Article

Teaching and learning through reflective practice: A practical guide for positive action, second edition

Authors:
  • Independent Researcher
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the author.

Abstract

Now in its second edition, Teaching and Learning through Reflective Practice is a practical guide to enable all those involved in educational activities to learn through the practices of reflection. The book highlights the power that those responsible for teaching and learning have to appraise, understand and positively transform their teaching. Seeing the teacher as a reflective learner, the book emphasises a strengths-based approach in which positivity, resilience, optimism and high performance can help invigorate teaching, enhance learning and allow the teacher to reach their full potential. This approach busts the myth that reflection on problems and deficits is the only way to better performance. The approach of this new edition is an 'appreciative' one. At its heart is the exploration and illustration of four reflective questions: What's working well?. What needs changing?. What are we learning?. Where do we go from here?. With examples drawn from UK primary teacher education, the book reveals how appreciative reflective conversations can be initiated and sustained. It also sets out a range of practical processes for amplifying success. This book will be a must have for undergraduate and PGCE students on initial teacher training programmes. It will also interest practising teachers, teacher educators and those on continuing professional development courses.

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.

... Others describe it as deliberate, purposeful metacognitive thinking, influencing teachers to take action to improve their skills (Soslau, 2012). While Ghaye (2011) asserted that RP involves deep engagement with one's assumptions, beliefs, and values, Danielson (2015) believes RP requires teachers to effectively interpret evidence to transform teaching and learning. Vaughn and Parsons (2013) added that RP should be an ongoing endeavour by teachers, even when not required to do so. ...
... When asked for reasons behind their decision-making, teachers were able to reflect on teaching actions and propose improvements. Ghaye (2011) found that questioning teachers encouraged them to reflect on their actions which usually resulted in improved outcomes. ...
... Participants believed that more time for conversations before and after CO would allow for deeper discussion and improved outcomes. Finding time for POC is often problematic in schools and ad hoc conversations are usually short and sometimes interrupted (Ghaye, 2011). This was reflected in both schools but more so in School A, where participants spoke of the challenge of finding sufficient time to devote to pre-observation conversations. ...
Article
Full-text available
Adaptive expertise is considered key to improving teacher practice. While literature suggests that classroom observations followed by professional learning conversations may contribute to the development of adaptive expertise, few studies have specifically examined the influence of this process. Hence, this qualitative study investigated the perceptions of four teachers and four middle leaders from two New Zealand primary schools, on the use and usefulness of existing classroom observation and post-observation conversation processes in contributing to teacher adaptive expertise. Data included video-recorded observations, pre-observation sheets, transcripts of post-observation conversations and interviews with middle leaders and teachers. Thematic analysis showed that participants believed the process was useful in aiding the development of some elements associated with adaptive expertise such as reflective practice, engagement with evidence, and a focus on improvement. However, data also indicated that a stronger emphasis on goal setting, more time to embed the process in whole school practice would improve its usefulness.
... 8) that then result in action. Schön (1983) developed two concepts for professional reflection in his model of reflective practice-reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action entails two ideas: 1) the broader idea of one reflecting in a specific, active context such as their job; and 2) reflecting on what one is doing at the same time as doing it (Ghaye, 2011). It could be considered "thinking on your feet" and "learning by doing" (Schön, 1983, p. 54), improvisation (Ghaye, 2011), or how York-Barr et al. described teachers making "on-the-spot decisions" (p. ...
... Schön (1983) developed two concepts for professional reflection in his model of reflective practice-reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action entails two ideas: 1) the broader idea of one reflecting in a specific, active context such as their job; and 2) reflecting on what one is doing at the same time as doing it (Ghaye, 2011). It could be considered "thinking on your feet" and "learning by doing" (Schön, 1983, p. 54), improvisation (Ghaye, 2011), or how York-Barr et al. described teachers making "on-the-spot decisions" (p. 2). ...
... Reflection-on-action or reflection-on-practice "essentially involves looking back and going over things again" (Ghaye, 2011, p. 7) and would meet York- Barr et al.'s (2001) idea of taking a "deliberate pause" (p. 6) for reflection "on one's actions and thoughts… after the practice is completed" (Killion & Todnem, 1991, p. 15). The process can also refer to deeply reflecting any time on a past, notable event (Ghaye, 2011). Killion and Todnem (1991) developed a third reflection process, reflection-for-action which they described as "the desired outcome of" (p. ...
Thesis
Full-text available
Current teacher evaluation systems (TES) in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P–12) American public schools may be impeding the reflection and feedback processes needed for impacting teachers’ professional growth and developing trusting, administrator–teacher relationships. The dominant purpose of summative evaluation has been to rate teachers’ performance, possibly leading to high-stakes consequences; whereas formative supervision has involved collecting data through informal means such as non-evaluative observations and follow-up administrator–teacher feedback. Formative supervision’s purpose has been to provide support and determine resources and professional development for teachers. Despite contrasting purposes, evaluation and supervision have been commonly conflated, further perpetuating the TES’s lack of impact on teachers’ professional growth and trusting administrator–teacher relationships. To address this problem of practice, a mixed methods action research study was conducted in an Arizona school district to implement a formative supervision intervention involving cycles of frequent informal observations followed by meaningful, administrator–teacher reflective conversations. The researcher partnered with an administrator and four teachers as they explored their construction of meaning about their formative supervision experiences and its effects on teachers’ professional growth and trusting administrator–teacher relationships. Guided by the researcher’s Formative Supervision Conceptual Framework, the study found that educator participants believe formative supervision supports teachers’ professional growth and helps to build trusting administrator–teacher relationships. Unannounced, frequent, and timely informal observations more powerfully impact teachers’ professional growth than do infrequent and announced formal observations. Administrator–teacher reflective conversations involving nondirective, collaborative, caring, and honest approaches to feedback as well as focusing on the teacher’s perspectives, reflection, and strengths result in trusting relationships. Due to trusting relationships, teachers feel secure in risk-taking, making mistakes, and asking for administrators’ feedback and support. The study’s findings present notable implications for P–12 school districts’ TES and supervision practices as well as for pre-service administrator preparation through university educational leadership programs.
... Unlike the top-down and prescriptive approaches to teaching, reflective teaching gives teachers the autonomy to make their own decisions, respects the knowledge they have, allows them to be active participants in constructing meaning from their own practice, and empowers them in their professional practice (Fat'hi & Behzadpour, 2011). Reflective teaching is a teacher-directed and context-based approach to teaching and professional development (Farrell, 2013;Jay, 2003;Minott, 2010;Richards & Farrell, 2005;Rushton & Suter, 2012) that involves looking at what is going on (reflection-in-action), looking back at a situation (reflection-on-action), making informed decisions in the form of planning (reflection-for-action), and assessing the consequences of those decisions in the teaching process (Ghaye, 2011;Harris et al., 2010;Watanabe, 2017). It has gained momentum as a counteraction against the influences of bureaucracy, centralization, and control, in which teachers have been considered simply as deliverers of a fixed curriculum and have not been valued as reflective professionals who can frame and reframe problems and test out their interpretations and solutions (Fat'hi & Behzadpour, 2011). ...
