TUTORIAL PAPER TWO

ID of Student: G00394410
Article/Reading Stephen D. Brookfield, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher.

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

The aim of chapter one is to challenge teachers to be able to understand what critical reflection is. The hope of this chapter is
to encourage teachers to recognise and question the assumptions they make in their own teaching and learning. By
recognising and questioning these assumptions then teachers can reflect on how it impacts their teaching and the learners.
Once the critical reflective practice is then complete, the teacher in question can then outline how they will aim to improve
on their own practices and recognise the importance of critical reflection and remove the “self-fulfilling frameworks” of
refusing to reflect critically and adapt your teaching.

What it means to be a critically reflective teacher. “We teach to change the world.” The fact that teachers hold the power of
influence on students means that teachers have the power to alter the amount of love and justice students hold and their
overall morality. Being open to being critically reflective means that you are prepared to make mistakes and recognise that
the methods you use might not be acceptable. Being open to improvement can also reduce stress levels and depressive
anxiety filled moments due to being clear that it is a learning curve and building on your experience for future practice. It
also states that experience in teaching is pointless without reflective practice to analyse your methods.

How does the book break down becoming a critically reflective teacher? It first starts off with the main aspect of reflecting is
looking at your assumptions. The article reads “Assumptions are the taken-for-granted beliefs about the world and our place
within it that seem so obvious to us as not to need stating explicitly.” (Brookfield, 1995). Assumptions make up a big part of
our teaching character. Becoming aware of our assumptions and being able to recognise what they are, can help you in your
own reflective practice.

The book exercises three main types of assumptions. ““Paradigmatic assumptions” are the basic structuring axioms we use to
order the world into fundamental categories” “” Prescriptive assumptions” are about what we think ought to be happening in
a particular situation.” Lastly, “” Casual assumptions” help us understand how different parts of the world work and the
conditions under which the processes can be changed.” Everyone tends to fall into the habit of common-sense assumptions.
For example. “of course, they know how to draw a circle.” The book gives realistic examples of common-sense assumptions
that are generally used as an “unreliable guide to action.” (Brookfield, 1995). After each realistic common-sense assumption,
it gives a brief “plausible alternative interpretation that calls its validity into question”.

As a teacher you hold a lot of power in the classroom. The chapter on the illumination of power cleverly puts it to the
readers, that real power comes from letting the students have power in the classroom, creating a more universal environment.
“We start to explore how power over learners can become power with learners” (Kreisberg, (1991)). The book again lists
examples of each kind of realistic scenario that a teacher might accidently assert dominance or their power over students
learning. “The Circle” is a method of teaching where students sit around in a circle rather than rows. This does not phase
“confident” students as they think differently to other students. However, students that are less confident in themselves
would find this scenario horrifying as all of a sudden, they are exposed and can feel the whole class is able to see them now.
It can be a more “intimidating” and “humiliating experience for certain students. The circle can often lead students to feel the
need that they “have to” answer a question. It poses the feeling of being obligated to answer and participate when its your
turn. This is not attacking teachers or their methods, as the author himself uses this method, however, through the reflective
practice, it therefore provides the understanding of the “oppressive potential” that the circle has.

Teachers being one with the students is a second example of the illumination of power and its imbalances. No matter how

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 much you try to be a “normal person” and not an “authoritative” figure to the students, some will never be able to distinguish
the difference between you being a superior person of authority and a friendly face. At first at least, overtime, being a
supportive and fair teacher may turn the perception of the students.

Teachers acting as a fly on the wall can contain high amounts of disproportion. Teachers who act as non-direct facilitators of
learning may use this approach. While this method is good, through critical reflection it can be seen to have its disadvantages
also. If a teacher stays in the room during the instructionally set out work, then it is not fully independent learning by the
students as they may act differently due to the teacher observation. Students may either act up, as to impress the teacher and
look for little signs of approval to see if their own work is going the right direction. Other students might clam up in fear that
the students might say something “stupid”. The other perception is that it might be seen as the teacher being lazy.

Why is critical reflection important? There are six reasons outlined in the book to fulfil this very question. It helps us take
informed actions, it helps us develop a rationale for practice, it helps us avoid self-laceration, it grounds us emotionally, it
enlivens our classrooms, and it increases democratic trust.

