Transforming Teaching Practice - Barbara Larivee.

(Reflective practice, vol 1, No 3, 2000)

One of the joys of following this MA course in education is that I get to read academic texts that challenge. Of course when I started to do the course I was looking for an academic challenge but the current module is a personal challenge. It is about become a reflective practitioner in education and, through doing so, become an increasingly proficient educational professional - although one gets the feeling that the current denizens of the education establishment hierarchy would use the word craftsmen.

So I'm reading this introductory text and blogging live as I think - so it may be a tad disjointed.

Barbara Larivee places her work in the current context of the changing culture of education. "To combat increasing student alienation, and meet the scope and intensity of the academic, social and emotional needs of today's students those entering the teaching profession will need to find ways to create authentic learning communities by adjusting the power dynamics to turn power over into power with learners" Within this milieu teaching becomes a philosophical and ethical code of conduct. Teachers need to develop the skills that enable them to tie their beliefs and ethos with the tricks of the trade.

For Larivee critical self-reflection is the merging of critical inquiry - the conscious consideration of the implications and consequences of classroom practices on the students - with self-reflection that examines the personal values, beliefs and assumptions of the teacher. This entails integrity, openness and commitment rather than compromise, defensiveness or fear. As with all reflection that challenges our self-perception we can have a built in inertia that resists the transformation of our current paradigm of teaching.

The essential practices of a reflective pracittioner.

Larivee identifies three key practices:

1. Making time for solitary reflection.

Larivee recommends that one needs to spend time each day to negotiate the challenges presented by the days work. This essentially entails a self-critical inquiry into the impact of teaching and negotiating the feelings of frustrations, insecurity and rejection and recommends pouring this forth into a daily journal. (That's you readers:) ) However, this is more than mere rant. one needs to engage with the day in order to find meaning and regain a sense of purpose. it also allows one to identify patterns and themes.


2. Becoming a perpetual problem-solver

Freire (1993) warns that the teacher who is not critically-reflective risks "magical consciousness" - that is seeing the classroom as a whimsical sea of blessings and curses beyond control. To counter this, suggests Larivee, the critically reflective teacher views the classroom life as experimental - a laboratory in which one takes purposeful action to solve problems. In identifying and analysing the issues surrounding control and power the teacher becomes enabled and empowered to transform these issues and thus imbue their day to day practice with a renewed vision and energy.

3. Questioning the status quo.

Preaching rebellion is an interesting way to develop teaching but, effectively, Larivee suggests that the critically reflective teacher must challenge the status quo. A moment's reflection can reveal the point of this. It has been said that the seven most destructive words in English are "We have always done it that way." This locks people into methods of work that can often be stagnant and non-transformative. However, in looking to move beyond thesafe and institutional and seeking their own truths the teacher can become a source of transformation and renewal. A caveat needs uttering at this point: transformation and novelty can be threatening. The effective change agent is one who invites and engages rather than confronting and alienating. This applies to all levels of school hierarchies. (I suggest reading Vineet Nayar's amazing book "Employees First Customers Second. Then ask yourself - how would you apply it to school.)

It must also be remembered that the effective change agent is one who has transformed their own practice and can demonstrate good practice. It is this self-transformation that is the challenge laid down by LArivee's concept of self-reflection. One repositions oneself and the classroom situations as a means of moving beyond our old position and establishing a new perspective. All negative situations can be reevaluated and the new vantage points allow a way to move on.

Larivee reminds us as practioners that we all bring our baggage into the classroom wherever we go. This applies in equal measure to students, teachers and observers. These may be past experiences, beliefs, assumptions, feelings and our own agendas. Each of these filters will change - sometimes subtly but sometimes grossly - our reaction in a classroom. It may be threatening to question our own motives but it may often be of enormous transformational value.

As a personal illustration I want to present my encounter with an organisation called Human Utopia. Their agenda is to transform relationships within schools to enhance the learning experience of the students. They have been part of the partnership in my school since its outset and I personally believe have played a vital role in the success of the academy. However, the most immediate impact on me was in my relationships with my own children. Following their initial sessions with the staff it forced me to reflect back on my own role as a father - for good and bad. What I saw when I looked within was not necessarily comfortable. I could have responded in two ways. I could have dismissed it and continued to travel down the road I was heading or I could face up to where I was and take the opportunity to move to a different path. This change of direction, I believe, saved my relationship with my children and I am grateful to HU for the chance.

This is at the heart of Larivee's transformation of practice - the challenging and development of our core-beliefs and self-assumptions that shape our actions. We need, she asserts, to consider our actions in the light of our world-view.

Of course we cannot truly transform our actions overnight since we are all emotionally invested in our beliefs. In fact we may not be able to divest ourself of our harmful or deluded self-images and core beliefs or may do so by taking two step forwards and one back. However, as in all stages of learning there is an initial difficulty and we need to be courageous in overcoming the dissonances thrust upon us by reflection.

How useful is the article for me personally?

The interesting thing is that the school I am in is gripped by the tension between being a transformative school open to new ways of teaching but maintained by teachers who, even if they want the best for the students, are gripped by their own preferred way of teaching - and I include myself there. The thing is we are presented with new initiatives and ways of acting with what can be dismaying frequency - from government, SLT, our own departments, etc. - and we can feel threatened and even demotivated by the flood of demands placed upon us. (This is especially apparent when the reasoning is not properly presented or a very tight timeline is given to us.) The challenge is to ask ourselves:

1. Where do we want to be?
2. Why do we feel threatened by these demands?
3. What are we going to do about it?

As an illustration let us consider the observation process. Observation is an inescapable part of the teacher's life and my school is no different. This year it was announced that as part of the move towards excellent teaching those teachers who were graded below good in their observation would be asked to develop a personal excellence plan. Understandably many colleagues were anxious and even angry about this. I say understandably because there can be negative perceptions that we are being judged as being unworthy. However, for once I felt unthreatened. Why?

If we go back to my first observation within the new Academy in 2007 I was graded satisfactory - and despite OFSTED saying otherwise satisfactory is satisfactory. It's ok. I was very angry with this. I was threatened by it. I felt as if I was being judged as failing. However, I had a discussion with my head of college and she agreed to come and observe me at a later date where I was assessed as Good with Outstanding. What had made the difference? I reflected on the feedback.

I want to be the best teacher I can and since that time observation for me has been about taking risks in order to develop. Each year since I have been observed in early autumn with a focus on an area where I know that I need to develop. I'm usually sure that I will receive a satisfactory grading - although usually with some good and outstanding features. However, what is important is the discussion of how to improve. I then invite further observation and each time I have improved.

The step back is not about regression as a teacher. It is about using observation as a means of identifying where I need to develop. (Say it quietly but even ASTs still need to develop. I bet I do better eLessons than our ASTs. In fact one of our ASTs nicked one of my LRC lessons for her own use.)

I want to be the best I can and so, even before I knew that this excellent teacher plan was being implemented, I had decided that I would do this for myself. I have already invited observation. In discussion I have identified what I need to do now and I will do my best to get there by the end of the year.