... Reflective teaching is considered as key for teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) in the context of their work as opposed to the traditional top-down approaches to CPD in which reflection is theoretically instructed to teachers, a situation where there is limited impact on deepening and developing their reflective abilities in their actual classrooms (Farrell, 2013(Farrell, , 2018Ghaye, 2011;Skinner, 2005;Steward, 2009;Valdez et al., 2018;Watanabe, 2017). Reflective teaching enables teachers to continue their learning, while they are in their own context, and in this way, it stands in contrast to many traditional approaches to teacher CPD like the attendance of one-off training events (Farrell, 2013(Farrell, , 2018. ...
... Reflective teaching enables teachers to continue their learning, while they are in their own context, and in this way, it stands in contrast to many traditional approaches to teacher CPD like the attendance of one-off training events (Farrell, 2013(Farrell, , 2018. Unlike the traditional CPD forms which dominantly involve imparting and receiving theoretical knowledge from external sources, reflective teaching helps teachers construct and acquire experiential knowledge drawn from their own experiences (Dewey, 1933;Farrell, 2013;Ghaye, 2011;Kolb, 2015;Lyons, 2010;Richards & Farrell, 2005;Schön, 1987;Watanabe, 2017;Zeichner & Liston, 2014;Zwozdiak-Myers, 2012). Related to teachers' learning, reflective teaching helps them develop and maintain professional judgement which itself is key to quality teaching (Jay, 2003;Watanabe, 2017;Zwozdiak-Myers, 2012). ...
Article
Full-text available
This quantitative study surveyed 361 secondary school teachers in South and Central Ethiopia to examine their engagement in reflective teaching and its relationship with gender, qualification, and teaching experience. The study used descriptive survey design and structured questionnaire to collect data. Results indicated that teachers had minimal overall engagement in reflective teaching. Results also showed insignificant difference between male and female teachers' engagement in reflective teaching. However, there were significant differences in teachers' engagement in terms of their qualification and teaching experience. In this regard, teachers with Bachelor of Education had the highest level of engagement, followed by Master's and Applied degree holders. In addition, mid-career teachers had the highest level of engagement, exceeding the level both novice and veteran teachers had. The findings suggest the need to revisit existing pre-service teacher education programme, identify teachers' engagement patterns, identify their specific needs, design and run tailored in-service professional development programmes, and establish support system to promote reflective teaching in Ethiopian secondary schools. Most importantly, the findings suggest the need for teachers to actually engage in reflective teaching in their professional contexts. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Unlike the top-down and prescriptive approaches to teaching, reflective teaching gives teachers the autonomy to make their own decisions, respects the knowledge they have, allows them to be active participants in constructing meaning from their own practice, and empowers them in their professional practice (Fat'hi & Behzadpour, 2011). Reflective teaching is a teacher-directed and context-based approach to teaching and professional development (Farrell, 2013;Jay, 2003;Minott, 2010;Richards & Farrell, 2005;Rushton & Suter, 2012) that involves looking at what is going on (reflection-in-action), looking back at a situation (reflection-on-action), making informed decisions in the form of planning (reflection-for-action), and assessing the consequences of those decisions in the teaching process (Ghaye, 2011;Harris et al., 2010;Watanabe, 2017). It has gained momentum as a counteraction against the influences of bureaucracy, centralization, and control, in which teachers have been considered simply as deliverers of a fixed curriculum and have not been valued as reflective professionals who can frame and reframe problems and test out their interpretations and solutions (Fat'hi & Behzadpour, 2011). ...
... Reflective teaching is considered as key for teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) in the context of their work as opposed to the traditional top-down approaches to CPD in which reflection is theoretically instructed to teachers, a situation where there is limited impact on deepening and developing their reflective abilities in their actual classrooms (Farrell, 2013(Farrell, , 2018Ghaye, 2011;Skinner, 2005;Steward, 2009;Valdez et al., 2018;Watanabe, 2017). Reflective teaching enables teachers to continue their learning, while they are in their own context, and in this way, it stands in contrast to many traditional approaches to teacher CPD like the attendance of one-off training events (Farrell, 2013(Farrell, , 2018. ...
... Reflective teaching enables teachers to continue their learning, while they are in their own context, and in this way, it stands in contrast to many traditional approaches to teacher CPD like the attendance of one-off training events (Farrell, 2013(Farrell, , 2018. Unlike the traditional CPD forms which dominantly involve imparting and receiving theoretical knowledge from external sources, reflective teaching helps teachers construct and acquire experiential knowledge drawn from their own experiences (Dewey, 1933;Farrell, 2013;Ghaye, 2011;Kolb, 2015;Lyons, 2010;Richards & Farrell, 2005;Schön, 1987;Watanabe, 2017;Zeichner & Liston, 2014;Zwozdiak-Myers, 2012). Related to teachers' learning, reflective teaching helps them develop and maintain professional judgement which itself is key to quality teaching (Jay, 2003;Watanabe, 2017;Zwozdiak-Myers, 2012). ...
... Kävin lisäaineistot läpi lukuisia kertoja paneutumalla kohtiin, joissa reflektio ilmenee keskeisenä esteettisten päiväkirjojen käytössä. Tarkastelin tunnistamiani aineistokohtia tämän tutkimuksen aiheen kannalta merkityksellisten teorioiden valossa: kriittinen reflektio (Bolton 2014;Ghaye 2011), kirjoittaminen elämänkäytäntönä (de Certeau 1984) ja intertekstuaalisuus tulkinnassa (Allen 2000;Frow 1990;Still & Worton 1990;Kristeva 1986). Tämä artikkeli kokoaa yhteen kyseisen tarkastelun perusteella esiin nousseet keskeisimmät oivallukseni. ...
... Nämä lähestymistavat korostavat reflektiota kriittisenä prosessina (Hillier 2005) ja validiteetin testaamisena tavalla, jossa rationaalisen diskurssin kautta saavutetaan jonkinasteinen yksimielisyys tarkasteltavasta asiasta (Mezirow 1991). Reflektiiviset prosessit edellyttävät kuitenkin kriittisen ajattelun rinnalla myös luovaa ajattelua ja mielikuvitusta, jotta asiat voitaisiin nähdä uusin silmin ja syntyisi uusia ideoita (Ghaye 2011). Bolton (2014), joka lainaa brittiläisen psykoanalyytikon ja objektisuhdeteorian kehittäjän Donald W. Winnicottin ajatuksia siirtymätilasta (transitional space) ja leikin maailmasta (playground), näkee koko reflektiivisen ajattelutavan taiteilijan toiminnan alueena. ...
