A welcome turn of events

After the trials and tribulations of my last taught session, I find myself buzzing at the welcome turn of events. I had a good, no wait, a great lesson, with the same students on the same module; so what did I do differently?

• Firstly, I cleared the air! I used this image as a means of representing my thoughts on last lesson, intendedly adding humour to the situation and getting the students back on side for a fresh start.
  
• Secondly, I introduced the topic before I plunged into teaching the content, giving a rationale for the chosen subject matter, and the link to the assignment brief and module outcomes. 
• And finally, I gave clear instruction and direction as to what I expected of the students, especially when asking open questions, stimulating debate, and setting tasks.  I used phrases such as "can I see a show of hands as to how many of you......." and "table at that back, can you suggest a reason why........"

For the first time in 'my teaching journey' I actually admit to realising the true benefit of reflection. Over the course of the week, reflection as a mental process has allowed me to not only realise my oversights, but also plan for and implement changes to my practice. I recall a definition of reflection by Moon (1999) which fits my new understanding: 

                  Reflection is ....“a mental process with a purpose and/ or an intended outcome”.