It is so important as an educator to reflect upon your daily practice in order to grow, learn and develop. I've put together some ideas for you to reflect on:
Be open to feedback - Being able to receive feedback from colleagues or supervisors is an important first step in reflecting critically. Take time to listen to feedback, and evaluate it objectively, taking note of any areas where improvement is needed.
Understand your own biases - Each educator has their biases, whether it's from their upbringing, past experiences, or beliefs. Reflect on your beliefs and values regularly, particularly in relation to your work, and ask yourself whether they are helping or hindering your ability to teach and care for children at the early years level.
Document and journal daily - Make note of what you have taught, what has worked or not worked, and any challenges you faced. This will help you to process your day better and make the necessary adjustments for the next day. It also really helps you offload too if your day hasn't gone as well as you had planned.
Observe and reflect on your interactions with children - Take note of what you say and do, in addition to what the children say and do when they are interacting with you or with one another. Identify areas where you need to improve or adapt your teaching style to better meet the needs of individual children or the group as a whole.
Collaborate with colleagues, researchers, mentors and supervisors - Discuss issues, ideas or shared expertise within a trusted network of educators or mentors. Such collaborative efforts increases depth and variety of views at the same time any mis-conceptions or laxness in oneself will be challenged. It's really key that you have a 'critical' friend.
Seek to improve practice - From your critical reflection, assess new ways and methods to improve your practice and implement these changes, keeping a note in your journal on what works and what doesn’t.
Remember, critical reflection is an important tool for personal and professional development and advancement, so embrace it and value the insight it can provide and the impact that it can have on your children.
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