Reflecting on the Reflections of an article written about Reflections

I found the first half of this reading to be very similar to Barbara Larrivee’s article, “Transforming Teaching Practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher.” Both promote the importance of critical reflection in the field of education, although they go about defining reflection in different ways. In this piece, DeVoss et al. view the development, creation, and continued revision of teaching philosophies as a form of reflection and growth. Comparatively, Larrivee encourages the medium of journaling. Regardless of the different forms, both authors view reflection as the method for organizing and writing one’s ideas. Indeed, DeVoss et al. says that “...these documents [teaching philosophies] [are] living, ongoing reflections of our praxis” (DeVoss 24). Furthermore, “...the preparation and revision of the teacher philosophy statement is a fruitful moment for growth and change, as we evolve as educators, try new methods, adopt new approaches, engage in other practices that extend our techerly selves, and reflect upon our practice” (25). The process of meditating on and evaluation one’s craft is vital for growth, but can be challenging.

I have found alphabetical reflection exercises to be painstakingly challenging for me. Although I am a very reflective person, I do not reflect through the medium of alphabetic writing. Rather, most of my reflection occurs through internal monologue. The challenge with constructing alphabetical teaching philosophies for teachers is that they require lots of time to craft and revise them and often is the first priority in a profession where teachers must juggle multiple tasks. It is easy to let the reflecting become informal notes on lesson plans or a quick picture of a work that a student did successfully. Even more common, is verbal reflection that takes place with a principal, mentor, and/or professional peer during professional learning communities. While certain professional development programs and fellowships require the creation an upkeep of a portfolio, I don’t believe most teachers take the time to write philosophy statements outside of when they apply for jobs.

Considering that writing teaching philosophy can be challenging and murky, I think it lends itself to rethink the structure of teaching philosophy statements. In this reading, DeVoss et al. discusses the creation of teaching with technology philosophy statements and then “remix[ing] and remediat[ing] these traditionally prepared statements into slideshow presentations, Web sites, digital – visual collages, and digital movies” (24). “In light of today’s digital tools and mutimediated ways of representing [teachers’] work,” I think it is important to prioritize the purpose of producing a teaching philosophy and the audience to whom you a writing a piece (23). For example, in the age of social media connectivity, teachers have created personal website portfolios, Facebook groups, #teachersofinstagram and #teachersoftwitter pages to showcase their classroom and out of classroom work. In this way, teachers are demonstrating how shifting technological paradigms have changed how we communicate our ideas and showcase our work. It helps that DeVoss et al. defines and explains the methods in which teachers can reimagine teaching philosophies. They write:

“Remix is an act that calls upon composers to mash, mix, and merge separate pieces, often to create new meaning. Remediation, however, is an act that calls upon composers to reflect, resituate, and reshape a piece while moving it to another medium, and often to enhance or expand upon its existing meaning” (30).

As we practice composing in different mediums, I believe that we will find digital portfolios such as websites, blogs, vlogs, and social medium platforms as a more effective medium to convey our work and style. While alphabetical teaching philosophies may always be part of the “status quo” of job applications and formal evaluations, I believe people (teachers and non-teachers alike) are gravitating to a more interactive portrayal of what a specific teacher believes and the methods they use to articulate that belief.