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Make a list below of possible different topics for learning journal entries (both on and off the job). How do you know what to reflect on? Can you provide any top tips?

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Learn Amp: Learning Engagement Platform. Learning Re-invented. Driving engagement, increasing retention and improving performance through learning

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What are learning journals and why are they important? 

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What are learning journals and why are they important? 

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Learn Amp: Learning Engagement Platform. Learning Re-invented. Driving engagement, increasing retention and improving performance through learning

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Post your answers to the questions below. 

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Post your answers to the questions below. 

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What does reflective practice mean?

Why do you think reflective practice is important or trainers?

What is the research behind reflective practice?

Use the link to help you: Getting started with Reflective Practice (cambridge-community.org.uk)

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What is the research behind reflective practice?

Educational researchers have long promoted the importance of reflecting on practice to support student learning and staff development.

There are many different models of reflective practice. However, they all share the same basic aim: to get the best results from the learning, for both the teacher and students.
Each model of reflection aims to unpick learning to make links between the 'doing' and the 'thinking'.

Kolb's learning cycle
David Kolb, educational researcher, developed a four-stage reflective model. Kolb's Learning Cycle (1984) highlights reflective practice as a tool to gain conclusions and ideas from an experience. The aim is to take the learning into new experiences, completing the cycle. Kolb's cycle follows four stages.

First, practitioners have a concrete experience. This means experiencing something new for the first time in the classroom. The experience should be an active one, used to test out new ideas and teaching methods.
This is followed by...

Observation of the concrete experience, then reflecting on the experience. Here practitioners should consider the strengths of the experience and areas of development. Practitioners need to form an understanding of what helped students' learning and what hindered it.
This should lead to...

The formation of abstract concepts. The practitioner needs to make sense of what has happened. They should do this through making links between what they have done, what they already know and what they need to learn. The practitioner should draw on ideas from research and textbooks to help support development and understanding. They could also draw on support from other colleagues and their previous knowledge. Practitioners should modify their ideas or devise new approaches, based on what they have learnt from their observations and wider research.
The final stage of this cycle is when...

The practitioner considers how they are going to put what they have learnt into practice. The practitioner's abstract concepts are made concrete as they use these to test ideas in future situations, resulting in new experiences. The ideas from the observations and conceptualisations are made into active experimentation as they are implemented into future teaching. The cycle is then repeated on this new method.

Kolb's model aims to draw on the importance of using both our own everyday experiences and educational research to help us improve. It is not simply enough for you to reflect. This reflection must drive a change which is rooted in educational research.

Gibbs' reflective cycle

The theoretical approach of reflection as a cyclical model was further developed by Gibbs (1998). This model is based on a six-stage approach, leading from a description of the experience through to conclusions and considerations for future events. While most of the core principles are similar to Kolb's, Gibbs' model is broken down further to encourage the teacher to reflect on their own thoughts and feelings.

Gibbs' model is an effective tool to help you reflect after the experience, and is a useful model if you are new to reflection as it is broken down into clearly defined sections.

Description
In this section, the practitioner should clearly outline the experience. This needs to be a factual account of what happened in the classroom. It should not be analytical at this stage.

Feelings
This section encourages the practitioner to explore any thoughts or feelings they had at the time of the event. Here the practitioner should explain feelings and give examples which directly reference the teaching experience. It is important the practitioner is honest with how they feel, even if these feelings might be negative. Only once the feelings have been identified can the practitioner implement strategies to overcome these barriers.

Evaluation
The evaluation section gives the opportunity for the practitioner to discuss what went well and analyse practice. It is also important to consider areas needed for development and things that did not work out as initially planned. This evaluation should consider both the practitioner's learning and the students' learning.

Analysis
This section is where the practitioner makes sense of the experience. They consider what might have helped the learning or hindered it. It is in this stage that the practitioner refers to any relevant literature or research to help make sense of the experience. For example, if you felt the instructions you gave were not clear, you could consult educational research on how to communicate effectively.

Conclusion
At this stage, the practitioner draws all the ideas together. They should now understand what they need to improve on and have some ideas on how to do this based on their wider research.

