Documentation:CTLT programs/Wisdom Through Reflective Practice

IMPROVING TEACHING TO SUPPORT GOOD LEARNING

Teaching is a complex activity. As reflective practitioners, we can best understand and work to improve this complex activity when we view it from a variety of perspectives. Each perspective offers valuable information, but no one perspective by itself portrays a complete understanding.

Sources of information (perspectives) include:

Self-assessment of teaching – an ongoing process that is an essential aspect of lifelong learning
Peer review of teaching – both developmental, and for promotion and tenure purposes
Student feedback on teaching – both during a course and at the end of a course

Once we have this information, what can we do with it?

Follow an ongoing cycle of structured reflection and response, which includes:

Teach a class – including the experience, feelings toward it, feedback received from others
Critically analyze the experience and any feedback you received, and
Develop new approaches and strategies to apply in the future
Prepare and maintain a teaching portfolio which highlights your teaching goals and your progress toward achieving them

Check back for new programs and resources intended to help you, as a wise reflective practitioner, meet your teaching goals! Join us as we provide opportunities and resources for discussion, guided practice, reflection, and implementation – enter into “a cognitive process . . . to gain new or deeper understanding that leads to actions improving the learning of students.” (University of New Hampshire)