The Foundation Stage Forum Community

Hello everyone, my name is Alice and I’m currently studying with Learndirect to achieve my CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator) course. For my last unit of the course, I am required to summarise theoretical perspectives on reflection in relation to professional development and have been encouraged to join in with an online forum to discuss the importance of reflection in relation to professional development. There are many theories that have been particularly influential in helping people to understand the reflective process. Firstly, is David Kolb who was an American educational theorist and psychologist. He developed the experiential learning cycle. Kolb believed that adults learn by doing and then reflecting, not just by listening. Kolb suggested that learning happens through four stages and that people progress through a cycle which then results in new experiences. 1. The first stage is concrete experience. This stage is about doing and experiencing something. It is important to immerse yourself in the activity or experience and look at what happened. 2. The second stage is reflective observation. This stage is about reviewing and reflecting on the experience and what happened. 3. The third is abstract conceptualisation which is concluding and looking at what you have learnt from the experience and what you might change. 4. The fourth stage is active experimentation which is trying out your new ideas from what you have learnt. David Kolb’s learning cycle is beneficial to early years practitioners as it allows us to reflect on activities or experiences we carry out, look at what worked and what did not and look to plan and change things for future learning. Effective learning occurs when a person progresses through the four stages of the learning cycle which results in developing new experiences from what you have learnt. Another theoretical perspective on reflection which I found informative and useful is Graham Gibbs’ reflective cycle. I have learnt that Gibbs’ model was developed from David Kolb’s 4 stage experiential learning cycle and it is referred to as an experiential learning model whereas Gibbs’ model is referred to as an iterative model which is learning through repetition. Gibbs’s reflective cycle is made up of 6 steps and they provide clearer and more detailed reflection compared to Kolb’s learning cycle, which then provides a more accurate reflection. Gibbs’ reflective process follows the 6 steps of the model so that each step informs the next. The aims of using Gibbs’ reflective cycle are to: • Challenge your assumptions • Explore new ideas or different ways of doing or thinking about things • Promote self-improvement by identifying your own strengths and weaknesses and taking action to address them • Link theory and practice by combining doing with thinking There are 6 steps in Gibbs’ model of reflection with each step informing the next. I have personally found Gibbs’ reflection cycle more informative than Kolb’s learning cycle as it is more detailed and has extra stages with additional areas to reflect upon. Gibb’s model of reflection: 1. Description - What happened during the experience? 2. Feelings - What were your thoughts and feelings during the experience? 3. Evaluation - What was good and bad about the experience? 4. Analysis - What do you make of the situation and what happened? 5. Conclusion: What did you learn from the experience? 6. Action Plan: If you encountered a similar situation again or engaged in the same or familiar activity, what would you do differently? This model of reflection includes thoughts and feelings as well as looking at what was good and bad about the experience which I believe is extremely important in reflection and professional development. This model is clear and the steps are easy to follow. Reflection is very important as an early year’s practitioner as it allows us to record and track our own practice, the activities and experiences we have carried out. It allows early years practitioners to identify the strengths and weaknesses and what areas worked well and what didn’t. From there you can then plan for improvement and look at implementing new ideas. This will allow you to grow as an early year’s practitioner and develop your ideas and by doing so, it will improve the learning experience for the children and parents/carers will feel confident in how you care for their child/children. Sharing this information also promotes communication with colleagues as you can share what you have learnt with one another which will then improve practice and overall, the setting. There are many theories in relation to reflective thinking that I believe are important at looking into in more detail. John Dewey was an American philosopher and educator whose work in the early 20th century helped to lay the groundwork for how we think about learning from experience. Dewey outlined the process of reflective thinking through several key stages: 1. Defining the Problem: Clearly identify what the issue or problem is at hand. 2. Analyzing the Problem: Investigating the problem to understand the cause. 3. Figuring out Criteria for Solution: Developing an understanding about the problem, its origins & possible solutions. 