Last week saw the start of the next cohort of the Postgraduate certificate in Education practice, often referred to as the PGCert in the University. As many who have participated in it know this course leads to a recognised teacher certificate as well as to Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA now in AdvanceHE). As part of the process of the course it is expected to develop an understanding of reflective practice as an educator, as does the TeachBU route to fellowship. At the start of the academic year, which is fraught with ‘doing’ and meeting tight deadlines, it is wise to step back from time to time and question.

Is my practice meeting the needs of this student; this group of students; this course; the team I work with; the university as a whole; the wider community; the profession I am part of; the planet we are on (being sustainable)?

Are there ways I could adapt my practice or my behaviour in order to improve this practice?

Are there ways as a team we could adjust what we are doing?

Deep thoughts for a Thursday, but as we start a new academic year, it is worth taking time to stop before you ‘do’ and see if small improvements can be made that will make a difference. Why not write these thoughts down in a journal or diary to help you process the ideas? This is what we will be asking those on the course to do and it can help with professional development as well as prepare for appraisal. In addition, this may raise up thoughts that you need some support to help you reflect, or to try something new. As you can see from the image, reflection does not have to be just written, and arts-based methods for reflection and education may be of interest. 

The CEL team are happy to provide that support across a range of education practice so do look out for workshops and activities that will be coming up over this year