Reflective practice is the deliberate process of examining your own professional actions, decisions, and interactions to improve future practice. In early childhood education, it is recognised as one of the most powerful tools for professional growth and improved outcomes for children. It transforms teaching from an automatic routine into an intentional, evolving craft.
What Reflection Looks Like
At its core, reflective practice involves asking questions about your own work: What happened? Why did it happen that way? What was the impact on the children? What assumptions was I operating from? What would I do differently next time? What do I need to learn? These questions can be explored individually (through journaling or self-reflection), collaboratively (through peer discussion or mentoring), or structurally (through formal reflection frameworks).
Frameworks for Reflection
Several frameworks support structured reflection. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle guides practitioners through six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. Schon’s concepts of “reflection-in-action” (thinking on your feet) and “reflection-on-action” (reviewing afterwards) help educators understand that reflection occurs both during and after practice. The EYLF and NQS embed reflective practice as a professional expectation, not an optional add-on.
The Benefits
Reflective practitioners develop deeper understanding of children’s learning and development, make more intentional pedagogical decisions, identify biases and assumptions that may affect their practice, respond more effectively to challenging situations, and experience greater professional satisfaction and reduced burnout. Research confirms that educators who engage in regular reflective practice deliver higher-quality education and demonstrate stronger professional growth.
Making Reflection Sustainable
The biggest barrier to reflective practice is time. Educators already face significant demands, and reflection can feel like yet another obligation. Sustainable approaches embed reflection into existing routines: brief written reflections at the end of each day, collaborative reflection during team meetings, and reflective prompts within documentation platforms. Personhood360 supports reflective practice by integrating reflection prompts into the documentation workflow, making it a natural part of the process rather than an additional task.