Refining professional knowing as a creative practice: towards a framework for Self-Reflective Shapes and a novel approach to reflection

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces a theoretical framework for the Self-Reflective Shapes approach, a creative solution that was developed in response to a practical challenge of supporting the development of a culture of reflection. We frame the problem empirically by outlining the context of our work with Kazakhstani teacher-trainers and theoretically by examining conceptions of professional knowing and reflection that can lead to the overemphasis of either explicit, well-defined knowledge outcomes or tacit, ill-defined embodied knowledge. Drawing on diverse reflective traditions, in this context reflection is focused on developing the freedoms necessary to successfully meet competing educational demands, be they academic, standards-based, developmental, or social-transformational in nature. We propose that acts which balance freedoms and constraints are inherently creative and therefore reflection can be seen as a creative act. This in turn offers a vehicle to manage tensions that arise from the divergent pressures which arise across educators’ experiences. Self-Reflective Shapes  is presented as an example of such a creative approach as it empowers teachers to focus on the tensions and intentions that are of greatest concern in their context as well as addressing the need to simultaneously develop diverse knowledge forms when addressing multiple, ill-defined and competing educational problems.

KEYWORDS:

• Reflection
• creative practice
• professional knowledge
• self-reflection
• teacher education

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the NIS Centers of Excellence teacher participants for their participation during the development of the Self-Reflective Shapes approach.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Notes on contributors

Philip Kirkman

Philip Kirkman is currently Principal Lecturer and Head of Education Partnerships in the School of Education at Anglia Ruskin University. He is also the course leader for the MBA in Educational Leadership and Management. Before this he was the Deputy Head of Department for Education and Social Care, Cambridge. Prior to his work At Anglia Ruskin, Phil was a subject lecturer on the Secondary PGCE course at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. Before moving into academia, Phil was a teacher, pastoral manager and department leader in secondary schools across the UK. Phil also regularly consults and provides training for educational professionals, internationally and in the UK.

Simon Brownhill

Dr. Simon Brownhill, FHEA is a Lecturer in Education (Teaching and Learning) at the School of Education, University of Bristol. He principally teaches on the MSc Education programme, serving as the Teaching and Learning Pathway Lead. He was previously a Senior Teaching Associate in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, working in international contexts as part of the Education Reform and Innovation team. A former Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the University of Derby, Simon taught on a number of undergraduate and postgraduate education-based courses, contributing heavily to the Initial Teacher Training programmes (BEd Primary and PGCE), and setting up and co-coordinating the PGCE 3–7 route for several years. Prior to working in Higher Education, Simon was a qualified primary school class teacher, gaining experience of teaching across the full 3–11 age range. He also worked as an Assistant Head teacher of the Early Years (3–6) in a large, culturally diverse, inner city primary school.