. My recommendation would be for a committee to be formed to identify
several goals from thoughtful discussion and to craft a vision statement that
reflects those goals.
A surprising observation about the protocol of the
Communication Department prompted a great deal of reflective thought. Several
years ago, a previous Communications Director offered training to principals
about how to handle the media should there be something that comes up. She
identified what kinds of things media representatives are looking for, how they
see their jobs, and the relationship between the principal and the media. Of
course principals were instructed to contact the Communication Director for
advice and direction, but because situations arise, principals were given clear
instructions and steps. I was confused about why such training is not
considered necessary anymore. In reflecting about this, there is a belief the
training is not necessary since all media inquiries are to be directed to the
central office and the Communications Department. However, there were at least
two situations last school year principals made the decision to allow the media
to interview them regarding sensitive issues with negative consequences.
Neither of these incidents was discussed in leadership meetings. For some
reason, there seems to be a blind spot in addressing media relations with
principals, especially those new to that position.
When looking at motivation of students at a DAEP
facility, there seems to be a disconnect between what teachers consider
motivational and what students believe. The teachers I surveyed had a clear
idea about using extrinsic motivators to improve student behavior and learning,
but seemed to lack understanding in helping students develop intrinsic
motivational strategies. Clearly, students do not need to be motivated in all
areas of their lives. What we may consider laziness, may be a choice when faced
with a task a student considers unpleasant. If there is successful
self-motivation happening in some area of a student’s life, that provides proof
of student ability. Professional development in the area of developing
intrinsic motivation by studying Maslow and Alderfer motivational theories and
forming Professional Learning Communities to discuss applications may provide
valuable activities to improve student performance.
In reviewing blogs of others in this cohort, the
variety of experience and circumstances became apparent. This was valuable in
becoming aware of different ways to approach problems, as well as the diversity
that exists in different districts. Being aware of how different districts
operate expands our understanding and gives us different perspectives. I was
dismayed when one of my colleagues voiced her disappointment about some people
in her district unwilling to share information with the agenda to keep people
from advancing in the district or the profession. She found this lead her to the decision not
to seek a superintendency. This kind of opposition can happen anywhere. In reflecting
about this, it is clear people can appear in all of our lives that give us
negative feelings about district leadership. It does not have to be like that,
however. Keeping in mind the diversity among different school districts, there
has to be a place for a person interested in improving student lives and
helping them to be successful. Keeping a broader perspective in mind is
critical to be an effective administrator.
In addition, it has been helpful to review my
assessments from the beginning of the program to this last course. Comparing my
progress on the three domains and 10 competencies, it is clear, I have a better
understanding and this course has given me information I can use and apply than
when I began. I am much more confident, especially in the areas of finance and
facilities. In reflecting about these changes, not only have I gained
knowledge, but I have a greater understanding of where to get guidance and gain
more knowledge in areas that need strengthened. I have learned I can be effective
in these areas and I do not need to fear not being a total expert in every
field. As a superintendent, one needs to know how to lead and facilitate. It is
not possible to know every detail, but how to make sure other are accountable
and work in a team.
Putting reflective practice into use as a district
leader must be a priority. Without, we are destined to repeat unproductive
behaviors without understanding why progress is not being made.
Reflective
practice is…most effective, most likely to lead to behavioral change,
when it begins with experience,
and specifically problematic experience. From
experience and research, we know
that learning is most effective when people
become personally engaged in the
learning process, and engagement is most likely
to take place when there is a
need to learn. In professional programs, for example,
fruitful learning often doesn’t
begin until the person is on the job… Learning, is
most effective when the learner
is actively involved in the learning process, when
it takes place as a collaborative
rather than an isolated activity, and when it takes
place in a context relevant to
the learner (Brown, Collins, &
Duguid, 1989a, 1989b;
Prestine & LeGrand, 1991).
In reading the quote above, many of the activities
we have done throughout this program come to mind. As a district leader, it is
imperative to continually improve my practice by modeling reflective behavior.
In addition, the learning will be most effective when the relevance of the
situation is immediate and in context to what the problem is that I am facing.
I need to keep in mind the learning curve of a superintendent will always be
steep, especially at the beginning and at a new school district, but by working
collaboratively with a team, whatever problem comes up, it can be handled
appropriately. Making sure there are dependable and skillful people in key
positions who can offer insight and work together as a team gives a
superintendent food for thought. By using reflection, new and unique solutions
will be available. It is important to have a sense of self and a clear
understanding of ethics. From that position, I can tap into the ideas of others
and consider the best options for the district. In the reflective process, I
will seek to develop skills of others around me for the betterment of the
district. Using reflective practice, I will be able to ask for input from
different stakeholders, as well as experts and mentors, to give myself a clearer understanding of how to develop a
strong vision to lead the district,
develop an organizational chart, delegate responsibilities, how to make
the best use of individual’s expertise, work with the board of trustees,
facilitate change, and communicate trustworthiness to the community.
References
Brown, J.S., Collins, A.
& Duguid, P. (1989a, 1089b). Situated cognition and the culture of
learning.
Educational
Researcher, 18,32-41.
Osterman, Karen F., and Kottkamp,
Robert B. (1993) Reflective Practice for Educators- Improving
Schooling Through Professional
Development, (CORWIN
PRESS, INC.,A Sage
Publications Company, Newbury Park, California). Retrieved on September 23,
2012 from [http://www.fgse.nova.edu/edl/secure/mats/rdgelach2.pdf]
Prestine,
N.A., and LeGrand, B.F. (1991) Cognitive learning theory and preparation of
educational
administrators. Educational
Administration Quarterly 27, 1: 61-89.
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