Since development and training are internal processes, it will not work to control them in external ways, for example, by coercion. To direct them in a certain direction and help the child understand the material, the teacher must first imagine these internal processes and, if possible, make adjustments to them. The reflection of pedagogical activity is an introspective beginning of cognition of both oneself and others.
This ability is essential for the school teacher. In fact, this is one of those personality traits that are necessary for a student who has chosen a pedagogical university.
general characteristics
With the development of philosophy, man more and more came to know his inner world. The theory of knowledge appeared, and within its framework - the concept of reflection. What it is? Reflection makes it possible to realize one's mental activity and its direction.
To more clearly understand the meaning of the word, you need to look at the roots of the concept. The word "reflection" translates as "return". The authors define reflection in different ways, but we will focus on one, more clear and concrete definition. Pedagogical reflection is a certain way of thinking aimed at understanding the components of the pedagogical process.
Using this method of self-knowledge, the teacher comprehends not only children's problems, but also his thoughts and his means of thinking. The choice of a means of understanding life is the highest level of knowledge of reflection.
Reflection in philosophy, psychology and pedagogy
The word "reflection" was introduced into philosophy in the 17th century by John Locke. He understood reflexion as a thought process that helps to find and accumulate new ideas. Rene Descartes described it as an individual's ability to focus on the content of his thoughts. In psychology, reflection is considered as an assimilation of the former into itself and an analysis of internal values, taking into account new experience.
Pedagogy introduced the concept of reflection in order to teach a young teacher to direct his inner gaze to the "past" himself, to all his mistakes in interacting with children.
Reflection of pedagogical activity
Unlike the epistemological philosophical, the reflection of the teacher is aimed at 3 most important aspects:
- Analysis of own work.
- Assessment of student performance.
- Assessment of student involvement in the cognitive process.
The teacher’s introspection includes the following areas:
- emotionally sensual;
- the sphere of value orientations;
- the scope of determining the level of student needs;
- Gnostic - the study of cognition;
- activity sphere of awareness.
The difficulty of pedagogical activity is that the teacher’s thinking must constantly be in two dimensions. The teacher is primarily the organizer of the educational process, but at the same time he must look at himself and from the children. He needs to understand how his material is perceived.
The reflection of pedagogical experience develops a young specialist. It is on the basis of a rethinking of his practice that a teacher can plan his new interesting projects and motivate himself to fully devote himself to the learning process.
Only thanks to reflective mental activity can a teacher perceive the personality of a student and build a constructive dialogue with him.
Reflective arc
Without the recognition of their mistakes and virtues, no creative profession can exist. The teacher’s profession is also creative, and a person who chooses this path can develop his skills only thanks to a reflective arc. What is a reflective arc? This is a systematic analysis of the personality of the student and his personality in the context of the situation.
The reflection of teaching practice is needed constantly. Each new experience provides an incentive for further development, even if it is a negative experience. This is what students need to be taught in the first place - not to be afraid of negative results, correct mistakes, draw conclusions and move forward.
Functions
What does the term “reflection” mean? We already know that this is the ability of the teacher in his thinking to project the thinking of the child and conduct the lesson in accordance with the intellectual and emotional needs of students.
But what are the functions of pedagogical reflection?
- Research. First of all, the teacher must be able to learn by himself.
- Organizational. The teacher is able to organize the educational process only if he has the ability to reflect.
- Diagnostic Reflection helps the teacher understand the level of development of his students, to understand how effective his personal activity is.
- Communicative. The teacher, if he wants the students to listen and appreciate him, must understand how to find an approach to this or that child. The main thing is to remember that each student is a person with his own characteristics.
- Design. Setting new tasks for yourself.
- Correctional. Through internal reflection, the teacher adjusts his activities in accordance with the level of development of students.
In practice, already in the process of applying reflection as a method, the teacher will learn to interact more effectively with the children's team. Pedagogical reflection is both a path and a result. Over time, the ability to self-organization and reflection will only increase.
Reflection activation mechanism
The main task of the teacher is to teach children. Dealing with the child’s parents and convincing them of something is not his responsibility, so reflection is included only in the lessons.
The stages in introspection are the following:
- Study.
- Highlighting difficulties.
- Establishment of the reasons for this state of affairs.
- Criticism of old templates is the most difficult stage. It is necessary to mentally return to a past experience, highlight the positive and negative in it, to understand what was the cause of past behavior.
- Creating new patterns of behavior. Based on old experience, you need to find new ways to solve problem situations.
