ID of Student: G00333774

Article/Reading: Stephen Brookfield Becoming Critically Reflective – Chapter 2

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

Chapter two of Stephen D. Brookfield’s Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher discusses

the importance of becoming critically reflective on our teaching skills “… by standing
outside ourselves and viewing what we do through four distinct lenses” (Brookfield, 1995, p.
28). Brookfield states that we find it hard to reflect on who we are and what we do, as we
see our most influential assumptions as “acts of will” (Brookfield, 1995, p. 29). Brookfield
explains that we as humans have problems standing outside ourselves and critically
reflecting on our actions, and we use other humans as mirrors who share the same
assumptions as ourselves, this is because we see these colleagues whom we know will be
sympathetic and familiar with our orientation.

Brookfield talks about four lenses which we as teachers can view our teaching through.
The four lenses include; 1) the autobiographical 2) through the student’s eyes 3) co-
workers experiences and 4) theoretical views. The four lenses are connected to teacher’s
self-reflection, feedback from our students, peer assessments and critiques by our
colleagues as well as engaging in what scholarly literature has to say about our teaching
acts. Looking through these four lenses as a teacher will provide us with the tools to one
becoming an excellent teacher in today’s world.

The first lens talks about our own autobiographies through our own eyes of self-reflection.
Through this lens, we as teachers are able to reflect upon prior experiences such as when
we were the learners and not the teacher in the room. The lens makes us as reflectors
become aware of our assumptions and reasoning which define our actions. By using
techniques such as documenting our reflections in personal diaries, teaching logs and so
on we allow ourselves to make personal goals which will help us to reflect upon our own
teachings thus, we will be able to critique our own teaching style to suit the cohort of the
class.

In Brookfield’s second lens we see ourselves through the eyes of our students, but he
admits that this is difficult as students are understandably reluctant to give their own
opinions about their teachers and does have the potential to backfire as teachers will take
actions against the student’s criticisms. However, it can be seen that viewing our teaching
through the eyes of the students helps us as teachers to teach more responsively
(Brookfield, 1995). Teachers who allow constructive criticism from students will thus become
the best that they can be as they engage in personal reflection to change their ways of
teaching which will be evident in the academic achievement of the students.

The third lens outlined by Brookfield is one in which we engage in a dialogue with our
peers/colleagues for advice and criticism on our teaching strategies and ways. Talking
with peers/colleagues who are in the same profession as ourselves, allows us to get greater
insights into other experiences which they have found themselves in before. This creates a
bigger dialogue among extensive staff and this can highlights areas of problems being
experienced by not just yourself but by others which in turn allows solutions to be teased
out by a multitude of different personality types, this in turn allows us to reflect on what we
can do to change for the better. By engaging with fellow teachers, this allows for what
Brookfield identified as "idiosyncratic failings are shared by many others who work in
situations like ours" (Brookfield, 1995, p. 36). Brookfield believed that involving yourself in
informal conversations with fellow colleagues, this will allow give us view problems within
the classroom which may have been hidden before with rational ideas and solutions.

The fourth and final lens of Brookfield’s reflection theory highlights the needs for teachers to
be consistently upskilling and conducting research to deal with arising problems within the
classroom environment. Teachers tell students that their education will get them places in
life and not just see them “… flipping burgers and drug dealing” (Brookfield, 1995, p. 37).
This point relinquishes the fact that teachers also have to expand their knowledge and not
find themselves being left behind. Brookfield outlines that teachers who expand their
literature and experience are constantly evolving in comparison to those who primarily
focus just on self-reflection.

In conclusion, Brookfield’s book “Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher” talks in great

depth about his four lenses theory which is an essential guide to critical reflection. The
views which Brookfield outlined were created to help enhance the learning experience of
both student and teacher.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

