1.4 Reflective practice in education – professional development workshop writing sample
Below you can read an example of a graduate teacher’s written reflection after attending a professional development workshop. The graduate teacher can use this reflection as evidence of teaching proficiency when applying for full teaching registration.
Workshop reflection
My Year Six students are from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and there are varying levels of English language proficiency in the class. I have noticed that in many cases this has caused a disconnect between some students and their classmates, and even between students and staff. My teaching inquiry focuses on how cross-cultural communication skills can be developed. I am exploring activities and discussions to promote understanding, empathy, and effective communication between students in this class.
In order to learn new strategies to implement as part of my teaching inquiry, I recently attended a workshop called Embracing Language Diversity in the Primary Classroom. In the workshop, we discussed the significance of valuing students’ home languages and cultural identities, as this affects their wellbeing and learning. We learnt about linguistic scaffolding (which involves providing support to students learning English as an additional language) through visual aids, gestures, and simple language to build their confidence.
We were reminded to be mindful of the language we use as educators, avoiding jargon and ambiguous phrases that might confuse non-native English speakers. The workshop leader also discussed the drawbacks of cultural and linguistic ‘cliques’ forming in the classroom, which can limit opportunities for interaction and lead to division within the classroom. It can also hold back students’ language learning as they interact less with speakers of the main classroom language (English).
Having reflected on my teaching, I realise that I sometimes use language that might be challenging for some students and may have unknowingly contributed to their isolation from the activity and their peers. In the future, I will be more intentional about my language choices to ensure they are inclusive and accessible to all of the students. I have also allowed students to choose their partners in many activities, and without fail they gravitate towards speakers of their own languages and cultural backgrounds. This seems like a missed opportunity, after hearing the advice in the workshop, and I will start taking steps to ensure collaboration in my class is more diverse and inclusive.
I have formed two plans after attending and reflecting on the workshop. Firstly, I am going to try a strategy that the workshop speaker called ‘language partners’, which involves pairing up students from different language backgrounds to work together and help each other with language challenges. This will take a lot of pre-planning to get the right pairs or groups, but it is also an opportunity for the exchange of cultural information, and to ideally build friendships and greater respect for each other. Secondly, I will create more opportunities to celebrate and highlight the linguistic diversity in my classroom by encouraging students to share their home languages and creating opportunities for peer collaboration. I hope to create an environment where students feel valued and respected for their unique backgrounds.
Overall, I feel more prepared to create a nurturing and culturally sensitive classroom that celebrates diversity and promotes language inclusivity. The goal of my learning inquiry is to create a positive learning environment in which students feel comfortable talking about their home lives, their cultures, and asking language questions if they are not sure. I want my students to feel valued by their teacher and their peers.