Action plan
During this final stage, the practitioner sums up all previous elements of this cycle. They create a step-by-step plan for the new learning experience. The practitioner identifies what they will keep, what they will develop and what they will do differently. The action plan might also outline the next steps needed to overcome any barriers, for example enrolling on a course or observing another colleague.

In Gibbs' model the first three sections are concerned with what happened. The final three sections relate to making sense of the experience and how you, as the teacher, can improve on the situation.

'Reflection-in-action' and 'reflection-on-action'

Another approach to reflection is the work by Schön. Schön (1991) distinguishes between reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action.

Reflection-in-action is reflection during the 'doing' stage (that is, reflecting on the incident while it can still benefit the learning). This is carried out during the lesson rather than reflecting on how you would do things differently in the future. This is an extremely efficient method of reflection as it allows you to react and change an event at the time it happens. For example, in the classroom you may be teaching a topic which you can see the students are not understanding. Your reflection-in-action allows you to understand why this has happened and how to respond to overcome this situation.

Reflection-in-action allows you to deal with surprising incidents that may happen in a learning environment. It allows you to be responsible and resourceful, drawing on your own knowledge and allowing you to apply it to new experiences. It also allows for personalised learning as, rather than using preconceived ideas about what you should do in a particular situation, you decide what works best at that time for that unique experience and student.

Reflection-on-action, on the other hand, involves reflecting on how practice can be developed after the lesson has been taught. Schön recognises the importance of reflecting back 'in order to discover how our knowing-in-action may have contributed to an unexpected outcome' (Schön, 1983).

Reflection-on-action means you reflect after the event on how your knowledge of previous teaching may have directed you to the experience you had.

Reflection-on-action should encourage ideas on what you need to change for the future. You carry out reflection-on-action outside the classroom, where you consider the situation again. This requires deeper thought, for example, as to why the students did not understand the topic. It encourages you to consider causes and options, which should be informed by a wider network of understanding from research.

By following any of the above models of reflection, you will have a questioning approach to teaching. You will consider why things are as they are, and how they could be. You will consider the strengths and areas of development in your own practice, questioning why learning experiences might be this way and considering how to develop them. As a result, what you do in the classroom will be carefully planned, informed by research and previous experience, and focused, with logical reasons. All of these models stress the importance of repeating the cycle to make sure knowledge is secure and progression is continued.

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Getting started with Reflective Practice

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Educational researchers have long promoted the importance of reflecting on practice to support student learning and staff development. There are many different models of reflective practice. However, they all share the same basic aim: to get the best results from the learning, for both the teacher and students.Each model of reflection aims to unpick learning to make links between the 'doing' and the 'thinking'.

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In the link in the previous section, you were introduced to 3 models of reflections-Kolb, Gibbs and Brookfield. I want you to research each model and explain all the stages. You can add pictures, examples, videos, screen recordings etc to show how the reflective models could be used to structure your journals entries.

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Reflective practice is important because it can help us improve as an assessor and develop our skills in our job role. It helps us identify our strengths and weaknesses and can improve our performance. It can also show us how we can improve our practice when carrying out sessions with learners so they get the most beneficial learning sessions. It can help us identify any gaps that we may have in our own development, we can then set goals and targets in order to progress and develop our own professional practice.

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Learning Journals are a place to record and reflect on the learning that we have completed. The LJ allow the assessor to provide supportive and developmental feedback to the learners and also contribute with the scorecards towards the learners progress reviews.

The LJ also gives wider learner to the learners KSB's and how this is implemented into the learners job role.

With regards to the scorecards it supports identifying gaps in the learners criteria that has to be met. From this we can work with the learners to set tasks to achieve the goals in order to meet the qualification.

The LJ entries can also be used for EPA as submitted entries to show evidence of the learning that has taken place over the period of the apprenticeship and also to show KSB that the learner is competent in their role.

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The key stages of the TRACK model are:

Task

What did you do?

When did you do it?

This would be the learning that was carried out and when it took place and where this was carried out.

Reflect

What did you learn?

How will you use it?

The learning that has taken place that the learner has learnt and then can be implemented into their own role, to support their Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours and CPD.

Attach evidence

You can provide work documents as evidence to support their learning. This could also include witness statements, notes that the learner has made when attending workshops and webinars.

