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The “U” Model: Reflective Practice Guidelines for Educators
Engaged Inspired Transformed
Purpose: The purpose of this guideline is to help you critically reflect on your teaching practice.
You will be challenged to uncover your assumptions, beliefs, opinions and biases about the
learner, learning and the learning environment. This ultimately speaks to how you live your
teaching philosophy, whether that philosophy is formally articulated or not. The desired outcome
of this reflective process is the creation of a safe, student centered learning environment.
While there are different goals for reflective practice, this model focuses on the goal of
transformation (Chapman & Shaw Anderson, 2005, p.543; Lyons, 2010, p. 16). It is the desire
and hope that through reflection a competent, confident, compassionate, conscientious,
committed, professional, student centered educator emerges (Roach, 1987/2002).
Rationale:
For engaging in reflective practice:
higher education faculty are content experts, not teaching experts (Brookfield, 1995;
Cranton, 2002).
it is a key component to the development of competent educators, therefore enhancing
teaching practice (Brookfield, 1995).
For building student centered learning environments:
foster life-long learning cultures (Attard, Dilorio, Geven, & Santa, 2010, p. 11; Weimer,
2013).
support an increased motivation to learn as well as independence and responsibility for
learning (Attard et al., 2010, p. 8).
impact educators by providing a more interesting/challenging teaching role, resulting in
positive working conditions (Attard et al., 2010, p. 9).
What is reflective practice?
Reflective practice is an intentional action driven by someone who wants to discover the purpose
and meaning behind an interaction. It involves asking questions that ultimately explore your
values, beliefs, assumptions, and perspectives. It requires taking responsibility for those values,
beliefs, assumptions, and perspectives and either affirming them or intentionally seeking new
knowledge to change or broaden the understanding of them. The final step in the reflective
process is action that is based on this new understanding. True reflection results in
transformation. It is about having an impact on humanity. You as “the reflector”
are changed through the process, thereby creating an environment characterized by
openness, respect, and understanding. This environment is necessary for student
centered learning. The following four steps within The“U” Model serve as a guide
for reflection.
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Why a “U” model?
The “U” Model serves as visual representation of the guidelines. The “U” has
significance for two reasons. First, the title of the model reflects Dewey’s (1933)
beliefs of reflection as a personal journey with the individual bearing the
responsibility for the process. Reflection is about you (U)! Secondly, the shape of
the “U” symbolizes depth. Staying on the surface, mulling over interactions will
not result in transformation.
(Step 1) Description of an Experience
What happened with your student? What happened in your
classroom? What happened with other faculty? What did you do as a
result?
(Step 2) Identified Learning
What do you believe about your role as an educator in this situation?
What conclusions did you make about yourself, students, others in
this situation? How did your beliefs, biases, assumptions, and
opinions influence the situation? Do these need to be challenged to
move you to student centered learning? Could you have dealt with
the interaction in a different manner?
(Step 3) Resource/Research Supported Learning (VERY
IMPORTANT PART!!)
Critical reflection/thinking is what you do to challenge your current
knowledge and perspectives. Here you will summarize the relevancy
of your findings to the situation you described. What resources
(actual SOURCES of information such as journal articles, best
practice guidelines, etc.) did you use to challenge your knowledge
and perspectives? How is this information informing your practice? Do you need to change some of your values, beliefs, assumptions,
and perspectives? How has this new information/awareness changed
or reinforced your original knowledge and perspective?
(Step 4) Implications for Future Practice
In this section you will need to think about what this learning means
for your future practice. What will you do in your future practice as a
result of this new information/learning?
* It is important to note that even though four steps have been identified
within the model, reflection is not a linear step by step process.
It is an individual journey and the steps are identified as a guide.*
Intentional
Thought
Practice:
The Act of
Questioning
Awareness/
Understanding
Action
Action leads to Transformation
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The “U” Model
Do you have the 4 attributes that are important for reflective practice?
Being Present (Are you able to set aside your own thoughts, cares and concerns in order to be fully engaged with
another?)
Open mindedness (Do you have a sense of curiosity to learn more about the way you see yourself and the world?
Are you willing to explore the concept that other people see the world differently? Are you willing to hear the
viewpoints of others?
Whole Heartedness (Are you passionately engaged in the process? Are you willing to do the work in order to
understand others?)
Responsibility (Are you willing to be responsible for your thoughts, opinions, and assumptions that result in actions and
choices that impact the world around you.
(Dewey, 1933; Rodgers, 2002)
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“Who is thinking for you?”
(Brookfield, 1995; American Psychological Association, 1997; Mezirow, 1998; Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005;
Nairn, Chambers, Thompson, McGarry, & Chambers, 2010; Weimer, 2013)
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Author Note
This work is the result of a collaborative effort between Linda J.M. Cavanaugh BScN,
RN and Leanne M. Topola MN, BScN, RN, BA, IBCLC, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Program, MacEwan University. Please reference as:
Cavanaugh, L.J.M., & Topola, L.M. (2014). The “U” model: Reflective practice guidelines for
educators. Unpublished manuscript, BScN Program, MacEwan University, Edmonton,
Canada.
References
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principles: A framework for school reform and redesign. Washington, DC. Author.
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students, staff and higher education institutions. Brussels, BE: Laserline.
Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Chapman, V.-L., & Shaw Anderson, B. (2005). Reflective practice. In L. English (Ed.),
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Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Boston, MA: DC Heath.
Knowles, M., Holton III, E., & Swanson, R. (2005). The adult learner: The definitive classic in
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Lyons, N. (2010). Reflection and reflective inquiry: Critical issues, evolving conceptualizations,
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