Critical Reflection Tools

Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice

How a teacher thinks about knowing changes how they reflect. This chapter looks at epistemic stances and how they mature, the taxonomy that places critical reflection at the deepest level, the Ripples model for thinking about how learning spreads, the philosophical claims behind critical reflective practice, and the practical tools of critical analysis: levels of analysis, the information-need cycle, and the four competences of a critical thinker.

Epistemic Stances

Absolute, transitional, independent, and contextual knowing as developmental stages of the reflective teacher

Taxonomy of Reflective Thought

Non-reflective action, reflective action, and premise reflection as levels of depth

The Ripples Model

Five questions for designing teaching that spreads learning outward like ripples on water

Philosophy

External constraints, retrospection-evaluation-reorientation, and the emancipatory aim of critical reflective enquiry

Critical Analysis

What critical analysis is, three levels of analysis, and how to choose the right level for the problem

Info-Need Cycle and Competences

The eight-step information-need cycle, what affects critical analysis in practice, and the four competences of a critical thinker