The Power of Reflection

What makes a great general education teacher, SLP, OT, PT or special education teacher?

I'm sure many people would weigh in on this topic and have various things to say. The qualities on the top of that list would probably be:
-Passion
-Patience
-Education
-Experience
-Organization
-Communication
-Creativity

However, I feel that there is one specific quality that towers above all the rest. It is the most important quality that will turn a good teacher, SLP, OT, PT or SPED teacher into a great one.

Reflection.

Yes, all of the other qualities are important... but I think that the power of reflection is often overlooked and, it is the most important of them all.

The special education teacher at my school and I have found ourselves in conversations this school year where everything comes back to that one important quality. 

When we consciously step back and reflect on how we're conducting therapy, writing goals, assessing students, collaborating with other professionals and communicating with parents, THAT is when we are able to do our best work. 

I'm not talking about a formal write-up here. I'm talking about taking a second to reflect in your own mind. 

In your therapy session…. was your prompting effective? How could it be more effective? How about your behavior management? What worked today and what didn't? What tools can you utilize from today's session that can work next time? What totally flopped that you should never use as a tool again? :)

In your goal writing…. does the baseline for the goal reflect where the child is currently in order to truly measure progress down the road? Is the goal realistic? Is it specific? Did you consider prompting? And then, when you're working with the kiddos on this goal… even months down the road… does this goal still work or does it need to be tweaked?

In your assessment…. did you look at the WHOLE child? Did you observe the student in more than one setting? Did you administer informal and formal assessments? Is there anything missing from your assessment? If so (no one is perfect), what can be done next time to make sure your assessment is more comprehensive?

When collaborating with other professionals….. did you get their input on the student you both work with? Can you share information about what works for you that would work for other professionals working with that child? Did you listen effectively? What can you learn from them? What can they learn from you? If the interaction didn't go so well, how can you repair the communication breakdown next time?

When communicating with parents…. did you share strengths AND weaknesses? Did the parents understand the assessment/goals/service delivery? Did you remember to explain the IEP process if it's their first IEP? Did you listen? What can you learn from them? Did you provide input for how they can support their child at home?

Obviously the list goes ON and ON. No one expects anyone to cover all these things all the time. However, it has been my experience that the most effective professionals are those who continue to reflect on what they do and why they do it. 

I tend to be an over-thinker. Analyzing things just happens to be a part of my personality. I tend to always be thinking about the impression I'm giving others, whether my interactions and therapy sessions are effective, if I'm being clear… etc. So, having that type of personality has it pros and cons, but it obviously lends itself well to "reflection" in my profession. 

Being reflective is something we can ALL focus on doing. I think it is important to realize that no one is perfect. We don't always have the most effective therapy sessions- even if they are planned out to a "T". But, we can always reflect on those experiences to improve future sessions with that child and all future children. Sometimes parent or staff interactions don't go smoothly. That's okay! But, if we can take a second to reflect on what we did, it can hopefully make the next parent interaction better.

The power of reflection is that it keeps us from being stuck in the same place. Sure, our jobs get hectic and stressful. The path of least resistance is to just stick with the same routine when it comes to therapy, IEPs, collaboration, goal writing, etc. But, getting stuck in that pattern is not what is best for the children we work with. 

Reflection keeps us on our toes! It keeps us thinking, analyzing and moving forward!