Reflective
Sensible people always think before they act Proverbs 13 v16a (GNB)
Definition: Relating to, or characterised by, deep thought.
Key Words: Think, plan, revise, reflect, consider, meditate, distil, evaluate.
Biblical Example: The Psalmist speaks of meditating on God’s word and Jesus’ public ministry begins with a time of prayer and preparation in the wilderness. Jesus also gives the following warning to those who would follow him.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him. (Luke 14 v28-29)
Jesus’ use of the metaphor above, reminds us of the importance of thinking and planning. In context, it challenges those who consider following Christ to take the challenge seriously and not enter into it lightly. Jesus takes a real world example and applies it to the spiritual life, reminding us that reflection can be both a spiritual and a practical activity.
In The Classroom: We give students the opportunity to try our ideas and think through strategies. As they try things out, they revise their ideas and adapt their responses. We build in deliberate opportunities for students to theorise and plan before starting a task or project; we also provide opportunities for them to reflect on their success and failure in order to improve in the future.
Around The Academy: Opportunities for spiritual reflection are woven into the fabric of our daily life through our daily prayers, collective worship assemblies and tutorial resources. We must resist these moments becoming so familiar that they seem mundane, rather than invitations to real spiritual encounters.
We call student back for ‘reflection’ using the word intentionally. Reflections are designed to allow students to think about their actions and to put right damaged relationships. This places demands on us as staff to insure these occasions are genuinely reflective and not simply punitive. This does not exclude catching up on work that has been missed through poor behaviour or incomplete home learning, but such work needs to take place within an understanding of why completion is important and an opportunity to see this catch up as part of a restorative process.