The basis for this reflective model is the consideration of a situation from different vantage points. Once you have experienced a situation, which you need to learn from, you need to take a step back and consider this situation through what Brookfield calls “lenses”: the autobiographical lens, the students’ view, the colleagues’ view and the theoretical lens.

 

Autobiographical lens:
Think about the situation in relation to your own previous experiences and your current reactions and feelings. Consider how your personal story and past may have shaped your view of what happened or may have resulted in unwanted physical and emotional reactions and responses.

Students’ views:
Try to put yourself in your students’ shoes and review the situation by looking at what happened through their eyes. Consider their reactions and how their stories may have led to the experiences. Also, think about how they have experienced the same situation. You may even be able to include students in your reflections by talking to them about what happened or by offering a system of written feedback.

Colleagues’ views:
At this stage you are asked to include the views of your colleagues in your reflections. Their experiences and their observations of your work may offer you new insights into what happened and what you can do to improve your work.

Theoretical lens:
In order to make sense of your experiences and in order to improve your practice you need to consult literature. Theories will help you gain new insights and better understanding. At this stage you need to relate your reading to the three other lenses in order to get a full view. This will then help you to think of new steps to take and of how you can apply theory to your practice.

 

Reference:

Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass.