When the Deputy Head was presented with Edusense Reflective Tools (ERT), an innovative approach to raising standards and enhancing teacher wellbeing, her instinctive response was, "But we already have a professional development programme."
Without any hint of pressure or persuasion, I extended an open invitation for her to consider how ERT's FITS range might add value to what her staff already do. As the teacher's sense of agency is integral to ERT, it felt appropriate to steer well clear of any presumptions that this was to be a hard sales pitch. Regardless, I was informed I had 30 seconds to present the headlines.
Here goes - welcome to the launch of Edusense Reflective Tools – a suite of diverse and innovative lenses designed by me, Dr. Sean Warren, to complement and add a fresh dimension to established PD. The ERT dimension ensures…
- Your professional development provides you with better knowledge rather than yet more knowledge.
- Your existing provision cultivates Intelligent Reflective Practitioners who are able to generate evidence of effectiveness.
- Opportunities for you to routinely sift and discuss the difference you make in your daily work.
"That, I believe, is the elevator pitch," I smiled.
Briefly checking her watch, the Deputy thought for a moment then said, "I've got no more than 5 minutes - tell me more".
***
Join us if you also have five minutes as we swiftly share how ERT might meet the professional needs and interests of your staff (or 2 minutes if you prefer to scroll down to the video).
Here are 5 creative uses of our tools to meet bespoke professional needs:
- Intentional Reflection
- Stimuli for Dialogue
- Post-Observation
- Post-Modelling
- Stimuli for the Discipline of Noticing
It’s vital that any investment in Edusense Reflective Tools leads to evidence of impact. Therefore, an additional, complementary tool is provided for subscribers free of change to evaluate the difference they make over time.
1: Reflection
The primary aim of FITS is to equip you to reflect on a recently taught lesson of your choice. This could be one that left you a little perplexed; perhaps an encounter that didn't go as well as you would have liked; or maybe a series of exchanges and interactions that went so well that you want to pause to enjoy them again and explore why they were so good.
Select from the FITS menu to choose a lens that captures your interest or meets your professional needs. There are several themes you can tap into, though Chalkface Check-Up and Lesson DnA have been selected as our opening offers.
You can choose either audio or text to record your thinking. Whenever you select the former, your spoken words are automatically transcribed into text for you.
Both your spontaneous and considered responses can be used to contribute to your Reflective Journal.
2: Stimuli for Dialogue
Within Edusense Reflective Tools, "Stimuli for Dialogue" encourages professional conversations with individuals such as a coach, a mentor, or a trusted critical friend.
This option fosters collective agency by incorporating diverse perspectives into your reflective process.
How else might you utilise FITS Reflective Tools to add value to what you already do? Read on...
3: Post Observation
FITS Reflective Tools serve as a superb post-observation resource.
Allow me to explain. Whether attending in person or observing retrospectively via video, a mentor, coach, or lead teacher can draw on FITS to gain a deeper perspective to check their early impressions.
Verification
During the FITS review, initial interpretations can be affirmed or challenged, while misconceptions and gaps are revealed through tuning into the teacher's unique experience.
4: Post Modelling
Swapping roles, the opportunity for a novice teacher to be privy to an expert's intuitive and considered thoughts as they connect their experience with FITS' reflective prompts provides a platform to share significant insights.
Again, this exercise is pre-empted by an observation. Often, 15 minutes focusing on an agreed theme is more than enough to anchor the subsequent conversation.
Whether in person or watching remotely, mentees and coachees can greatly benefit from FITS, gaining deeper insights into the rationale behind lesson decisions.
During the FITS review, the more experienced teacher can deconstruct and articulate what they did in light of their intentions.
5: Stimuli for the Discipline of Noticing
This approach enables a teacher to constructively discuss aspects from a recently taught lesson with a collaborative group using a specific lens, such as Chalkface Check-Up.
Building on the notion of collective agency, Edusense offers a complementary resource to illustrate a methodology that provides a bridge between individuals logging noteworthy moments post-reflection and before sharing insights with a select cohort of colleagues who have also invested time in sifting the difference they made in their daily work. This process of articulating and testing assumptions provides subjective accounts with an essential layer of social validation.
Evaluating Impact Over Time
A further layer involves a mechanism to evaluate short, medium, and long-term impact of the FITS tools. Here, the emphasis is on drawing on evidence to support claims for knowledge, providing you with the assurance that critical reflective practice is a rigorous endeavour rather than a superficial luxury squeezed out by the incessant demands of a busy week.
Again, this is a complementary resource available to Edusense members.
Edusense Reflective Tools offer a flexible pathway for you (and your staff) to explore the options for application. They combine to provide a platform for your unique experiences and insights to be recognised and discussed. The classroom is where real change happens. It is there that you make a difference in your daily work.