Category: Part 2

Thinking on Your Feet

Emily BaxterLeave a comment

The following question is from The Reflective Journal by Barbara Bassot, Part 4, Theme 4.5 Professionalism as artistry

“Describe a time recently when you were very conscious that you had to reflect-in-action or ‘think on your feet.’ How easy or difficult was this at this time ? Describe it as a series of steps and then focus on the changes in your thinking and the strategies you were focusing on at the time. How did this help you build your tacit knowing-in-action?”

Bare Feet in the Sand at Zuma Beach – Malibu, California by Chris Goldberg via Flickr, (CC BY-NC 2.0)

I think on my feet all of the time.

It is the nature of my job. When I am consulting with faculty individually or leading a professional development session, I am constantly in the process of listening to faculty questions and concerns, evaluating possible responses, considering best practices, and making recommendations in light of the personalities and politics involved.

There are almost no simple answers.

These moments (as well as countless others) are best served by my mindfulness practice. I believe that responding mindfully is absolutely key to being present with the wide variety of demands that I face professionally. Mindfulness requires an awareness of the present moment, first and foremost. But it also involves a commitment to non-judgmental awareness.

The professionals I most admire are the ones who can think on their feet mindfully. We have all experienced colleagues/teachers/mentors/leaders at some time or another (I hope) who exemplify this type of mindful leadership response. No matter the demands or the pressures, they remain present in the moment with a non-judgemental response.

If we allow ourselves to get caught up in our own egoic response – feeling attacked, mistrusted, or even lauded – how can we stay focused on the task and needs at hand and respond in an objective and constructive way?

I don’t think we can.

Bassot, B. (2016). The reflective journal. Palgrave Macmillan.

Schon, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Failing to learn? Try, try again.

Emily BaxterLeave a comment

The following question is from The Reflective Journal by Barbara Bassot, Part 3, Theme 3.4 Progression and regression

“Think of a situation that you have encountered recently where you struggled to engage with learning from the experience. Describe the situation and evaluate it, to find out why you did not learn from this experience. Does any of this resonate with Illeris’ (2014) reasons? Are there any other reasons you can add which are particular to your situation?”

Ken Whytock via Flickr, (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Parenting.

Though this blog is primarily devoted to professional reflection, I cannot help but connect this post to my personal experience as a parent. I feel as though I often have the Groundhog Day experience. Why do I keep struggling with this? What am I doing wrong? Do other parents struggle with the same issues/questions? Am I being unreasonable? Why does this always happen? When will they finally get it? Or…when will I?

These questions accompany another life philosophy that I hold dear. It is my belief that the challenges in our lives are there to help us learn something new about ourselves and to evolve as human beings.

Evolve or repeat.

So, when I feel as though I continually come up against the same challenges, I believe that there is a lesson in that – something that I am not quite understanding, something elusive that I have not quite learned.

Illeris argues that this “failing to learn” can happen when “we feel that the demands on us are too heavy and, as a result, we find it too difficult to let go of how we see things at the moment. We experience lots of uncertainty and doubt about our capabilities and might feel unable to cope with what is being asked of us.”

The demands of parenting are, at times, very heavy – especially single parenting while sheltering in place during a pandemic. It is very tempting in those challenging moments to throw up your hands and cry uncle! It’s too much! Uncertainty and doubt in ourselves as parents is rampant – especially when that uncertainty and doubt pervade most of our waking moments as human beings. I definitely have felt unable to cope with whatever it is I am supposed to be learning at that moment. It’s far easier to question my children’s choices than it is to take a step back and really engage in the critical thinking required to examine what is going on from all sides (including my own assumptions and contributions) and consider how the situation is actually an opportunity to reframe my thinking and evolve as a human.

And so I FAIL.

But I don’t quit. Eventually, it happens. I give myself the time and space I need to reflect and see things from a fresh perspective.

And I try again.

I learn.

 

Bassot, B. (2016). The reflective journal. Palgrave Macmillan.

Illeris, K. (2014). Transformative learning and identity. Abingdon: Routledge.

Half-full or half-empty?

Emily BaxterLeave a comment

The following question is from The Reflective Journal by Barbara Bassot, Part 3, Theme 3.5 Problematic experiences, or positive ones?

“Choose one of the learning cycles discussed in this section. Now try applying it to an incident that has happened recently as part of your work or training. How useful was the model? How would you describe its strengths and weaknesses as a means of beginning to evaluate your professional practice?”

Pete unseth / CC BY-SA

That photo says it all. Here’s my reflection based on Ghaye’s strengths-based model…

…..

Right now, I feel that I (and my team) have been successfully meeting the immediate needs of faculty who have had to quickly pivot to remote teaching online. I have been able to provide expertise via both one-on-one consulting and professional development sessions designed around relevant topics. Faculty have needed just-in-time information around Canvas and Zoom, in particular, including both the technical know-how and the pedagogical affordances of using these, as well as other, tools. I appreciate that faculty are hungry for the knowledge and that I have the skills to be able to share it.

However, it is as if we have just opened the doors to a brand new space. Online teaching is like a big, unfamiliar building. Many faculty just entering this new environment don’t have the full lay of the land yet. They have taken a few steps inside and gotten a cursory overview of the space. But we all know that there is so much left to explore. What I am thinking about a lot, is how do we continue to leverage that initial interest, to encourage faculty to take a walk around, try out some of the furniture, and maybe (hopefully) even do some redesigning?

I think that I can achieve this by continuing to nurture newfound relationships. I have met and worked with many new (to me) faculty in my college over the last couple of months. Most were feeling insecure and unsure about how to continue to do their jobs in our new reality of remote work. My colleagues and I have been knowledgeable resources with the experience and expertise to help guide them.

This dynamic reminds me of a book I am currently reading by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn, entitled Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. The authors talk about three foundations of mindful parenting: sovereignty, empathy, and acceptance. In thinking about these concepts, I can’t help but reflect on how we all look for these three things throughout our lives – well beyond the parent-child relationship. I think that honoring and building up those foundations of sovereignty, empathy, and acceptance in my professional relationships is the key to mindful and meaningful work and, in this case, may also help encourage faculty to forge ahead on their journey into this brave new world.

…..

I definitely tend to be a glass-half-full kind of person. Regardless of the situation, I tend to find myself looking for the silver lining. I believe strongly that there are lessons in everything that happens in our lives. I also tend to diminish my own accomplishments/talents/successes. Therefore, I do think that Ghaye’s model of focusing on successes works well for me. It resonates with my world-view. I’m going with it!

Bassot, B. (2016). The reflective journal. Palgrave Macmillan.

Ghaye, T. (2011). Teaching and learning through reflective practice: A practical guide for positive action. Abingdon: Routledge.

Kabat-Zinn, M., and J. (1997). Everyday blessings: The inner work of mindful parenting. New York: Hyperion.

Osterman, K.F., and Kottkamp, R.B. (2004). Reflective practice for educators, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.