... Tällaiseen tulevaisuus-ja toimintasuuntautuneeseen asenteeseen kuuluu myös avoimuus palautteelle, joustavuus ja sopeutumiskyky sekä sitoutuminen yhteistyöhön vaikuttavan muutoksen aikaansaamiseksi ja myönteisten tulosten saavuttamiseksi (ks. Bolton 2014;Ghaye 2011;Hillier 2005). Vaikka joillakin taiteilijoilla nämä ominaisuudet saattavat kietoutua osaksi heidän persoonallisuuttaan, toiset oppivat reflektoimaan kriittisesti ja omaksumaan tulevaisuus-ja toimintasuuntautuneen asenteen harjoittelun kautta, mihin laadukas opetus yleensä kannustaa. ...
... Reflective practice can be defined as a teacher's practice to reflect on his or her emotions, experiences, actions, and responses while teaching. It is one of the essential components of becoming a professional teacher, since it allows teachers to develop a deeper understanding of their teaching methods (Bassot, 2016;Ghaye, 2011;Mathew et al., 2017). In essence, reflective practice is "a practice of thinking about one's teaching" that will change and improve a teacher's teaching quality. ...
... Lecturers can also consider a limitation it has, which is the time commitment and energy investment that this strategy requires to work effectively. Several recommendations are then proposed to implement this strategy: 1. tailor the implementation of the stages in this strategy to the diverse demographics, characteristics, and learning styles of Gen Z (Bassot, 2016;Ghaye, 2011;Tungka, 2017); 2. have experienced university lecturers tested the implementation of this strategy in their own classroom activities. Experienced lecturers are more likely to have developed adequate reflective practice skills themselves to the extent where those skills are used intuitively. ...
... Experienced lecturers are more likely to have developed adequate reflective practice skills themselves to the extent where those skills are used intuitively. Their experiences with implementing this strategy can be used to inform the design and development of this strategy as a more effective teaching method (Ghaye, 2011). 3. embed digital tools, technologies, and platforms to use time more efficiently, such as by providing instant feedback and engagement with Gen Z (Bassot, 2016). ...
Chapter
Full-text available
This chapter discusses how the implementation of the DEEPER Strategy can be used to promote Gen Z prospective teachers' reflective practice skills. DEEPER stands for Describe, Evaluate, Examine, Plan, Execute and Engage, and Reflect. This chapter also explains the use of this strategy in enhancing Gen Z’s prospective EFL teachers' reflective practice skills during their Teaching Practicum.
... In this study, the phenomenon of interest was students' experiences of engaging in group presentations for a course. The aim was to elucidate the processes, emotions, skills development, challenges, and suggestions for improvement associated with academic group presentations based on the learners' descriptive reflections (Ashwin et al., 2020;Ghaye, 2011). This required an interpretive analysis of the meanings embedded in the participants' narratives rather than only extracting predefined variables or testing hypotheses (Miles, Huberman, & Saldaña, 2020). ...
... The data comprised first-person 'reflective accounts' (Johns, 2013) written by students about their experiences of engaging in the group presentation task. Reflective writing helps participants describe and understand their personal experiences, emotions, challenges, and learning from an activity (Ghaye, 2011;Pollard & Collins, 2005). Guided reflection after an activity can help researchers gain deep insights into learners' thinking, actions/behaviours, and skill development (Yee, 2019). ...
... This guided structure facilitated participants to reflect holistically on the experience -describing events factually, articulating feelings, assessing positives and limitations, analysing reasons, deriving learnings, and planning future improvements (Ghaye, 2011;Pollard & Collins, 2005). ...
Article
Full-text available
Group presentations are commonly used in higher education for developing transferable skills among students. However, the complexities of teamwork also lead to varied challenges. This study aimed to explore students' experiences of undertaking group presentations using a descriptive qualitative approach. Fifteen reflective accounts of graduate students about a team presentation task were analysed using framework analysis. The findings revealed four major themes-preparation, emotional experiences, perceived learning outcomes, and recommendations. Preparation involved dividing work, planning meetings, and gathering content. Emotions like nervousness, excitement, and frustration were experienced at different phases. Key learning outcomes were presentation skills, research abilities, and appreciating diversity, but time management needed improvement. Better planning, role clarity, and anxiety management were suggested for future presentations. The findings largely resonate with existing literature while also providing contextual insights into the real-world experiences of learners. Results can inform instructional design and learning support for enhancing team-based presentation competencies.
... In other words, a reflective journal is a written record of good or bad events during teaching time that is complemented with a proposal to solve problems or keep implementing certain techniques. When writing a reflective journal, it is important to follow an order, which, according to Ghaye (2011), basically consists of four steps. The first one is to appreciate, and it has to do with describing the event. ...
... Results are presented in a sequential mode, as they share a relationship and complement with each other. In the analysis we adapted the reflective model (Ghaye, 2011), and complemented with the reflective writing typology (Burton et al, 2009;Gibbs, 1988) implemented during the workshop. ...
Article
Full-text available
This article provides an overview of the importance of becoming reflective teacher and the implications to professional development in an English language Teaching Mexican program in Basic Education In this research, teachers' professional development is seen as result of accompaniment processes promoted by the guidance of a supervisor to enhance reflective teaching (Johnson, 2009; Orland-Barak, 2010). Particularly, the research explores the basis to provide guidance to five English elementary school language teachers who were requested to write reflective narratives without previous experience and formation in writing reflectively. An intervention workshop was implemented using Burns' (2005) and Griffee' (2012) action research model, which involved exposing teachers to a series of guided practices to enhance refection through journal writing. Overall, the results show the changing perspectives teachers developed towards reflective teaching practice, and mainly their professional growth. In other words, teachers' professional development in this article considers the construction of opportunities for educators to discuss, think, try out, and shape new practices through reflective teaching and journal writing. Resumen Este artículo presenta la importancia de convertirse un maestro reflexivo y las implicaciones para el desarrollo profesional de los docentes en un programa de enseñanza del idioma ingles en educación básica de México. En esta investigación, el desarrollo profesional de los docentes se ve como resultado de procesos de acompañamiento pro-movidos por la orientación de un supervisor para mejo-rar la enseñanza reflexiva (Johnson, 2009; Orland-Barak, 2010). En particular, esta investigación explora las bases para brindar orientación a cinco maestros de inglés de es-cuelas primarias a quienes se les solicito que escribieran narrativas reflexivas sin experiencia previa y formación en escritura reflexiva. Se implemento un taller de inter-vención implementando el modelo de investigación de acción de Burns (2005) y Griffee' (2012), el cual implicó exponer a los docentes a una serie de prácticas guiadas para mejorar la reflexión a través de la escritura de dia-rios. En general, los resultados muestran las perspectivas cambiantes que desarrollan los docentes hacia la práctica de enseñanza reflexiva y en su desarrollo profesional. El desarrollo profesional de los docentes en este artículo se ve como fue la construcción de oportunidades para que los educadores discutan, piensen, prueben, y den forma a nuevas prácticas a través de la enseñanza reflexiva y la redacción de diarios. Palabras clave: desarrollo profesional, enseñanza reflexi-va, taller, investigación acción, intervención.
