Reflective Practice in Further Education and Training Settings (March, Online)

Why Reflective Practice?

Reflective practice has become a focus of interest and a powerful movement in education. The complexity of teaching requires educators to question their practices for their own professional development in order to improve and to increase learner performance. Reflective practice is the ability to reflect on an action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning. A key rationale for reflective practice is that experience alone does not automatically lead to learning, deliberate reflection on experience is essential.

Further Education and Training (FET) programmes often take place in settings that have a great deal of ambiguity, complexity, variety, and conflicting values that make unique demands on an educator's skills and knowledge. As a result FET personnel are constantly making choices about the nature of problems that arise and how to solve them in a caring and supportive way. We review our teaching methods and behaviours and determine what works or doesn’t work for learners, cognitively and affectively, in given contexts.

By engaging in reflective practice about our work, we learn to recognise our personal and professional values. We become more adept at trialling new ways of teaching or communicating. We become better educators, administrators, trainers, managers or leaders. We ultimately become masters of our own professional development.

This online PD event will guide you through the theory and practice of reflection on your work. There will be opportunities for you to engage in reflective writing during the session so please bring a pen and paper. On registration, you will be asked to complete an initial exercise that will help you to focus on your present situation. This exercise is for you and will not be shared with others.

The target audience for this event is: FET Staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.

Facilitation: This event will be hosted by FESS and facilitated by Carmel Lillis. Carmel is an independent education consultant. She has worked in a variety of roles in the education system and has contributed to leadership programmes for teachers in Maynooth University and the University of Limerick in the areas of reflective practice and action research. She is a qualified personal and executive coach. Carmel works with Education Centres and presents programmes for principals and deputy principals. She has delivered professional development seminars to Special Needs Assistants and is involved in supporting nurture groups in schools.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.