4. Generating Possible Solutions: Brainstorm and list all possible solutions and reasons why. 5. Choosing the Best Solution: Based on the analysis, choose the most viable solution and evaluation the options. Schon’s process of continuous learning – Donald Schön's Reflective Practitioner Model: Schön (1983) distinguishes between 'reflection-in-action', which occurs during an activity, and 'reflection-on-action', which happens after the event. This framework encourages practitioners to think critically about their actions and adapt their approaches in real time or retrospectively, fostering professional agility and responsiveness. 1. Reflection-in-Action • What happens during the activity. • Involves thinking on your feet and adapting in real time. • An example: While carrying out a group activity, a practitioner notices the children are becoming disengaged therefore, they modify the task on the spot to re-engage them. 2. Reflection-on-Action • What occurs after the event. • Involves reviewing what happened, analysing decisions, and planning improvements. • An example: After a session, a practitioner writes a reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and how to adjust and plan for future activities and experiences. Christopher Johns’ five stage mode – This model is based on five stages to help break down the experience and reflect on the process and outcomes. This model encourages practitioners to analyse our experiences and understand the impact of our own choices and to be able to focus on growth and professional development for improvement in the future. These five stages are: 1. Description: Describe the event objectively and focus on facts and what happened which are significant factors. 2. Reflection: Reflect on personal feelings, thoughts, potential consequences and the purpose of your actions during the event. 3. Influencing Factors: Identifying internal and external factors that have influenced your decisions and actions. 4. Evaluation: Assess the effectiveness of your actions and decisions, considering both successes and failures. 5. Learning: Drawing conclusions about what you have learnt from the experience and how it can be improved for future practice. From carrying out research, it has allowed me to summarise various theoretical perspectives on reflection in relation to professional development which I believe will be beneficial to those working in the Early Years sector. I would like to hear from my peers regarding any additional information that they found beneficial or any theoretical perspectives that I have not touched upon. I would also like to know which reflection you use the most. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Alice and I’m currently studying with Learndirect to achieve my CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator) course. For my last unit of the course, I am required to summarise theoretical perspectives on reflection in relation to professional development and have been encouraged to join in with an online forum to discuss the importance of reflection in relation to professional development. There are many theories that have been particularly influential in helping people to understand the reflective process. Firstly, is David Kolb who was an American educational theorist and psychologist. He developed the experiential learning cycle. Kolb believed that adults learn by doing and then reflecting, not just by listening. Kolb suggested that learning happens through four stages and that people progress through a cycle which then results in new experiences. 1. The first stage is concrete experience. This stage is about doing and experiencing something. It is important to immerse yourself in the activity or experience and look at what happened. 2. The second stage is reflective observation. This stage is about reviewing and reflecting on the experience and what happened. 3. The third is abstract conceptualisation which is concluding and looking at what you have learnt from the experience and what you might change. 4. The fourth stage is active experimentation which is trying out your new ideas from what you have learnt. David Kolb’s learning cycle is beneficial to early years practitioners as it allows us to reflect on activities or experiences we carry out, look at what worked and what did not and look to plan and change things for future learning. Effective learning occurs when a person progresses through the four stages of the learning cycle which results in developing new experiences from what you have learnt. Another theoretical perspective on reflection which I found informative and useful is Graham Gibbs’ reflective cycle. I have learnt that Gibbs’ model was developed from David Kolb’s 4 stage experiential learning cycle and it is referred to as an experiential learning model whereas Gibbs’ model is referred to as an iterative model which is learning through repetition. Gibbs’s reflective cycle is made up of 6 steps and they provide clearer and more detailed reflection compared to Kolb’s learning cycle, which then provides a more accurate reflection. Gibbs’ reflective process follows the 6 steps of the model so that each step informs the next. The aims of using Gibbs’ reflective cycle are to: • Challenge your assumptions • Explore new ideas or different ways of doing or thinking about things • Promote self-improvement by identifying your own strengths and weaknesses and taking action to address them • Link theory and practice by combining doing with thinking There are 6 steps in Gibbs’ model of reflection with each step informing the next. I have personally found Gibbs’ reflection cycle more informative than Kolb’s learning cycle as it is more detailed and has extra stages with additional areas to reflect upon. Gibb’s model of reflection: 1. Description - What happened during the experience? 