... This implies that reflective practice helps instructors to widen their English language pedagogical, as well as content knowledge to foster students' learning [8] having enhanced their engagement in learning process [9,10]. Through reflective activities and process, the teachers are able to accomplish their teaching job [11,12] identifying best assumptions which support them to frame their judgments and actions taken while planning, teaching, and postteaching phases [11] making use of innovative approaches to support students' learning [13]. ...
... That is, teachers are required to make use of reflective practice to reflect-in-action (taking actions/making immediate adjustments as the events unfold on the spot/at the moment while teaching learning is being carried out) and reflect-onaction (looking back on the past occurrences and learning from experience with the purpose of revising their practice/ teaching plan for future action) [3,14]. Thus, English language instructors are expected to be more reflective being flexible and creative in the course of planning teaching, managing classroom, and delivering the lesson considering students' prior knowledge, motivation, and time needed to learn the lesson [10,15]. This generally indicates that teachers are determined to consider themselves as less transmitters of expert knowledge and more as facilitators of critical learning and transformation. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study aimed at examining how university English language instructors perceive reflection in teaching and the extent to which their perceptions were realized in reflective teaching. Adopting a convergent case study method, the study was conducted utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data sources. Quantitative data were elicited using a questionnaire from 41 English language instructors selected from Wachemo University through comprehensive sampling, and qualitative data were collected using interviews, observation, and reflective journal writing from four instructors taken through convenience sampling among the surveyed instructors on the basis of their willingness to participate. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed applying various stages of coding employing software called Open Code 4. Content analysis was applied to analyze reflective journal entry data. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics applying SPSS version 24. The results revealed that the surveyed instructors have good theoretical understanding on the basic concepts of reflection in teaching. However, classroom observation and journal entry data affirmed that there existed a gap between instructors’ theoretical understanding and their application of reflective teaching. The study divulged that the instructors were found at a lower level of reflectivity regardless of the superficial understanding they hold about reflective practice.
... An analysis of reflective journals and narrative accounts exhibited their capacity to utilize life experiences for meaning-making. The transformative power of reflection is also highlighted by Ghaye (2011) [4] . Instead of focusing on problems, he advocates an enabling perception of teachers where they analyse their teaching learning environments from a position of strength. ...
... Yansıtmayı öğretmen adayının etkin biçimde kullanabilmesi için, uygulama öncesinde, uygulama sırasında ve uygulama sonrasında düşünme pratikleri yapabilecekleri ortamların oluşturulması gerekir (Gür, 2015). Öğretmen adayının yansıtmada duygularını da kullanması, sorgulama yapması, analitik düşünmesi, sorun çözmeye odaklanması ve tüm bu sürece bütüncül bakması önemlidir (Ghaye, 2011). Öğretmen adaylarının yansıtıcı düşünme süreçlerinde hem duygusal hem de analitik yaklaşımlar benimsemeleri, bu süreçte elde ettikleri bilgileri gelecekteki uygulamalarında kullanmalarına olanak tanır. ...
Article
Öğretmen yetiştirme programları içerisinde yer alan farklı biçimlerde düşünme ve düşünme becerisi edinimi ülkemizde giderek önem kazanmaya başlamıştır. Bu düşünme becerilerinden birisi de yansıtıcı düşünmedir. Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK), yansıtıcı düşünmeyi öğretmen yetiştirme süreçleri içine dâhil etmekte ve bu becerinin kazandırılmasında lisans dersleri kapsamında farklı uygulamalar ve düzenlemeler yapmayı planlamaktadır. Alan yazında yansıtıcı düşünmeye ilişkin farklı değişkenlerle ve farklı çalışma gruplarıyla yapılan araştırmalar yer almaktadır. Bu çalışma bir derleme araştırması olarak yansıtıcı düşünme kavramını, okul öncesi öğretmen adayları çerçevesinde incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Çalışma kapsamında öncelikle yansıtıcı düşünmenin ne olduğu açıklanmış, yansıtıcı düşünme düzeylerine ve yansıtıcı düşünme yöntemlerine yer verilmiş ve yansıtıcı düşünme bir bütün olarak ele alınmıştır. Aynı zamanda öğretmen adayları için yansıtıcı düşünmenin geliştirilmesine yönelik önerilerde bulunulmuştur. Çalışmanın alan yazına, okul öncesi öğretmen eğitimine ve öğretmen yetiştirme sürecine katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.
... It also evaluates the emotion one holds on, as an individual's emotion determines the action. In this regard, Ghaye (2010) explained, "Reflective practices also help us understand the links between feeling, thinking and doing. How we feel affects how we think. ...
Article
Full-text available
Reflective practice enables teachers to examine their personal and professional actions and learn from their lived experiences. The study explores teachers’ conceptualizations of reflective practice, its applications, challenges, and opportunities for being and becoming professionals. This article is guided by the overarching research question—how do teachers’ reflective practices contribute to their development of self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment? Grounded on the lenses of transformative learning theory, this study narrates the experiences of three teachers (two females and one male) from different schools and colleges in Kathmandu, Nepal. We have subscribed to the narrative inquiry as a research method to explore and understand teachers’ reflective practices that contribute to their self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment development. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using themes aligned to self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment. The findings reflect that reflective practice fosters professional development by helping teachers find and address their weaknesses, thereby improving their professional practices. For boosting teachers' self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment, the study concluded that reflective practice significantly enhances teachers’ professional development by enabling them to analyze and address their weaknesses.
... Our educational approach integrates structured exercises, which improve students' critical thinking and self-awareness, addressing the need for deep learning and personal development. Reflective coaching also helps educators develop these skills and enhance their teaching practices (Ghaye, 2011). At UABS we are, ourselves, reflective and continuously look for ways to advance learning in this area. ...
Article
Full-text available
This paper reports on a pilot study exploring the use of generative AI and anthropomorphic coaches to enhance students’ reflective practices. Reflective practice is crucial for critical thinking and self-awareness. AI-driven feedback systems and lifelike avatars may create interactive, engaging environments for deeper student reflection. Drawing on observations from an ongoing project using Soul Machines Studio at the University of Auckland Business School, this inquiry considers anthropomorphic AI coaches’ ability to provide timely feedback and support reflective work in postgraduate courses. As a work-in-progress, we describe two use cases: (a) Refining team collaboration through AI-guided reflection and (b) providing feedback on reflective journal writing. We also outline future work on scalability, longitudinal studies, learning management system integration, cross-cultural adaptation, and ethical frameworks. We highlight AI's potential to develop students’ reflective practices and contribute to integrating advanced technologies in education.
