The Power of Reflection

After viewing the this week’s video lecture and reading pages 104-107 in School Leadership Internship, it is easy to see the connection between reflection and leadership.  One of my favorite quotes from the text stated that, “expertise cannot be gained by being told what to do; it is more than mastering a handful of general principles” (Martin et al., 2005, p. 104).  As a school leader we have to resist the urge to simply tell people what to do because we are restricting their own reflective practices.  If we set up a culture that encourages self reflection from all stakeholders, then we are likely to lead an organization that is both effective and efficient.  As mentioned in the text, this requires effective leaders to be comfortable with ambiguity.  Reflection requires time to consider past experiences, weigh options, and internally debate all of the factors that surround an issue.  That ambiguity can lead to frustration for some, but it is essential in effective leadership.  Reflection allows leaders to become “thinkers” that will analyze problems and situations from a variety of perspectives in search of a deeper understanding.

Course Assignment Reflective Activities:  Throughout the courses we have completed multiple assignments that require self-reflection.  For instance, in the process of developing a vita we had to create a first draft, gather feedback from our peers, and submit a final draft.  This process allowed for reflective practice in that we were given the opportunity to gain insight and perspective from our colleagues.  That information was then used to broaden our own expertise in developing a more comprehensive personal vita.

Blogs:  The blogs are an excellent resource for collaboration.  I specifically remember posting my intern plan draft and utilizing feedback from my peers.  For instance, in my original intern plan draft I failed to include sufficient secondary (middle school and high school) learning opportunities.  After discussion and interaction on the blog, my thinking was “pushed” a little to consider including secondary level experiences since my personal experience was limited to the elementary level.  It was an issue that I had considered, but one that I had not really reflected on.  Having the opportunity to analyze the intern plan and think deeply about my selected activities helped me to develop a final draft that included a wide variety of learning opportunities.

Course and campus supervised logs:  The course logs have been a tool to track and monitor my own progress on completing all of the components of my intern plan.  I set up checkpoints for myself each month to review my progress, which provided time for reflection.  This was also beneficial in guiding my discussions with my internship supervisor as we discussed the status of each intern activity.

Assessments:  When I reflect back on the assessments throughout the program I immediately think about the mid-terms, the finals, and the LCE exam.  In addition, I consider the weekly assignments to be assessments of learning.  Due to the exams being administered online, the assessments actually provided a great time to reflect on the course material and determine the most appropriate answers.  This process reminded me of instructional conversations that we often have with teachers regarding the value of “text evidence.”  In previous staff development sessions, we have encouraged teachers to allow students to go back and “prove” their answers because it allows them to think back and reflect on their work.  As an adult learner, the online tests provided an opportunity for a reflective learning adventure.

Other intern experiences:  The discussion boards have also been a valuable tool for self-reflection.  The exchange of ideas and collaboration creates a forum in which we are able to challenge each other’s thinking.  That is the essence of reflection, and it has helped me to realize the importance of multiple perspectives. 

This year I had the opportunity to open a brand new elementary campus in my district.  Even though I am an experienced elementary principal, it has been a challenge that has provided me with several opportunities to learn new things.  Initially, I accepted the challenge because I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to grow professionally.  I realize now, in reflection, that I had become too comfortable in my previous role.  In reflecting back, I acknowledge that I had become what I would describe as a “stagnant leader.”  Opening the new campus has provided an opportunity to problem solve and think about matters deeply.  My goal is to begin a reflective journal that will force me to take time each week to think and problem solve.  I believe one of the unintentional mistakes leaders make is that we get easily wrapped up in the day to day operations, which sometimes causes us to miss the big picture.  I am hoping that the reflective journal will help me stay focused on what is really important—student learning.  I also have implemented a weekly meeting with my leadership team in an effort to promote reflective practices.  I want to resist the urge to simply “tell people what to do” because I know that part of my responsibility to them is to help them become reflective thinkers and problem solvers.  The campus is comprised of individuals that have a wealth of knowledge and experience.  Implementing reflective practices will allow each individual, including myself, to grow professionally and personally.  We are also implementing grade level professional learning communities, which are led by the teachers.  My goal is to help promote reflection within the grade levels so that they learn to power of team reflection and problem solving.