Melanie Pilcher considers the everyday opportunities for reflective practice that EYFS practitioners should be taking advantage of…
In basic terms, reflective practice in EYFS is simply a matter of thinking about what you have done, what you are doing now and what you will do in the future.
We can describe a reflective practitioner in EYFS as somebody who is open-minded and willing to learn from their current or past experiences.
By being aware of the opportunities that present themselves in their everyday work, reflective practitioners are best placed to understand the benefits that reflection brings as they strive to support the individual needs of young children and their families.
Practitioners who reflect on their work actually utilise the same elements of the Characteristics of Effective Learning for children that we refer to in EYFS as ‘engagement, motivation and thinking’.
These characteristics, in turn, support what Kolb (1984) describes as active or experience-based learning – a continuous cycle.
What this diagram demonstrates is that reflection does not take place as a separate activity. Instead, it’s part of a whole process of ‘active learning’ that is only possible if there is genuine involvement.
Similarly, the Characteristics of Effective Learning are not themselves an activity that we have to plan. They are instead the process of learning that takes place if the environment is consistently ‘rich’ with opportunity.
The skill of the practitioner is in recognising that opportunity and utilising it. This is rather than conducting a singular activity in the hope that a ‘characteristic’ will be the end result.
Likewise, reflective practice in EYFS is not about contriving opportunities for reflection to happen. Instead, it’s about being informed enough to be able to tune in to the possibilities that present themselves in your everyday work.
One of the most important and readily available routes to reflection in our workplaces is the ‘learning conversation’. This is a conversation with colleagues, parents or other professionals about elements of our practice or provision.
The learning conversation is hugely important but often undervalued when it happens informally. Of course, there are formal learning conversations that happen during focused meetings such as staff supervisions or parents’ evenings.
However, there are also learning conversations that happen many times during the course of a day. This is as you think about situations as they occur, or after the event.
You can then share these thoughts with colleagues as they arise. For example, you might say, “I wonder why Jack always separates the red cars from the rest when he plays with them. Have you noticed that too?”
A casual observation such as this can lead to a more prolonged discussion taking place. This might result in a better understanding of Jack’s interests and needs.
Taking part in and encouraging others to join in positive discussions or learning conversations will help to create an ethos of reflective practice in EYFS.
Practitioners will get into the habit of thinking more carefully about what is happening around them and know that others will be interested to hear their thoughts
Applying new knowledge and ideas to existing practice will inevitably lead to improvement and change that benefits everyone. Time, finances and availability sometimes constrain opportunities for CPD. This makes it a precious (but still essential) commodity for some.
However, it should not just be dependent on the quantity of CPD available. The focus should instead be on individuals recording key elements of learning that have taken place when they have attended training and bringing it back to share with colleagues.
In this way, everyone gets to bring something to the process. Together can ‘unpick’ ideas and add new possibilities to their practice.
Many settings already use peer observation. Self-evaluation is also encouraged, with Ofsted looking for evidence of how a setting’s team evaluates their practice and can plan for improvement.
Some practitioners will find the idea of a colleague observing them a daunting prospect that they will avoid if they possibly can. Others will be uncomfortable with the idea of observing a colleague and giving feedback. They may assume that they need to focus on what they are not doing well and need to improve upon.
The opposite is in fact true. Peer observation and self-evaluation should instead focus on what people do well and how they can further develop in other areas too.
An understanding of peer observation and self-evaluation is essential for those practitioners who opt to take part in the joint observation alongside the Ofsted inspector during inspection.
The inspector should be able to gain a sense of how well-established self-evaluation is by the participation of the observer and the usefulness of the feedback given to colleagues after the observation has taken place.
The inspector will also be alert to the ‘awareness’ of the observer as to what is actually happening around them. How does this, in turn, translate itself to feedback that improves practice?
Whether they come about through specially arranged events or through informal contact with other settings and professionals, a network is a supportive system for sharing information and ideas that will facilitate reflection.
With increased emphasis on partnership working and linking families to the services they need when extra support is required, networking can really support the development of professional skills and rapport.
Practitioners in related areas of work can begin to see clear links between what they provide and seek ways to work together. This is rather than citing confidentiality or professional boundaries as a reason for working in isolation.
There are, of course, many, many more opportunities to reflect on practice that will lead to active learning in EYFS. In turn, this will result in action planning for change and improvement.
Above all else, reflective practice in EYFS is always going to enable effective practice. And effective practice is the very least that the children and families we are providing for deserve.
Melanie Pilcher is former policy and standards manager at the Pre-school Learning Alliance (now the Early Years Alliance).
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