The learner can also upload a vocal recording of themselves reflecting their own practice, if this is their preferred way of documenting their work.

Criteria link

Selecting Knowledge, skills and behaviours is a way of showing your understanding and how these relate to your own practice.

This can be used as guidance towards your own scorecard.

Keeps up regularly

It is important to keep learning journals updated with any new learning that takes place. It helps you to keep refreshed and engaged and the communication links open.

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Description: You will describe in detail what happened giving context and state who was involved.

Feelings: You will reflect on your thoughts and the different emotions you experienced during the experience. You may think about how you were feeling at the time and how you are feeling now.

Evaluation: You will then analyse the experience and identify what went well, what you could improve on next time. It is best to look at the positive and negatives.

Analysis: You may look further into the experience to find why things happened the way they did, looking for any connections or patterns.

Conclusion: You will then give a summary of what you have learnt from the experience. You may talk about the insights you have learnt about yourself, the situation and the actions that happened.

Action plan: You would then create a plan on for improvement and further learning. You may state what strategies you find you may want to use next time.

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Description: You will describe in detail what happened giving context and state who was involved.

Feelings: You will reflect on your thoughts and the different emotions you experienced during the experience. You may think about how you were feeling at the time and how you are feeling now.

Evaluation: You will then analyse the experience and identify what went well, what you could improve on next time. It is best to look at the positive and negatives.

Analysis: You may look further into the experience to find why things happened the way they did, looking for any connections or patterns.

Conclusion: You will then give a summary of what you have learnt from the experience. You may talk about the insights you have learnt about yourself, the situation and the actions that happened.

Action plan: You would then create a plan on for improvement and further learning. You may state what strategies you find you may want to use next time.

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The Driscoll reflective model.

This model is based on three simple questions: What? So what? Now what? It is the most simplest model of reflection.

What?: This helps you describe the situation that you would like to learn from. You would identify the feelings you felt and facts from the event.

So what?: This stage is where you analyse the experience and identify any implications of what happened.

Now what?: This stage is where you would create an action plan on what you found based on your reflection and how you are going to put what you have learnt into practice.

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Driscoll Model of Reflection | NursingAnswers.net

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Autobiographical lens:

Encourages teachers to reflect on their own experiences both as learners and as teachers and how those experiences shape their current teaching practices and beliefs students eye lens:

This lens prompts teachers to Consider their teaching from the prespective of their students examining how their actions and desicions are precieved and experienced by those they teach

Colleague experiences lens:

This lens encourages teachers to seek feedback and insights from colleagues recognising that different perspectives can offer valuable perspectives and teaching practises

Theoretical literature lens:

This lens involves engaging with scholar literature on teaching and learning to gain a broader understanding of educational theories and practises

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What are the 4 stages of Kolb's reflective cycle?

Overview

Concrete Experience (CE): feeling.

When a learner has a new experience and is able to take part in learning this could be through puzzles and games to make the learning more concrete and enjoyable so that they have learnt something.

Reflective Observation (RO): watching.

the learner reflects on the new experience in the light of their existing knowledge. Of particular importance are any inconsistencies between experience and understanding

Abstract Conceptualization (AC): thinking.

reflection gives rise to a new idea, or a modification of an existing abstract concept (the person has learned from their experience).

Active Experimentation (AE): doing.

the newly created or modified concepts give rise to experimentation. The learner applies their idea(s) to the world around them to see what happens.

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There are various topics to choose from these are:

Learn Amp- All the training we do and then we can reflect this into a learning journal of what we did, what we learnt and how this impacts our role.

Delivering webinars to learners- Improves practice, Knowledge and reflect on how it went and change anything that is needed.

Shadowing- This helps with understanding our role and how we can deliver to our learners.

Setting visits- Helps us to become organised and helps with time management.

Kindlerly learning- Complete modules and then add a learning journal as part of our CPD.

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We have chosen The Driscoll Reflective Model because we feel that this model suited our own needs and learning styles, it is a simple and clear model to reflect on and follow.

We worked well as a team to communicate to each other over 'Teams' while all having tasks to complete supporting each other whether it be researching or filling in the boxes on each task.