Unlocking lifelong learning - the key to reflective practice.
At Opalite Learning, we believe that lifelong learning is underpinned through reflective practice. The power of reflective practice can have a positive impact on our personal and professional development. Reflection is a skill and one which requires goal-orientated targets, time, honesty, action and an awareness of impact.
Goal Orientated
It is our professional belief that goal orientation is important in the continual participation in lifelong learning. As professionals, we should set regular professional development targets to enhance our skills. As institutions, we should be setting targets against frameworks set by regulatory bodies, such as the Education Inspection Framework. Our students need goal orientation to help motivate positive destinations.
Time
Dedication to reflection is essential; finding time is always difficult, but it is crucial in reflective practice being impactful. In both personal and professional reflections, it is always beneficial to consider a space away from technological and in-person distractions. Try to be consistent in the space you use and the time you choose to reflect. The end of a busy week is always an effective time to debrief, take stock and consider actions! At Opalite, we have created a staff and student personal development journal to help dedicate the time to reflection.
Honesty
It is important that all your reflections are honest. If you want to achieve a goal, honesty is the first step in creating actions. Honesty is breaking down a situation you have experienced, the barriers you have faced, how the situation made you feel and assessing the impact it has had on others. At Opalite, we have created a reflective practice model to help professionals and institutions break down elements of professional practice.
Action
Once you have broken down a situation and understood the nature of that situation, you can then create a series of actions to help improve that situation. It is important to use short-term and long-term actions in creating positive change and goal completion. Consider how you as an individual can create change, how your wider team can create change and how institutionally you can create change. Action and change are crucial in evidencing progress and impact. Opalite regularly interviews employers, industry professionals, educational specialists, healthcare professionals, and community representatives on the actions learning institutions can take to improve teaching and learning, personal development, and behaviours and attitudes.
Impact
What are the impacts of your reflective actions? How will your actions impact on your colleagues? How will your actions impact on your students? How will your actions impact on the institution? How will your actions impact the wider community?
The best use of reflective practice will always have actions, and those actions will always have an impact. At Opalite, we work closely with educational providers on how to develop their impact towards their goals.
The aim of Opalite
Opalite Learning’s main aim is for all of its partnership providers to create a culture of reflective practice that is embedded at every level of their institution. Daily, we see the positive power reflective practice has on the progress made by students, professionals, and institutions. We believe that lifelong learning is developed through the art of reflective practice.
Choose Opalite Learning and begin your reflective journey to an Ofsted Outstanding institution.
Next steps…
If you would like to schedule a free consultation to discuss your next steps in starting your reflective journey, contact us at:
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