Reflective Practice

A Journey from Pedagogical to Critical Consciousness Measuring Growth Through the Larrivee Survey of Reflective Practice As I complete the Survey of Reflective Practice for the second time this quarter, I'm struck by both the substantial growth I've experienced and the nuanced complexity of professional development that this instrument reveals. Seven weeks ago, I approached this survey with curiosity about my baseline reflective capabilities. Today, I engage with it as a sophisticated tool for understanding the multifaceted nature of reflective practice and its evolution through intentional professional learning. My Personal Assessment of the Survey Instrument Having now used Larrivee's Survey of Reflective Practice as both an initial assessment and a progress measurement tool, I've developed a much deeper appreciation for its theoretical framework and practical utility. Initially, the survey felt somewhat abstract—the distinctions between pedagogical and critical r...

A Research-Informed Analysis of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom Examining MIT Theory Through Evidence, Practice, and Critical Reflection After immersing myself in the foundational research on Multiple Intelligences Theory this week—including Howard Gardner's original framework, Moran, Kornhaber, and Gardner's implementation guidance, and Baş's comprehensive meta-analysis—I find myself both more convinced of MIT's educational value and more critical of its common misapplications. Using a Year 8 Design & Technology lesson as my laboratory for exploring research-informed MIT implementation, I've gained nuanced insights into when, why, and how Multiple Intelligences Theory can genuinely enhance student learning. The Research Foundation: What the Evidence Actually Says Before diving into classroom applications, it's crucial to understand what rigorous research reveals about MIT effectiveness. Baş's (2016) meta-analysis of MIT-based instruc...

  Implementing Multiple Perspectives Pedagogy for Democratic Citizenship Reflective Analysis of Claire McKenzie's Geography Lesson Through the Lens of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Differentiated Instruction, and Democratic Education Introduction: From Theory to Classroom Reality After seven years of teaching across three major Metro Atlanta [Georgia] school districts—including six years in special education co-taught environments—I have learned that the most powerful pedagogical theories are those that serve both academic rigor and social justice simultaneously. For this blog post, I chose to analyze Claire McKenzie's Year 7 geography lesson on Hedgerow Removal through the theoretical framework of Multiple Perspectives Pedagogy for Democratic Citizenship , which integrates Ladson-Billings' (2014) Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0 with Pham's (2012) systemic approach to differentiated instruction and Wood's (2025) democratic education framework. This lesson c...

A British Economics Lesson How a 57-minute video expanded my analytical lens for observing teaching When I selected a 2006 video of Caroline Whitehead teaching Year 9 business concepts at Haydon School, I was looking for a lesson to analyze using reflective practice frameworks. What I found was an excellent example of constructivist teaching that allowed me to apply Johns' Model for Structured Reflection in ways that sharpened my observational skills and deepened my understanding of effective pedagogy. Building on Previous Learning: A Constructivist Journey This analysis represents a culmination of my graduate coursework exploring educational theory and practice. Throughout my studies, I've examined cognitive apprenticeship principles in biology education (McLeod, 2025a), delved into constructivist foundations for effective teaching (McLeod, 2025b), and designed comprehensive lesson plans integrating multiple learning approaches (McLeod, 2025c). Watching Caroline's lesson a...