... The concept and application of reflection in education has its roots in the work of John Dewey (1933) and has been progressively advocated and promoted by other scholars such as Schön (1987), Kolb (2015), Mezirow (1991), Ghaye (2011), Loughran (1996), Lyons (2010), Farrell (2018), Pollard (2008), and Brookfield (2017) among others who emphasised the importance of engagement in it in professional practice. Reflective teaching, which involves the application of reflection on teaching, is a deliberate and systematic approach to teaching that involves examining teaching experiences, questioning assumptions, exploring alternative strategies, and continuous improvement of practice (Jemadi et al., 2023;Shanmugavelu et al., 2020). ...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influenced secondary school teachers' engagement in reflective teaching. A quantitative approach with survey design was used in the study. To collect relevant data, a structured questionnaire which had 33 items was administered to 361 teachers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to gauge the key factors. The results of structural equation modeling illustrated and validated that five independent variables, including inadequate professional development, lack of time, unsupportive school culture and leadership, resource constraints, and inadequate recognition , had significant impact on teachers' engagement in reflective teaching. In line with the findings, the study suggests the need for school leaders and respective bodies to provide adequate professional development through arranging tailored schemes, institute supportive school culture and leadership, ensure sufficient time and resource provision, and recognise the importance of reflective teaching in order to encourage its practice in secondary schools. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Therefore, there are steps and stages that practitioners and teachers need to follow and go through in order to approach reflective practice (Bolton, 2010). Therefore, and as affirmed by Ghaye's (2011) viewpoint, reflective practice offers teachers a practical guide that allows them to take responsibility for orchestrating their own professional development. ...
Book
This edited volume provides a comprehensive and detailed insight into the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESOL) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It describes a variety of challenges that native speakers of Arabic face when learning the English language and presents contemporary teaching strategies for supporting them. The book provides analyses of TESOL syllabi and policies currently adopted in the UAE’s K-12 education sector, addressing strengths and areas which can be improved. The book also includes a critical discussion about the difficulties of implementing Western-based TESOL methodologies in a Middle Eastern context, from the perspectives of real-world practitioners. By presenting a combination of research-based and theory-based chapters, this book is a great resource to TESOL-related graduate students, teachers-in-training, educational leaders and policy makers in the UAE and beyond.
... The concept and application of reflection in education has its roots in the work of John Dewey (1933) and has been progressively advocated and promoted by other scholars such as Schön (1987), Kolb (2015), Mezirow (1991), Ghaye (2011), Loughran (1996), Lyons (2010), Farrell (2018), Pollard (2008), and Brookfield (2017) among others who emphasised the importance of engagement in it in professional practice. Reflective teaching, which involves the application of reflection on teaching, is a deliberate and systematic approach to teaching that involves examining teaching experiences, questioning assumptions, exploring alternative strategies, and continuous improvement of practice (Jemadi et al., 2023;Shanmugavelu et al., 2020). ...
... In an attempt to identify the development of university teacher identities, researchers have explored the various factors that affect identity development. For example, teacher identity can be shaped by CoP (Murray, 2008), reflective activities (Walkington, 2005), and prior educational and professional experiences (Ghaye, 2011). In this regard, community support has been identified as an important aspect in helping teachers "share new knowledge, methods, tools, activities and materials" (Izadinia, 2014, p. 433). ...
Book
Full-text available
... Kadar se poslužujemo kreativnih sodelovalnih metod, pa lahko refleksija zaposlene motivira in olajša njihovo vsakdanje delo ter v prakso prinaša pozitivne spremembe (Ghaye, 2010). Strukturirane metode t. i. skupinske refleksije v akciji (Schön, 1983) pozitivno vplivajo na občutek čustvene in profesionalne podpore ter povečujejo občutek pripadnosti in spoštovanja (Baxter idr., 2021), kadar izhajajo iz konkretnih situacij v praksi (Dewey, 1933;Schön, 1987) in se uporabljajo kot strategije profesionalnega razvoja (Taggart-Wilson, 2005). ...
... This involves teachers observing each other's classes and providing constructive feedback on teaching practices. This process allows teachers to learn from each other and to identify areas for improvement in their practice (Ghaye, 2011). But sadly, in Pakistan, most of the teachers do not include reflective practices while teaching. ...
... This involves teachers observing each other's classes and providing constructive feedback on teaching practices. This process allows teachers to learn from each other and to identify areas for improvement in their practice (Ghaye, 2011). But sadly, in Pakistan, most of the teachers do not include reflective practices while teaching. ...
... Reflection means examining their own performance, using their experience and knowledge to identify their own strengths and weaknesses (Farrell, 2013;Ghaye, 2011). Understanding the good sides of their performance is essential so they can decide what they should continue doing in the future. ...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The new curriculum for tertiary education promotes independent learning and strongly encourages teacher educators to make the instruction more learner-centered by employing learning activities such as project-based learning (PBL). In PBL, student teachers collaborate in solving a problem to achieve a particular goal, resulting in a product as the outcome. To evaluate their learning, student teachers need to reflect on the process of collaboration so they can improve their performance in the future. The present study describes the reflection of EFL student teachers after they completed a project of making posters about English language teaching methods. Thirty student teachers participated voluntarily in this study. They worked in groups to devise a poster about a teaching method, such as the Audio-lingual Method, Communicative Language Teaching, Direct Method, and others. Afterwards, they reflected individually and in groups about their learning experience in the project, writing what they did well and what they needed to improve in a reflective journal. The findings showed the student teachers believed PBL not only increased various aspects of their cognitive abilities but also provided opportunities to gain social skills. Based on these findings, the implications were recommended for the content courses in teacher training.
... Coaches were asked to identify a situation that fitted one or more of the identity leadership behaviours, followed by a rich description of thoughts, feelings, and circumstances experienced. Task three combined a reframing exercise through an identity leadership lens [50,51], which required each coach to identify a new occurrence and consider the perspective of someone else in the group. Coaches would then reflect and comment on their own actions in relation to each of the four identity leadership behaviours. ...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an identity leadership-framed reflective practice intervention on perceptions of leadership, social identity, and psychological safety in cricket. Building on previous evidence, an eight-week design included three intervention group coaches and their athletes (n = 32) and three control group coaches and their athletes (n = 34). Measurements of perceived coach identity leadership, social identity, and psychological safety were completed by cricket athletes at week 0 and week 8 for both groups. Intervention group coaches completed three identity leadership-framed reflective tasks in weeks one, three, and five, while the control group coaches continued their regular practices. Controlling for baseline scores, our analysis indicated that compared to the control group, the intervention group athletes reported significantly greater coach identity leadership behaviours, social identity, and psychological safety following the intervention. Social validation data highlighted shared identity, relationships, and learning as potential mechanisms for the positive results seen.
... A discussion of the conception and model of reflective teaching needs to be carried out later to consider why such an approach is valuable for foreign language teachers' pedagogical and professional development. Ghaye (2011) provides a general insight that "reflective practice can enhance human development by focusing on establishing positive relationships, engagement, emotion, and maintaining meaning or purpose in life (p. 13)." ...
... Ever since Dewey pointed out the importance of reflection for learning, scholars and researchers have been expanding on the concept (see for instance Boud, Keogh, & Walker, 1985;Mezirow, 1990;Schön, 1983Schön, , 1987 At the same time, researchers have proposed different models of reflection, focusing on clarifying the processes of reflection (Boud et al., 1985), determining different levels of reflection (Hatton & Smith, 1995;Mezirow, 1990), or advocating the idea that reflection is a cyclical process (Gibbs, 1988). Among all these models, Gibbs' (1988) cyclical model of reflection has been widely used for educational purpose (Ghaye, 2011;Timmins, Murphy, Howe, & Dennehy, 2013;Wikström, 2012). ...
