Critical Reflection on the developing ideas of ‘Structured Improvisation’

MAINLY FOR MODULE 1 STUDENTS but of interest to others perhaps ...

This is my account of the campus session today, 28th February 2012. Please look at student Blogs for other takes on what happened.


At the campus session we explored the topic of critical reflection. We decided to raise and discuss an issue … in effect to practice the process of critical reflection. The topic that quickly emerged was the issue of reconciling the necessary structure (of curriculum, learning outcomes, learning objectives, lesson plans) with the need to react in the moment to the needs of students. (while this was an issue about teaching, the group thought it also applied to Choreographer-dancer and director-actor realtionships).

We coined the phrase ‘Structured Improvisation’. 

“Structure’ was seen as curriculum, learning outcomes, learning objectives, lesson plans and representative of standards and the manifestation of control. 'Improvisation' was seen as adaptive in the moment, drawing upon your own ‘memory bank’, reactive to students’ needs, a spontaneity, instinctive, and perhaps non-verbal or text based approach or practice. On reflection, this seems unecessarilly ‘opposed’ as an idea, but that is how it emerged in the session. Both aspects were seen as important, and toward the end of the session it was suggested that Structured Improvisation represented an attempt to create different balances between controlling and instinctive teaching practices depending on the needs of learners.

We also discussed some of the underlying reasons for the state of national curriculum and the diverse range of learners in a school setting and how the teacher can respond to both ‘delivering’ national curriculum while responding with more versatility and adaptability to the needs of students.

The most important outcome for me was to be a participant in a session where everyone was contributing to the process of critically reflection. The key points that came out of the session for me were:

a.    critical reflection is a process to be engaged and can be honed as a skill (likened by one participant to ;’muscle memory’);
b.    the reflection element is natural to us humans – we all do it – but to be ‘critical’ is to not accept the obvious or easy first thoughts, but to stay with the questioning, asking better and deeper questions;
c.    I thought that critical reflection is best structured around honing better questions.

When thinking about the initial proposition of ‘Structured Improvisation’ in teaching, I had the following questions:

1.    What is it?
2.    How did it come about?
3.    What is its purpose?
4.    Who does it?
5.    Are there different approaches?
6.    Who has previously commented on it – what did they say?
7.    What other ideas are associated with it?
8.    What relevance does it have to me?
9.    When does it occur?
10.    How is it engaged?
11.    What does it look or feel like?
12.    What does it mean?
13.    What value do I attribute to it?
14.    What values do other attribute to it?

Finally, it should be borne in mind that the idea of Structured Improvisation is a bit of theory making, but the session was really about the act of critical reflection in action. Structured Improvisation was simply the idea we were reflecting upon. Nevertheless I think all participants went away thinking about teaching in a slightly different way?  It would be interesting to know if they do and in what ways?

I will post some podcasts to BAPP YouTube made at the session.

Some thoughts on Critical Reflection

I thought the following might be of interest when undertaking your Critical Reflection:

1. You might consider providing each section with a sub-title to indicate to you and the reader the focus of learning being explored, e.g. First main paragraph could be 'Developing my Critical Reading Skills'. Then fully explore this.

2. Only include description that is absolutely necessary. Blow by blow account of 'what happened' is less important than what was learnt.

3. Don’t make statements about ‘agreeing with the Reader on ‘X’ or person 'A's comments. Rather focus on how the Reader might have altered your perspective, viewpoint, and knowledge.

4. Avoid general ramble through ideas. Be specific and focused.

5. You need to put yourself into a position of arguing the relative merits and usefulness of particular ideas … indicating any level of measurement in your judgement …

6. The main point of Critical Reflection is to encourage you to question the views of others and those you hold in a critical way, which means to stay engaged with an idea, exploring from different angles, constantly questioning it, assessing its likely value (truth; usefulness; meaning) to you and / or others. Also see this as a practice not a ‘text’. It is something to develop, something that is learnt, not something you already know and simply need to express.

7. Your text needs to be two things. Firstly a means to explore ideas, as the object to be crafted as your thinking develops and deepens. Secondly, the representation and means of communicating your ideas. So see a piece of critical reflective writing as both the means to craft your ideas (through drafting and iteration), and the sum of your thinking at submission date (but with the intention that the work is not finished, but an idea in progress).

Further thoughts on reflection

Previously I have done some work with students on their own explanations on the process of reflection. You may be interested to see what they had to say in my previous Blog post.

Critical Reflection on The Networked Professional course reader

I thought it might be useful to signpost an example of a critical reflection, in this instance by Ross Dunning (although there are numerous others across the programme community).

I think it is really worthwhile to read and comment to Blogs to help your developing critical thinking. Blogging your ideas and then commenting builds a dialogue with yourself and others, and like any conversation, has the potential to build deeper understanding and insights.

You might like to see my comment to Ross. I have tried to indicate an area for further thinking.

Here's the link to Ross's Critical Reflection on The Networked Professional course reader.

Do try and keep up the effort in Blogging and commenting even if it seems a little artificial at times. Remmeber, what we are doing is trying to build critical reflection as an ongoing practice so it is as important to keep going as it is to produce exemplary work.