Critical Reflection

Lauren Glasser
30049003

As the semester wraps up, I would like to reflect on the semester as a whole and the
growth I have both done and seen this semester. My students started out very shy and
unknowledgeable about inquiry-based learning. Throughout the semester I have employed many
of the techniques we learned in CMCL, into my practicum.
First, the Nature of Learning (2010), taught about the interconnectedness of cognition,
emotion and motivation. As well as how to put learners at the center, recognizing individual
differences, stretching all students to their maximum potential and helping students to make
horizontal connections across learning. Keeping in mind the importance of motivation and
positive emotions to increase cognition, I tried to focus on pairing students with different
perspectives to share their knowledge. As well as stretching them to their maximum potentials
and allowing their unique perspectives to aid in making horizontal connections to other learning
and life experiences.
Week 3, we learned about Amy Mulnix and Active Learning in the Classroom, this was a
large week of growth for me. Mulnix (2016), wrote about her experience being a teacher and
learner, specifically how she needed to learn to let go and not control every situation, instead
letting the students “go to work”. I began to start asking more questions instead of answering
every question right away, so that I was putting students back at the center of their learning and
allowing them to get there on their own. This in tandem with the Active Learning Strategies
(2009) such as think-pair-share and questioning techniques, I was able to start pushing students
to be independent and curious thinkers. Letting go of the process and putting it in their hands,
allowed for the students to take giant steps forward in their inquiry-based learning journey, I
realized in that moment I was before hindering their learning not helping them by stepping in.
The next week that largely impacted my journey was Metacognition by Tanner (2012),
which is the process of learning about your own learning, an important skill. The idea of
metacognition was new to me, understanding it helped me not only to be a better mentor but a
better student myself. We have done 3 critical reflections throughout the semester which forced
students to reflect on their learning at different points in the semester as well as if their strategies
were effective. This recognition helped students to grow as learners because they understood
their learning process better with every reflection, which was neat to see! As a mentor I was
metacognitive in my teaching and adapted my strategies with different students to ensure I was
connecting with them all, which I found to be a very successful and well received tactic!
Vygotsky’s, Zone of Proximal Development ZPD, is another important tool as it
described the process of learning as being a continuous scale (Lake, 2012). Learning occurs
when students did something just out of their reach, with assistance and then with practice they
could complete on their own, this is known as scaffolding (Lake, 2012). This connects back to
Mulnix’s learning process, give students the tools and knowledge to do the work, then let them
go to work and they’ll get there on their own. I adopted the scaffolding strategy in my mentoring
by supporting students in completing the uncomfortable process that is these group projects, all
while still questioning them to allow for them to reach for things just out of their grasp and get
there with minimal help.
The final week I’d like to talk about is week 9: Teaching and Power, this week was yet
again a crucial week for me as a mentor and a person. Powerlines are something we all struggle
with in every aspect of our lives, I have always struggled with any form of confrontation and
would back down every time. Learning how to recognize and overcome them is a crucial part of
successful collaboration, I struggled with the powerline between my host instructor and me, it
wasn’t until this class that I was able to develop the skills to push through it and put myself on an
equal level with her, I was suffering from the shock of responsibility (Romer & Whipple, 1991).
Once I was able to do that, things ran a lot smoother and I finally felt as if my ideas were
important. As a mentor I had failed to recognize that there was a powerline between the students
and me because I just saw myself as one of them. Romer & Whipple (1991), stated that it was
crucial to silence your own voice in order to suspend that authority and allow for equal
collaboration among powerlines. So, I very consciously tried to do just that, I waited for all the
students in each group to explain their ideas to me and I asked questions to allow for them to
rethink or strengthen their understanding or direction before ever giving any suggestions. This
was wildly successful, as students have since created strong proposals and are extremely
knowledgeable on their topics.
Moving forward into the last week of the semester, students will be presenting their final
proposals to their classmates and a panel of judges. I want to continue to use the Active
Classroom Learning questioning technique when critiquing their final solutions. I also want to
continue to be mindful of the powerline barrier, as well as recognize the hard work and big
undertaking they have completed this semester. I want to continue to foster positive emotions
and motivations in the class by helping them celebrate the achievements and milestones they’ve
hit this semester. This will hopefully motivate them to move forward and work hard next
semester, now knowing what they are capable of doing! Overall, I will continue to employ the
strategies I have spoken about above in the ways I have been using them all semester, I will
know I have been successful when I see all their hard work come together in their final
presentations.

Word count 991

 References

Center for Faculty Excellence, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2009). Classroom

Activities for Active Learning. For Your Consideration…, November 2009.

Groff, J. (2012). The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice - for the Practitioner Guide.,

1–12. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/50300814.pdf

Kenneth A. Bruffee. The Art of Collaborative Learning: Making the Most of Knowledgeable

Peers. Change:Vol. 19, No. 2 (Mar. - Apr., 1987), pp. 42-47 (6 pages)

Lake, R. (2012). Vygotsky on education primer (Peter Lang primer). New York: Peter Lang. Chapter

2, 37-70.

Mulnix, Amy B. (2016). What My Cadaver Dog Taught Me About Teaching and Learning. Journal

on Excellence in College Teaching, 27(1), 5-21.

Romer, K., & Whipple, W. (1991). Collaboration across the Power Line. College Teaching, 39(2),

66-70.

Tanner, Kimberly D. (2012). Promoting Student Metacognition. CBE - Life Sciences

Education, 11(2), 113-Life Sciences Education, 2012, Vol.11(2), p.113-120.