Article
Interpreter trainers have been searching for innovative pedagogical approaches to complement traditional dialectic or master-apprentice approaches. In recent years, attempts have been made by interpreter trainers to encourage student interpreters to keep reflective journals with an aim that reflective journals can help student interpreters become more aware of their own problems and progress. However, there have been debates about the necessity for trainers to provide scaffolding tools or guidelines as students write reflective journals. This paper presents a case study in which the teacher provided scaffolding tools to guide students throughout the reflective process. Students' reflective journals were collected and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The outcomes of the case study suggest that the scaffolding tools can help student interpreters engage in reflective practice to a certain extent, but students' reflection tend to be descriptive rather than analytical.
... Most works are devoted to defining and describing the basic notions. There are three distinctive features of reflective teaching highlighted by researchers: it is organized and regular, it follows a consecutive and cyclical pattern of thought and action, and, finally, it is flexible and constantly evolving (Soodmand & Farahanu, 2018;Barnard & Ryan, 2017;Larrivee, 2000;Ghaye, 2011). It is pointed out that educators should use adifferentiated approach to feedback and reflection considering various cohorts of students whose interpretation depends on their proficiency level and experience (Henderson et al., 2021, p. 239). ...
Article
Full-text available
Reflective surveys in global best practices are used to ensure that the course meets the varied linguistic needs of university students. Therefore, we aimed to analyze quantitative and qualitative data on university students’ feedback across various dimensions of ESL courses and provide recommendations aimed at improving and sustaining the quality of teaching English at the university level. To achieve this, we used a mixed-method research design to obtain quantitative and qualitative data which revealed that university students expressed their overall satisfaction with the ESL courses. They especially appreciated the possibility of completing assignments asynchronously, as well as relaxed deadlines and discussions. They suggested creating study groups according to language proficiency levels and making them smaller to ensure an individual approach. The results of the research showed that students were mostly positive regarding ESL course content, teaching methods, instructor approach, assignments and assessments, class participation, technology integration, group work, resources and materials, time management, English proficiency, collaborative learning, and relevance to future careers. We observed statistically that students were especially enthusiastic about their teachers’ support and guidance, as well as about relaxed deadlines. This study highlighted the importance for students to communicate with each other in groups, play games, have discussions, do problem-solving tasks, focus on their professional needs, establish rapport with their teachers, get regular feedback and error correction. In conclusion, the study contributes to the importance of reflective surveys in holistically evaluating and refining the ESL learning experience for university students. In future research, reflective surveys could be used for teachers and students from several higher education institutions to further enrich our knowledge in this area.
... Although interpreter training is largely decontextualized and self-reflection should ideally be situated or contextualized (Ghaye, 2010), simulated practice in the form or role play can be effective. Although the learning environment would not mimic that of an actual encounter, instructors working with novice interpreters can use the simulated context as a low-stakes, safe setting which may place less pressure on the student. ...
Article
Full-text available
Basándose en la investigación existente sobre la interpretación en los servicios públicos, especialmente en lo que respecta a las situaciones emocionales y el impacto de las interacciones de los intérpretes en la comunicación empática, este artículo propone una serie de métodos para enseñar a los intérpretes principiantes a interpretar (con) empatía en los contextos donde hay niños. Para ello, se tiene en cuenta la preparación de los intérpretes y su capacidad de identificar posibles retos para garantizar una comunicación eficaz sin comprometer sus normas profesionales y éticas. Existen varios estudios sobre la interpretación para niños y enfoques para hacer frente a los traumas y responder a las emociones propias durante y después de un evento de interpretación, sin embargo, los estudios sobre la empatía y la comunicación empática en las interacciones mediadas por intérpretes son escasos. Este artículo tiene como objetivo contribuir a la literatura existente sobre los enfoques de la interpretación del estrés y las emociones, centrándose en la empatía como un aspecto importante de toda la pedagogía de la interpretación, y especialmente en los eventos interpretados en los que participan niños.
... Expanding on the previous work, this paper uses critical reflections from two members of the research and instructional team as a method to evaluate how the program's design empowers students from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, ability, and/or gender diverse backgrounds to find personally meaningful connections to engineering [10]- [13]. Critical reflection is the examination of ones' belief systems while intentionally evaluating the impact on practice [12]. ...
... This contributes to the development of teacher confidence and self-reflection skills, the latter of which is generally seen (see e.g. Farrell, 2018;Ghaye, 2011;McGregor & Cartwright, 2011;Richards & Farrell, 2011;Richards & Lockhart, 1994;Rushton & Suter, 2012) as essential for the development of teaching professionals. Furthermore, the practicum tends to promote the growth of teaching fluency (Erben, 2005, p. 284). ...
Article
Full-text available
Teacher trainees often consider the practicum to be the most critical aspect of their pre-service training. However, its duration is frequently insufficient, necessitating teacher-trainers to explore methods of increasing the trainees’ direct teaching experience. The present study focuses on one such attempt – the establishment of a language school within a faculty – and its six-year existence. The study examines how participating teacher trainees received the project, with 30 of them taking part in a survey, which forms the basis of qualitative analysis and an overall project evaluation. Responses from the participating trainees reveal that they perceive the program as a unique and the most beneficial part of their teacher-training period. The trainees report having made significant progress, particularly in areas such as workload management, lesson-planning, utilization of materials, addressing students' needs, and general teaching fluency. The project's Director of Studies conducted observations to evaluate these areas, and the results align with the trainees' self-evaluations. The project is an innovative practicum type that encourages reflective practice and has led to changes in the ELT training carried out by the faculty.
... Teaching and reflection are practices that need regular revision (Pearson, 2012) and for this reason both are considered to go hand in hand. These statements make a sense that reflection play a vital role in teachers' efficiency, and to improve student performance (Alger, 2006;Pearson, 2012) This views of teachers calling for a continually reflective approach to their profession, to renew their teaching styles constantly (Ghaye, 2011). The changing needs and tasks placed on teachers require them to be reflective in order to respond properly to their varying positions (Killen, 2007). ...
... In the day-to-day work, being mentalized by a supervisor builds a foundation of trust and safety. This can help a clinician feel safe enough to process and regulate strong emotions and regain their own ability to mentalize the individual they are working with (Dubé & Ducharme, 2015;Ghaye, 2010;Heffron & Murch, 2010;Tomlin et al., 2016;Varghese et al., 2018). Our belief is that having this foundation in supervision sets in motion a mentalizing chain effect that will ultimately reach the client and possibly the parent (Midgley et al., 2017). ...
