Intellectual character

There are many ways in which educators can incorporate opportunities for critical and compassionate reflection into their classrooms, from having students write in journals or complete exit tickets following structured prompts, to using protocols to debrief with peers during and after group projects. Reflection with colleagues in teaching teams, professional learning communities or school-wide meetings can provide opportunities to reflect on teacher practice through personal and group reflection. In all of these cases, an important part of Practice I2 is connecting what we learn to our next decisions and actions. Group settings—which provide opportunities for sharing learning and enhance creativity through interactions with others who introduce us to new perspectives and possibilities—enable us to optimize these transformational connections.

In schools, school systems, and other organizations, opportunities for reflection can be built into the daily operations and organizational culture, such that it becomes the norm to reflect and apply our learnings going forward. This can be accomplished through a mix of methods, from events that foster deeper reflection such as retreats or monthly meetings, to regular opportunities for staff to share their work and learn from one another. It can also be valuable to gather feedback and get perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders, such as through surveys, focus groups, and other forms of community engagement and perspective taking, and use this information as the basis for critical and compassionate reflection. Undertaking these activities in collaboration with colleagues will strengthen organizational culture and pave the way for systems change.