2. Feelings - What were your thoughts and feelings during the experience? 3. Evaluation - What was good and bad about the experience? 4. Analysis - What do you make of the situation and what happened? 5. Conclusion: What did you learn from the experience? 6. Action Plan: If you encountered a similar situation again or engaged in the same or familiar activity, what would you do differently? This model of reflection includes thoughts and feelings as well as looking at what was good and bad about the experience which I believe is extremely important in reflection and professional development. This model is clear and the steps are easy to follow. Reflection is very important as an early year’s practitioner as it allows us to record and track our own practice, the activities and experiences we have carried out. It allows early years practitioners to identify the strengths and weaknesses and what areas worked well and what didn’t. From there you can then plan for improvement and look at implementing new ideas. This will allow you to grow as an early year’s practitioner and develop your ideas and by doing so, it will improve the learning experience for the children and parents/carers will feel confident in how you care for their child/children. Sharing this information also promotes communication with colleagues as you can share what you have learnt with one another which will then improve practice and overall, the setting. There are many theories in relation to reflective thinking that I believe are important at looking into in more detail. John Dewey was an American philosopher and educator whose work in the early 20th century helped to lay the groundwork for how we think about learning from experience. Dewey outlined the process of reflective thinking through several key stages: 1. Defining the Problem: Clearly identify what the issue or problem is at hand. 2. Analyzing the Problem: Investigating the problem to understand the cause. 3. Figuring out Criteria for Solution: Developing an understanding about the problem, its origins & possible solutions. 4. Generating Possible Solutions: Brainstorm and list all possible solutions and reasons why. 5. Choosing the Best Solution: Based on the analysis, choose the most viable solution and evaluation the options. Schon’s process of continuous learning – Donald Schön's Reflective Practitioner Model: Schön (1983) distinguishes between 'reflection-in-action', which occurs during an activity, and 'reflection-on-action', which happens after the event. This framework encourages practitioners to think critically about their actions and adapt their approaches in real time or retrospectively, fostering professional agility and responsiveness. 1. Reflection-in-Action • What happens during the activity. • Involves thinking on your feet and adapting in real time. • An example: While carrying out a group activity, a practitioner notices the children are becoming disengaged therefore, they modify the task on the spot to re-engage them. 2. Reflection-on-Action • What occurs after the event. • Involves reviewing what happened, analysing decisions, and planning improvements. • An example: After a session, a practitioner writes a reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and how to adjust and plan for future activities and experiences. Christopher Johns’ five stage mode – This model is based on five stages to help break down the experience and reflect on the process and outcomes. This model encourages practitioners to analyse our experiences and understand the impact of our own choices and to be able to focus on growth and professional development for improvement in the future. These five stages are: 1. Description: Describe the event objectively and focus on facts and what happened which are significant factors. 2. Reflection: Reflect on personal feelings, thoughts, potential consequences and the purpose of your actions during the event. 3. Influencing Factors: Identifying internal and external factors that have influenced your decisions and actions. 4. Evaluation: Assess the effectiveness of your actions and decisions, considering both successes and failures. 5. Learning: Drawing conclusions about what you have learnt from the experience and how it can be improved for future practice. From carrying out research, it has allowed me to summarise various theoretical perspectives on reflection in relation to professional development which I believe will be beneficial to those working in the Early Years sector. I would like to hear from my peers regarding any additional information that they found beneficial or any theoretical perspectives that I have not touched upon. I would also like to know which reflection you use the most. Thank you.