Article
Full-text available
In the last two decades there has been significant growth in the use of mentalization theory to conceptualize and organize the therapeutic practice of clinicians working with complex and multi-stressed families. In this paper we describe the supervisory use of the Family Cycle – a clinical activity designed to promote mentalizing in parents and children participating in an intensive home visiting program aimed at avoiding child/adolescent psychiatric hospitalization. We describe the Family Cycle in the supervisory context as a structure that facilitates fostering safety and regulation in the supervisory relationship, all in the service of mentalizing the experience of the families in therapy. We highlight barriers to working effectively with mentalization-based tech- niques and emphasize how supervisors can effectively model the men- talizing stance through interactions with clinicians. We end with a supervisory vignette illustrating concretely how one would go about applying this technique to supervision.
Article
Full-text available
Este artigo descreve a construção, aplicação e avaliação de um projeto de extensão universitária voltado ao ensino e treinamento de futebol para jovens, ressaltando a importância da integração entre teoria e prática na formação de futuros professores e treinadores esportivos. Com foco nas etapas de planeja mento, execução e avaliação, este trabalho investigou a ambiência, o acesso e a implementação de práticas pedagógicas inovadoras, especialmente metodolo gias ativas, para adotar jogos reduzidos (JRs) no projeto de extensão. Os resul tados indicaram que, apesar dos desafios, os estudantes integraram teoria e prá tica de maneira eficaz, desenvolvendo competências essenciais para a docência esportiva. O ambiente dinâmico e colaborativo proporcionado pelos JRs reforça a importância da aplicação de metodologias ativas no processo de formação espor tiva docente, impactando positivamente na atuação profissional. Este artigo con tribui para o debate sobre a preparação de educadores no esporte, destacando a necessidade de práticas que unam teoria e prática para enfrentar os desafios contemporâneos da área.
Chapter
A crucial component of ongoing professional development, ‘reflective practice’ is meant to aid teachers in moving from a condition where their actions are predominantly led by instinct, intuition, or habit to a state where their actions are predominantly guided by reflection and critical thought (Uştuk and Costa in TESOL J 12, 2021). Teaching professionals who are able to critically evaluate and reflect on their own practices are more effective because it helps them to improve their own teaching, learning, and growth. In this study, a mixed method research approach was adopted as both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to investigate reflective practices that are currently being implemented in Higher Education Institutes and training centres in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a particular emphasis on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) instructors, as well as their perceptions of reflective practice and its impact on their professional development. The findings of the study are intriguing, and they call for a broad conversation and research on reflective inquiry in the UAE as reflective practice is a topic that is yet to be extensively investigated, particularly in connection to the language classroom and TESOL instructors.
Article
Full-text available
In this paper we consider the issue of formality in learning. Both formal and informal learning appear to be well-defined in educational discourse, in contrast with non-formal learning which is less clearly articulated. This lack of clarity around non-formal learning has consequences for its recognition by teachers and learners. To contribute to the conceptualisation of non-formal learning we carried out a literature review that helped us to identify dimensions of learning formality. This framework allowed us to discriminate the ways in which non-formal learning differed or matched with aspects of formal or informal learning. It also suggested to us that formality is fluid, and that learning with different formalities might co-exist in some learning environments. We then used our framework to develop tools for capturing evidence of non-formal learning. We describe these tools and how we used them in a pilot study to explore the features of non-formal learning in a formal, Year 12 classroom learning context in an English school. We use our pilot study outcomes to reflect on the utility of our data gathering methods. We also use the study outcomes to update our non-formal learning framework.
Article
Full-text available
This study examines the effectiveness levels of the AfL strategies in the teaching practices and how English teachers implement their reflective practices when assessing the students' achievement in the online learning classroom. This research used a descriptive qualitative method involving two English teachers in high school in Bengkulu. The data were collected using questionnaires adapted from the previous study by Pang (2020), which consists of nine elements of Assessment for Learning (AfL). The finding shows that both teachers have implemented all elements of AfL strategy in their teaching practices and assumed that the feedback, self-assessment, and collection of learning evidence are the most effective strategies in assessment, with a percentage of 100%. As with any research, this study has some limitations. This study only used a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. Future research should use additional instruments such as interviews to provide richer information about reflective practice. The present study involved a small number of participants and should recruit many participants from different geographical areas.
Chapter
This chapter discusses the significance of understanding teacher identities through integrating the perspectives of practice and discourse while examining the interrelated tensions caused by unequal power relations in a wider social context. Activity theory is adopted to explore teacher identity construction in the context of higher education reform in Mainland China. The chapter compares activity theory with Communities of Practice (CoP) and presents three subsections on activity theory, teacher identity-in-activity, and the integration of understandings from an activity perspective with practice and discourse perspectives. While CoP highlights practice, community, meaning, and identity, activity theory focuses on open systems that generate disturbances, conflicts, and attempts to change the activity, driving the formation of identities. This chapter emphasizes the importance of adopting activity theory as a framework for identity interpretation in complex and ever-changing educational contexts, such as higher education reform in Mainland China.
Chapter
Reflective practice is an indispensable component of language teaching as improvement begins with reflection. For this reason, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in Indonesia includes reflective competence as one of the abilities that teachers must develop, and teacher education programmes in universities follow this up by fostering the reflection of pre-service teachers. This chapter offers a detailed account of the efforts of the teacher education programme at the State University of Surabaya (Unesa) to develop reflective practice among pre-service teachers within the framework of Schön’s reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. To accomplish this task, the teacher education programme integrates reflection into various activities, but this chapter focuses on modelling action research, project-based learning, materials development, extensive reading, the on-campus teaching practicum, and student teaching at schools. Some challenges occur in the attempt to integrate reflective practice in these ways. Personal and contextual factors may hamper the pre-service teachers’ efforts to engage in reflection, but teacher educators also have procedures to overcome these challenges and optimize the huge benefits of reflective practice. Based on this account of reflective practice, some future directions are presented. The concept of reflection should be introduced to the pre-service teachers early in the orientation days and recommended as a topic for their academic papers or theses. Additionally, novice teacher educators should be trained to be more reflective through workshops so they can be good models for the teacher trainees.
Book
Full-text available
Article
Full-text available
The plurality of cultural differences permeating the walls of Maltese classrooms has offered researchers in Multicultural Education an opportunity to use various research tools in their quest to access progress in teacher education programs. Programs purporting to impart or somehow develop the skills of educators to embrace multiculturalism in classrooms have been devoid of effective tracking methods to determine their effectivity. This paper examines the variations in beliefs and concepts of 29 teachers attending a twenty-hour course on multicultural education focusing on knowledge, understanding, competences and critical abilities needed to teach students from culturally diverse backgrounds. Teachers attending training were exposed to a range of pedagogical practices including the use of micro groups, case study illustrations, videos from Youtube™, whole group activities and connecting experiences. The course participants were asked to draw concept maps highlighting their understanding of Multicultural Education before and after the sessions. Besides, participants were asked to write reflective journals during and at the end of the course. Evidence suggests that after being exposed to training in Multicultural Education, participants are more willing to engage in critical self-reflections and to adopt changes in teaching strategies so as to include all students under their care, irrespective of cultural background. The research also asserts that there were substantial changes in concept formation in all categories under study which were highly beneficial to participants as they progressed through the sessions as evidenced by both concept maps and reflective journal analysis. The paper touches upon the role of various stakeholders in education to provide professional training in Multicultural Education for all educators. It also advocates for human and financial capital to reaffirm our nation’s commitment towards an educational system that promotes a level playing field for every child, thus ensuring fair opportunities for fuller participation in an increasingly diverse society.
