APPENDIX 8-1

Individual Reflective Exercise

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REFLECT ON VALUES about teaching, learning, leadership, and context, and to make connections between values and the theoretical frameworks that guide practice. One tool that readers might find helpful is Pratt and Collins’s (2000a, 2000b) Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI). Reflecting on the TPI enables a focus on teachers’ beliefs, intentions, and actions, and can be an insightful way for educators to learn about themselves as teachers. Below is a reflective exercise that you can use to consider the varying components of your practice.

At times, you may find it challenging to name the theoretical underpinnings of your practice. It may be helpful to consider Hartrick Doane and Varcoe’s (2015) view that practice is never atheoretical. And even though you may not be conscious of the foundational underpinnings of how you engage in teaching, taking time to think about it will serve you well.

Please take a moment to (1) complete the TPI (http://www.teachingperspectives.com/tpi/) and (2) reflect on the values, theories, concepts, and frameworks (pedagogical, ethical, relational) that guide your everyday teaching practice. Once you have identified and analyzed them, note them in your educator toolbox (refer to Figure 8-1-1). Be as creative as you would like to be—write, draw, paint, doodle.

FIGURE 8-1-1

An Educator Toolbox

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

Now that you have completed your reflections and TPI, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What was the experience like for me?

2. What surprised me about either exercise?

3. How has the exercise affected my thinking about teaching and learning?

4. What does it mean for me as a nursing educator and/or leader now and in the future?