The challenges of reflective practice amongst colleagues in Higher Education

Much has been written about the value of participating in the process of reflective practice as part of one?s continuing professional development. Within the Higher Education (HE) sector, this practice can be used to help formally evidence an individual?s impact on teaching and learning. While colleagues understand the benefits of critical reflection, there is sometimes a reluctance to participate in the process of formalised reflection amongst colleagues in HE. This formalised process involves having to put forth a written record of one?s critical reflection as evidence that an individual has successfully engaged with the practice. While many university programmes and courses embed lessons and assessments focused around the topic of reflection, there remains a question around the extent to which academics themselves and colleagues in HE positively and productively participate in reflective practice regularly enough so that our encouragement of students to engage with this practice does not seem hypocritical. This presentation considers a few common obstacles behind participating in reflective practice amongst colleagues in Higher Education and considers how reviewing one?s general approach to engaging with activities and peers in the workplace can help in part to overcome these specific challenges. As well as considering how a change in approach to working dynamics may affect one?s engagement with reflective practice, the presentation also considers a few practical suggestions which can be implemented at individual and departmental level to help encourage participation and commitment to reflective practice in HE institutions. The recommendations made in this presentation are not put forth as ?new? ideas. Rather, the points and suggestions raised are based on informal discussions and observations with HE colleagues in a context in which reflective practice was the issue of focus. In this way, the points raised here are based on my own reflection. The examples discussed in this paper were selected as common issues that colleagues tend to grapple with when engaged in the process of reflective practice.