Hi everyone, Our research team at University of Oxford is running a 15min survey on young children's digital technology use: bit.ly/4wWuBCn. We are inviting UK educators of children aged 2-11 years to take part. In the survey, you'll be asked to rate the importance of a list of questions submitted anonymously by children, families, and educators about digital technology and young children. Participants can enter a draw for one of ten £50 VEX e‑vouchers. Your responses will help shape the future direction of research into children and technology. Thank you very much for your support!

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Hello, my name is Victoria and I’m nearly at the end of my CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Workforce course with Learndirect. As part of my assignment, I was encouraged to participate in an online forum to share my experience of the importance of reflection as part of my professional development. There are two theories that have been particularly influential in helping people to understand the reflective process. David Kolb – Kolb’s learning cycle: David Kolb was an American educational theorist and psychologist. He developed the experiential learning cycle, where he believed that adults learn by doing and then reflecting, not just listening. He suggested that learning happens through four stages and that people progress through a cycle, resulting in new experiences. Concrete experience (doing/having an experience) – This is about doing something. In an early year setting, this could mean teaching children to play a game of snap for example. Reflective Observation (reviewing/reflecting on the experience) – This is about reviewing and reflecting on the experience and what happened. This might mean that the practitioner thinks about which elements of the game of snap seemed to work well and which elements were less successful. Abstract Conceptualisation (concluding/learning from the experience) – This is about developing new ideas. For example, when playing a game of snap, it might be useful to use pictures on cards that link to children’s experiences and to have extra cards that match, to prevent children from becoming bored. Active experimentation (planning/trying out what you have learned) -This is about putting into practice new ideas. When playing another game of snap, we use the new picture cards instead, giving the children more opportunity to find a “snap”. David Kolb’s process is shown as a learning cycle because after testing new ideas, we may need to reflect on the experience again before continuing. This theory highlights how reflection supports ongoing learning and improvements I have found Kolb’s process very informative, but Gibbs’ reflective cycle is my preferred option. I have learnt that Gibbs’ model was developed from David Kolb’s 4 stage experiential learning cycle, but he designed it to give clearer steps to enable an accurate reflection. Gibbs’ model is also referred to as an iterative model, which means learning is completed through repetition. There are the 6 steps in the reflection cycle, each step informs the next and I have found these are easy to relate into everyday situations we experience as Early Years Practitioners. Graham Gibb’s cycle of reflection: 1. Description (what happened?) 2. Feelings (what were you thinking and feeling at the time?) 3. Evaluation (what was good/bad about the experience?) 4. Analysis (what do you make of what happened?) 5. Conclusion (what can you conclude from this?) 6. Action plan (what are you going to do now to change the way you work?) How the cycle works: After an event or situation, whether good or bad, the adult reflects on what happened, how they felt and judges the experience. They then consider why it happened and what can be learnt from it and finally an action plan is created. I find this particular model has been practical for everyday reflection as it gives clear and easy steps to help reflect through the six-step process. Learning through refection is so important for Early years practitioners as it helps to – · Track your own practice, your colleagues and evaluate how effective it is. · Identify strengths and areas for improvement, which help to implement new ideas which will help the quality of your provision in the setting. · Improve outcomes for children and their families. · Encourages communication in sharing what I have learnt with colleagues and others. There have been more theories in relation to reflective thinking. Others worth reading about to support Early Years practitioners are as follows: John Deweys Stages of reflection – John Dewey was the originator of the reflective thinking. His theory influenced Kolb and Gibbs. Schon’s process of continuous learning – This theory is based on two distinct processes of reflection: Reflecting in action and reflecting on action. Christopher Johns’ five stage mode – This model is based on five stages to help break down the experience and reflect on the process and outcomes. This model encourages exploring how the experience has changed and improved the situation. I have shared my research to give my thoughts on which theoretical perspective I feel work well in my practice. I hope this is useful and I would really appreciate to hear from anyone who uses another approach or has information on theoretical perspectives that are less well known.