Critical reflection - 5 ways to drive change in childcare using this powerful tool

Critical reflection - 5 ways to drive change in childcare using this powerful tool

Meta description: Critical reflection is embedded in the National Quality Framework and approved learning frameworks. In this piece, Sprout gives five tips for driving change using critical reflection. 

When the National Quality Framework was introduced to Australia in 2012, the inclusion of critical reflection marked a big shift in thinking. Rather than the older systems, which told educators what they had to do and when, this new system also asked educators and leaders to think critically about what they were doing, and why. 

This step change was a significant milestone in the sector, but critical reflection and thinking remains something which is a challenge for some services and educators. 

The Sprout pedagogy and practice guides have prepared this list of five ways to “do” critical reflection, and use it to drive real change. 

1. Critical doesn’t mean criticism 
   

One of the biggest challenges in critical thinking is moving from criticising (finding faults, pointing out what’s wrong or bad) to being critical in our thinking (asking questions like “what would happen if…” or “why do we always put this resource in this space?”) 

Critical thinking is a tool which can support educators and leaders to unpack the ‘why’ behind what they do each day, and the factors that influence their choices. 

For example, on the days where there are more ‘busy boys’ in attendance, do educators automatically set up high challenge obstacle courses to cater to their needs? It might help the boys, but on the days where there are lots of girls, are they offered the same opportunities for big physical challenges?

1. Put down the pen
   

Another common misconception is that critical reflection has to be done in a journal or notebook, for ‘evidence’ of critical thinking. 

In reality, there are lots of ways to critically reflect. Educators might read an article, and then share one finding or highlight at a staff meeting. There might be a big piece of paper in the staffroom for people to add their images to, when rethinking playground design. 

Some services have experimented with adding their thoughts to a secure social media space, while others have used a floorbooks approach to record their shared thinking. 

1. When we all think alike, no one is thinking 

Sometimes critical thinking can be difficult, and can cause friction when teams have opposing positions and ideas. While it can be tempting for leaders to “smooth this over” and encourage everyone to be on the same page, this friction is a form of critical thinking. 

When friction occurs, it can be useful to encourage those with differing viewpoints to ground their thinking with theory or practice examples from other services, and to encourage the team to work through their differences to come to a compromise. 

This process of working through differences is an important aspect of critical thinking because, as Walter Lippman said, when we all think alike, no one is thinking. 

1. Try on different hats
   

Building on the point above, part of engaging in critical thinking is engaging in thinking about your own biases and perspectives, and the positions, values and perspectives of others. 

A fun visual way of encouraging this in group situations, such as staff meetings, is to literally try on different hats! 

The centre director may be given the hat of a casual educator, while the educational leader might become a parent, and an educator may be speaking on behalf of a child. 

When wearing the different hat, the wearer can only respond as the perspective of the hat they are wearing, putting aside their own thoughts and perspectives. This is an interesting and insightful way for the team to consider multiple perspectives while reflecting on their own. 

1. Bring it back to the middle 
   

When engaging in critical thinking and reflection, while hearing multiple perspectives and points of view is important, it’s also important to ground thinking, discussion and exploration in core documents, such as the National Quality Framework, the Laws and Regulations, and the service philosophy.

Asking questions such as “how does that position/perspective fit with our core value of…?” or “what do the Laws and Regulations say about ...?” or “What’s our policy on … and how does that fit with…?” can help educators and leaders to anchor their talking and thinking with solid documents which must be adhered to when making decisions or changes. 

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Further guidance

For a series of reflective questions to support critical thinking, divided by quality area, please see here. If you’d like to run an in house professional development session on critical reflection, this powerpoint presentation and guide from ACECQA may help.