When I begin to reflect on Stephen Brookfield’s reflecting model for teachers, I feel that he
gives a logical account of what is actually happening in our classrooms. We as teachers
should be excellent at reflecting on our work but unfortunately many of us are not and
that’s why class interaction and attendance can be low in serious circumstances as
teachers do not look at themselves and how they teach, which may not be beneficial or
accessible to any students in their classroom. Brookfield’s book “Becoming a Critical
Reflective Teacher”, highlights the actual ways in which all teachers should be using to re-
evaluate our classes looking through the four lenses. When I look at my own teaching
experience to date I have kept a “private autobiographical analysis of my teaching” in
the form of a diary but I need to ask myself, was it completely truthful or was I just ticking
the box for my inspector as I knew this was an item which was being looked at to grade
my teaching competency? (Brookfield, 1995, p. 33). I have also looked through my
students eyes in order to tailor the class to their needs by issuing sticky notes, exit cards and
traffic lights to allow students to have a voice in my classroom without having to be
“reluctant to be honest” but once again I have to ask myself was I able to completely
take on everything that was being said? (Brookfield, 1995, p. 34). When I look back with
complete honesty on my teaching experience to date and the ways in which I have been
reflecting on my teaching practice I feel I have developed a “self-confirming cycle”,
which Brookfield explains to be when we “uncritically accept assumptions, shapes and
actions that then serve to confirm the truth of those assumptions” (Brookfield, 1995, p. 28). I
feel the most challenging thing for any teacher is having the “ability to stand outside
myself and critically review our most deeply held values, and beliefs” (Brookfield, 1995, p.
29). We are all human beings, we might be the teacher in the room but we have feelings
and emotions just like anyone else so being critical of ourselves can have both a positive
and a negative effect on our emotions, but I feel the model in which Brookfield outlines
allows us as teachers to be sympathetic to ourselves yet allowing ourselves to stand back
and make the necessary changes needed to re-evaluate our classes to ensure deep
understanding is being received by our most critical assessors, our students. I feel my
approach to reflecting on my practices is to be honest and true to the cause and my
cause is my students sitting in my classroom eager to learn.
Dewey (1933) was an early theorist who talked about the worth of reflection in education.
He viewed reflection as an exceptional form of problem solving immersed in scaffolding of
experiences and events that should be viewed as an active cognitive process. In
Brookfield’s book he identifies four lenses which teachers can look through when
embarking on their reflective practises. Brookfield outlines that these four lenses help to
bring to the fore assumptions about our teaching with the help of our own
autobiographies, the use of our student’s eyes, experience form colleagues and
information which is already embedded in literature. As a young trainee teacher nearly
ready to embark on his own teaching career, I am now very aware of the importance of
critical reflection within my own teaching methodologies. After reading chapter 2 my
perspective of the reflective practice has changed, I am now aware that my previous
reflection processes used on school placement three only partially touched on using all
four lenses, but not even to the extent in which they should have been used. As a young
teacher, I intend to develop my reflection knowledge by reviewing other reflective
practitioners such as Jenifer Moon, Graham Gibbs, David Kolb and Donald Schön.
Brookfield’s model of reflection delves deep into the reflective practices and gives very
valid points to follow but, I feel that lens four is only developed throughout your teaching
profession or by conducting further educational study.

Graham Gibbs created a reflective cycle in 1988. Gibbs' reflective cycle offers a practical
model which entails five critically reflective questions that help us enhance our reflective
process, by thinking through all the phases of an experience or an activity. Gibbs’s
reflective model is very suitable for a means of quick reflection as the model outlines a
reflective process to deal with minor problems which arise during the daily running of a
class. Gibbs reflective process identifies five key points to any lesson which are description,
feelings, evaluation, conclusion, and action (Gibbs, 1988). I feel that the model outlined by
Gibbs has potential for off the cuff reflective practices during the general day to day
running of classes but for deep critical thinking I feel the model would not suit as the five
key points do not allow a teacher to delve deep and reflect on the crucial points.

Another reflective practice was created by Donald Schön during the 1980’s. Schön defines
reflective practice as a theory in which professionals become aware of their own
knowledge base and learn from their own experiences. Schön talks about two types of
reflective practices which are reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. Schön says
that the act of reflection-in-action is when we reflect on behaviours as they happen within
the classroom whereas, reflection-on-action is when we reflect after an event where we
criticise, question and evaluate what happened in the classroom (Schön, 1983). I feel that
the theory outlined by Schön is the most accessible to every teacher as the model is simple
and precise and it gives teachers the time to reassess themselves throughout the day and
then encourages further, deeper critical reflection to take place once everything has
finished.

To conclude on Brookfield’s reflective process using the four lens model which offers us as
teachers the ability to critically think using higher order thinking skills with multiple
dimensions as well as giving us the tools to problem solve, both of which are so important
in the teaching profession especially nowadays. It can be said that Brookfield’s model is a
reflective practice which will grow with you during your years of service as a teacher. I feel
this is because certain aspects of his model require experience and this is only gained with
years of service, and as I am only beginning my journey, other models advocated by
Moon, Gibbs, Kolb and Schön offer excellent support and maybe at this stage in my
career, are more suitable to me personally as they spark and prompt valid points in which
we as teachers can build and expand on. Throughout my career as a teacher I feel I will
encapsulate a wide variety of all these reflect practices in my day to day reflections.
3. LIST OF REFERENCES

Brookfield, S., 1995. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Dewey, J., 1933. How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the
educative process. Boston: D.C. Heath.
Gibbs, G., 1988. Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford:
FEU.
Kolb, D. A., 2014. Experiential Learning : Experience as the Source of Learning and
Development. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
Moon, J. A., 2004. A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: Theory and
Practice. London: Routledge Falmer.
Schön, D. A., 1983. The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Michigan:
Basic Books.