EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT | Reflective Practice

Educator Spotlight
Written By Josh Morales

Reflective Practice: Past, Present, Future

by Stephanie Clagnaz, Ed.D.

Reflective practice entails (1) consider past or present experiences, (2) reflect and learn from the outcomes, and (3) plan how to better approach similar situations in the future (Machost & Stains, 2023). Education theorist John Dewey suggests that educators embark on a journey of continual improvement when engaging in reflective practice. In short, educators become better at what they do when they engage in reflective practice. At LEDbetter, we encourage educators to engage in reflective practice at this time of year. While we still have a good amount of time before the school year is complete, the closing months of the school year are full of commitments: standardized testing for students, end-year celebrations and awards; moving up and graduation ceremonies, and the like. We often become so busy during the last weeks of the school year that reflecting on what went well and what needs to change never takes place. As such, we recommend that over the next few weeks, educators use David Kolb’s Reflective Practice Cycle and make some intentional time to use the four stages of reflection to analyze the school year thus far and to plan as we approach the summer. 

Consider the four stages of David Kolb’s Reflective Practice Cycle:

  1. Do it: We came into this school year with a plan. It might have been a plan to increase student learning; to grow professionally; to plan for a particular vulnerable student group, such as multilingual learners or students with disabilities. Over the first ⅔ of the school year, we implemented those plans by working with students, taking professional development courses, or focusing on specific students. What were your priorities?


  2. What happened?  We suggest that you engage in this reflective practice now! Look back at the past 7-8 months and assess. How did things go? What went well in terms of student learning? What went well regarding your professional growth? Did a particular group of students perform better or worse than expected?


  3. Why/how did it happen?: Draw some conclusions about the school year so far. If one strategy worked well and possibly increased student learning, how can you continue to use this strategy - or even build on it - for next year? If something did not work, should you change it to better accomplish your goals? Perhaps eliminate it completely and move in a different direction? Did you intend to learn more about helping multilingual students progress? How did that professional learning go? Did it happen at all?


  4. What next?: What can you do for the last two months of the school year to ensure maximum success for yourself and for your students? And as we approach the summer break, what next steps can you take to incorporate possible revised priorities for next year? 


This is the time of year to engage in the reflective process. If we wait any longer, we run the risk of not finding time to fully consider our successes and areas for growth from this school year. LEDbetter experts can help guide you through this process. Contact us today for an immediate appointment to help your learning community members to uncover what has been going well this year, areas that need improvement or change, and to define next steps to help you and your students progress. 



To learn more about how we can support you, please email excelerator@led-better.org, or schedule a call with us.


Josh Morales
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