Stella Anwili Ogbeifun

Reflection and Theoretical Perspectives in Professional Development: Reflection is an essential component of professional development, particularly in early years education, where practitioners are expected to continually evaluate and improve their practice. Reflective practice enables educators to assess their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for growth, and take intentional steps to enhance their skills and the quality of care and learning they provide. Donald Schön’s theory of reflective practice (1983): Schön emphasises that professionals grow by revisiting their experiences, analysing what worked and what didn't, and using this insight to guide future actions. This model is highly relevant in early years work, where day-to-day experiences often require quick thinking and post-reflection for ongoing improvement. Schön distinguishes between. · reflection-in-action (reflecting as the situation occurs, it helps make real-time judgment and adjust decisions immediately). · reflection-on-action (thinking after the event had happened to review the action and learn from it). Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1984), which outlines four stages of the learning cycle, when an individual progresses through the four stages, new knowledge will be created through new experiences, which will lead to better outcomes when faced with the same situations. This cycle supports the idea that learning is an ongoing loop of doing, that requires reflecting, learning from the experience, and applying new understanding. Practitioners often apply this in their evaluations of planned activities or when considering children’s responses and needs. · Concrete Experience (directly involved in a task), · Reflective Observation (reviewing and reflecting on the experience gained), · Abstract Conceptualisation (concluding and learning from the experience gained), · Active Experimentation (planning and trying out the new ideas). Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988), a widely used model in education and training. This structure helps practitioners think more deeply about how their actions impact others and what they can improve. Several peers highlighted Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle as being particularly practical for early years settings due to its structured nature. Others mentioned the Brookfield’s Four Lenses approach, which encourages reflection through the eyes of the self, colleagues, learners (children), and theoretical literature. This perspective aligns with working in partnership and incorporating feedback from all stakeholders. Gibbs encourages reflection through six stages: · Description (of the event), · Feelings (during the event), · Evaluation (of what worked and what did not), · Analysis (of the current situation and its cause), · Conclusion (of what else could have been done differently next time), · Action Plan (if faced by the same situation, what will you do differently?).