In conclusion, this article illuminates the transformative power of critical reflection in teaching, urging educators to embark
on a journey of self-discovery and improvement. By understanding and questioning the assumptions underlying their
teaching practices, educators can foster a more inclusive, empowering, and dynamic learning environment. The book
"Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher" serves as a guide, offering practical strategies and insights for teachers to
challenge their own perspectives, recognize the impact of their decisions on students, and ultimately reshape their approach
to teaching. It underscores the necessity of critical reflection not only as a tool for personal and professional growth but also
as a means to cultivate a more just and compassionate world through education. By embracing the principles of critical
reflection, teachers can enhance their effectiveness, contribute to the betterment of their students' lives, and reaffirm their
commitment to the noble cause of education. – taken from ChatGPT.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

I think, overall, the author provides an abundance of good information. It expresses its mission in a compelling manner. It
explains and defines terms the book the author wants you to know about and it also gives you points from your own
perspective to help you identify the problems and give you a different viewpoint. From that then you can critically analyse it
and infer changes. I think it is written in a friendly, casual, empathetic and first-hand experienced way. The language is
relatable and informative. The author also provides a convincing argument to support his theory that critical reflection helps
teachers grasp their way of teaching, recognise, challenge assumptions and overall improve their teaching.

This book has a lot of strengths, and I would highly recommend this book to other colleagues. It provides strong practical
approaches to real life scenarios and methods, which can be used and observed in the classroom. It helps teachers in being
able to dive deeply into their own critical reflection and analyse themselves as a teacher. A few weaknesses that I recognised
in the document was the language in the document was hard to read and a lot of words were hard to read and a dictionary
was needed to look up a lot of words, which made the reading a bit slow and took away from the flow of the book. I think it
is well written and knowledgeable, however, the language is elaborate and extravagant. To someone who uses more informal
language this was a bit challenging. I also though that the article mentions oppression and disfranchising in the chapter. I
think this is an outdated statement to make as every registered teacher is with the teaching council and abides by its code of
conduct. Every teacher is given a guideline to uphold their integrity and trust in the class.

The article is well structured. The chapter itself is broken up into subheadings which also have an umbrella of subheadings
within. It is easy to follow and see which sub-subheading belong to which subheading. It makes it easy to trace back and
follow. It is also structured in a way teachers are taught to instruct their students, through building blocks. It defines what
critical reflection is, how to recognise bad habits and assumptions to be able to recognise that every teacher has some level of
improvement to consider. It then follows through with real life examples and improvements that can be implemented or
different viewpoints.

I think that the chapter is both convincing and relevant as it is normal everyday scenarios and actions carried out as a teacher.
The need for critical reflection will always be there no matter how well experienced you are as a teacher. The role of a
teacher, I believe, is forever expanding, therefore, so does the need of being able to reflect on your opinions and
methodology.

Through my reading of the teaching councils “Professional Code of Conduct for Teachers in Ireland”, I can see many
similarities between this chapter and the code. They both begin with a definition and explanation of the aim of the writing.
They both then outline the structure of their practice and how to go about implementing the principles. They outline your
duties and roles as a teacher and provide scenarios, outlining how to deal with them.

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024

 I believe my implications for future teaching will be directly affected by this book. Critical reflection will not and should not
by any means ever cease. I plan on becoming a successful teacher to the best of my abilities and I think, at a minimum,
which should involve having critical reflection as a constant practice as a professional teacher. I learned that there is a lot of
different methods of reflecting critically and that the methods you use have their advantages and disadvantages that you may
not be clear about unless you successfully and deeply carry out critical reflection.

When I was on placement, I had an incident where a student made a joke. I as a natural response, completed the rest of the
joke. The end of the joke contained the students name, and I only realised it after I had made the joke. I reflected casually on
my action straight away as the tone of the class changed immediately and I felt a bit ridiculous for saying it. I dealt with it
and carried on with the class in a good manner. However, when I was critically reflecting on this afterwards, I could see how
there is a fine line between being casual with the students and keeping it professional. I really regretted the incident
afterwards. I learned to try and be more careful with my choice of words and when to involve myself in a joke in the
classroom. I also incorporated weekly critical reflections, where I discussed this topic. Completing these weekly critical
reflections really made you dive deep into your actions and the effects and improvements to be made. It also gave me a
chance to delve out into broader literature areas, as we had to include at least four separate literature references.

I think this chapter is of upmost relevance to your professional development as a teacher. Critical reflective practice is at the
foundations of every successful teaching career in my opinion. To not critically reflect is to be ignorant to the fact that your
teaching needs improvement. I think nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement. I think it is relevant to all
teachers no matter what stage they are at in their career. Incorporating the critical reflective practice can greatly increase the
quality of education provided, keep teachers in a higher bracket of teaching and learning and improve students’ ability to
learn through their teacher and self-centred.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

References
Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher.

Kreisberg, S. ((1991)). Transforming power: Domination, empowerment, and education. .

4. AI Appendix

I have availed of AI research tools for research. YES NO (please highlight)

If YES, I have investigated the accuracy and quality of the research and references generated
YES NO (please highlight)
I state that I only used the use of AI to generate a conclusion of my summary of the article.

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024

Etc…

Conclusion generated. See figure below.

© ATU Dept. of Creative Education 2023-2024