Of course, new templates will not work out in a week. It will be necessary to overcome a lot of obstacles and find a behavior strategy suitable for this team, because depending on the level of development of children and their curiosity, the teacher’s behavior can be different.
Components
The structure of pedagogical activity also deserves attention. The reflection of pedagogical activity as a complex system of mental operations has its own structure.
The activities of the teacher as the subject organizing the study include:
- The volitional component is the ability to make decisions and bring things to the end.
- Cognitive - the ability to find the right information and effectively learn.
- Emotional - the formation of an attitude to one’s activity and its result.
- Motivational - awareness of a key idea. For what the teacher spends all his work.
Through continuous analysis of situations, the teacher realizes the true value of his work. When difficulties layer by layer lay on the teacher, it is difficult not to fall into disappointment. Will and knowledge do not always help to cope with a drop in motivation.
Development
Pedagogical reflection is the support and development of self. The teacher must know their psychological characteristics and adequately assess their capabilities, otherwise emotional stress will lead to a breakdown and professional burnout. The mastery of the teacher lies in the constant independent development and support, guidance of children in their pursuit of knowledge and creativity, and this is impossible to do if you do not understand yourself.
One of the popular approaches to analytical activity was put forward by G. G. Ermakova. She identifies 3 criteria on which personal reflection is based:
- Sufficiency of knowledge. Knowledge of reflection can be deep or not very, differentiated or not.
- Attitude to introspection. Does the person himself value his efforts in analysis? Does he like to transform himself and his aspirations?
- Behavior. This criterion assesses the integrity of the teacher’s knowledge, actions and aspirations.
The pedagogical reflection of teachers, as we see, is needed not only for successful interaction with a team of children, but also for professional development and preservation of one's own ability to work.
Technology
Each teacher develops his own technology of reflection. They are all effective and interesting for children in their own way. Reflection in the pedagogical process involves taking into account the experience of students that they received after interacting with the teacher.
Consider several popular technologies:
- Keyword - Students choose one word that will become a kind of summary of experience from the lesson.
- Reflective circle - when the results of the information part are summed up, the participants in the interaction sit in a circle and freely talk about the discoveries they made for themselves, about new knowledge and their conclusions.
- Reflective target
- A mini essay written at the end of the lesson.
Even a very young teacher can carry out these techniques. It will just be useful for him to find out how children relate to his lessons. Such activities will improve his introspection and provide more food for thought about the development of his professionalism.
Methods of reflection of content
For younger children, such a technique as “Train” is suitable. The meaning is simple: the main ideas of the material studied during the lesson are written on the wagons of the drawn train. The child is offered to choose from the recorded ideas the one that he better understood.
A more sophisticated model of reflexive analysis can be made. Fish is drawn on the board. The main idea of the material studied is located in the head of the fish, in the tail - conclusions that can be drawn, and on the fins - the facts that the child could understand and remember.
Analysis of your approach to children
So, there are receptions in pedagogical activity concerning reflection of the content and concerning emotional perception of the teacher. The second is equally important.
The teacher should be an attentive and perspicacious interlocutor. The teacher’s pedagogical reflection should go in every lesson. Sometimes it is necessary to understand a child, to become his companion, in other situations - to be strict with a child who has little life experience and is poorly aware of the consequences of his activities. The teacher educates and controls his behavior constantly, as he is responsible for the development of a new generation.
Everyone has their own experience of pedagogical reflection. The methods selected are the most interesting for both the teacher and the students. After all, their uniformity tires them.
Here are a few methods:
- "Islands". You need to draw a map where the islands are located that determine the emotional background. Each child should, at the end of the lesson, hang his flag on the island of emotions that he has chosen as more appropriate for his condition.
- "Compliment". At the end of the interaction in the team, each student must give a compliment to the teacher so that the latter feels at least some kind of feedback.
It is difficult to work without feedback. The teacher must receive inner mental satisfaction from his work. At each lesson, the teacher needs to encourage children to draw their own conclusions and focus their attention on knowledge gaps.
Awareness of Past Experience
Questioning everything you know is the path of a real thinker.
Doubt gives me no less pleasure than knowledge.
Dante Alighieri
Pedagogical reflection is also the ability to acknowledge one's mistakes. Since a person who is confident that he has achieved everything and knows everything, stops in development and can no longer teach others. If a student wants to become a master of his craft, he will have to devote a lot of time to examining his mistakes and finding new ways to interact with students.