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Similarities And Differences Betweeen Evidence Based Practice And Reflective Practice

Within the field of education there is a range of methods and practices which have been implemented by professionals, in order to improve the provision for learners. Some of the methods adopted may be due to government legislation. An example of this is the National Curriculum. It was introduced to establish a consistent approach to the teaching of all children, in maintained schools. It gives guidance on what should be taught for particular age groups and a set of level descriptors are also included to assess children by. Other practices are developed, within a school context, to address particular areas in need of improvement. Evidence Based Practice (EBP) and Reflective Practice are two methods, used by teachers, to enhance the teaching and learning given to pupils.

A common form of EBP used within schools today is Action Research. It is a way of allowing teachers to use the classroom environment to explore how successful policy is in practice. Research can be obtained through in a range of ways including statistical data, observations and discussion. Once the research has been obtained it can inform future teaching by looking at the results and what they highlight. It not only enlightens the teaching knowledge of the individual practitioner but also other colleagues, as successful methods and ideas can then be shared. Policy then becomes more meaningful as it is no longer just a written document but is actively present in the classroom.

Reflective Practice is when a learner thinks about the way in which they learn (Moon 1999 p63). It is important to look at the term ‘reflection’ carefully. When we think about reflective practice it is not simply just looking at what is already there. It encourages practitioners to look into the future and think about what could happen and what possibilities there are. Originating with the work of Socrates, reflective practice has become an essential tool in education. Schön (1983) goes further and divides this into two...