Chapter
Students taking higher education humanities courses value hard skills to succeed post-graduation. The author, who serves as both managing editor and faculty advisor to Howard University's literary arts journal ‘The Amistad,' models how this can be achieved through the Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). By relating the core principles of ELT (concrete learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation) to a creative writing course that workshops student writing and produces a literary arts journal, the author provides an analytical template for other HBCUs courses to follow or expand upon. The chapter also unpacks the importance of reworking the creative writing workshop to one more in-line with HBCU demographics and a stronger assessment on the choices which govern student's creative writing process(es). This chapter's purpose is not to persuade but help interested creative writing instructors start or consider ways to assist young Black writers, publish more diverse authors, and provide marketable skills to students.
Article
Reflective practice is an essential aspect of the professional development of all health professions educators, with the intention to enhance both learning and teaching. This Guide presents an overview of reflective practice for educators and provides a practical and developmental reflective practice approach for health professions educators. The importance of structured thinking frameworks to stimulate greater understanding of both learning and teaching situations is highlighted. Medical Educator Reflective Practice Sets (MERPS) is an innovative approach for enhancing learning and teaching in health professions education that integrates lesson study and action learning. The key features of the approach are participation in three collaborative sessions, the use of structured thinking frameworks, and solution-focussed teaching in response to the identified problem. The MERPS approach is flexible and can be adapted for implementation across the continuum of health professions education, from undergraduate to postgraduate and continuing professional development.
Thesis
Full-text available
The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country’s future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English Language Teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and Qatar in particular. Furthermore, in-depth knowledge of female ELTs’ CPD experiences and needs are almost non-existent. The aim of this study, therefore, is to address this gap by exploring female ELTs' perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study is qualitative and located within the interpretive paradigm. Life history interviews were undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatar schools. These data were analyzed using thematic analysis and profiling techniques and drawing on an analytical framework based on three inter-related concepts of identity, culture and CPD. The study found that female ELTs in Qatar all had very different experiences of CPD and unique developmental needs. These findings suggest that the current model of professional development for ELTs in Qatar may need revising. The thesis proposes a paradigm shift from a traditional ‘one size fits all’ CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development which facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers in order to build a shared understanding of ideas by analyzing and comparing approaches and actively encouraging student involvement in the learning process. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in the country.
Article
Full-text available
The newly developing four‐year B.Ed. course of initial teacher education at Oxford Polytechnic is based on the development of a reflective teacher/tutor approach. School experience has been central to the development, because the approach requires that attention be paid to the perspectives of the three groups involved: teachers, tutors and students. The process of action research in which these perspectives were taken into account is described. The resulting simultaneous development of the model of reflective teaching/tutoring and of the course itself is explained and some conclusions drawn about the approach, the process of change, action research and teacher appraisal. Finally some questions that have arisen in the course of the inquiry are raised.
Article
Full-text available
In this essay the authors develop the metaphor of textual reading and writing in action research, focussing on two different types of texts: the readerly and the writerly. By examining the way in which each of these texts is written and read, three ideas are discussed: the value of understanding action research as a writerly text; the shift in authority from readerly to writerly texts; and finally, the way in which this metaphorical construction can more clearly help foster a deeper understanding of the nature of collaboration within action research projects.
Article
This paper draws on case study data from the second M odes of Teacher Education (MOTE) project to document the changing relationship between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and schools in the provision of initial teacher education (ITE). Earlier research undertaken in 1992 (Furlong et al., 1995), suggested that after a decade of government demands to develop more 'practically oriented' courses, most HEIs had devised means to 'integrate' the higher education and school-based aspects of their courses. However, prior to the introduction of revised government circulars (Circulars 9/92 and 16/93: DFE, 1992, 1993) HEIs retained considerable autonomy in how that integration was achieved. Up to 1992, our evidence suggested that most HEIs had put more effort into reforming the higher education than the school-based parts of their programmes. As a result, we argued that in 1992, HEIs were still the dominant partner in initial teacher education but they had retained that dominance at considerable cost. In the development of more practically oriented courses, we suggested that some HEIs had started to lose sight of what their distinctive contribution to initial teacher education actually was. In addition, their strong practical orientation made them extremely vulnerable to new regulations that passed responsibility for practical training to schools. In this paper we draw on data from our second round of fieldwork undertaken in 1995 in order to consider how relationships between schools and higher education are currently being re-defined.
Article
The first part of the article gives an outline of the notion of reflection in contemporary pedagogy: the situation in research and practice as well as the problem situation. In the second part of the article some basic characteristics of reflection are described and discussed. In this part semantic and ontological aspects of reflection are examined. Four basic aspects of reflection are highlighted: reflection as self‐reflection, reflection as thinking, reflection as self‐understanding and the distancing function of self‐reflection. In this connection Schon's influential but unclear concept of reflection in action is critically examined.
Article
This article is concerned with the impact of partnership teacher education upon secondary schools. Based upon empirical data generated through a sample of schools involved in a partnership scheme, it argues that, although participation in initial teacher training has a number of positive benefits to be derived for schools, these are sometimes difficult to quantify. In contrast, the perceived ‘costs’ of involvement in terms of finance and the time devoted to training student teachers may be high. The article evaluates the tensions which arise and, in the process, argues that the ‘profits’ to be gained from partnership in terms of professional development for teachers and schools need to be articulated if initial teacher training in its present form is to survive
Article
Higher Education Institutions and Primary schools are developing new partnerships in Initial Teacher Education. The roles and responsibilities are changing, not only for teachers supporting students in school, but for tutors in Higher Education who supervise the students' experience. This paper draws on information gathered from tutors supervising students working in school. How are the many changes in Initial Teacher Education impinging on tutors? Factors which are driving the change, ways of raising awareness are identified and some issues are considered which relate to supporting the changing role.
Article
In a recent television feature for BBC'sPublic Eye—’Teacher Training: Back to the Classroom?‘—the hoary old issue of the proper balance of theory and practice in the professional preparation of teachers was aired yet again. During the ensuing debate the various distinguished contributors to the programme adopted one or the other of the two main positions—either that educational theory might well be dispensed with entirely in favour of some kind of direct school‐based initiation into the craft skills of teaching or that theory should be taken out of the colleges and into the schools in order to be more directly relevant or applicable to practice. The main argument of this paper is that both these positions are predicated on a common mistaken assumption that the theoretically informed practical discourse which underlies rational educational debate and discussion is essentially a kind of technical discourse concerned primarily with the largely pragmatic achievement of certain value‐neutral goals. Attempts to integrate theory with practice or to dispense with it altogether in favour of practice both miss the point that the heart of so‐called theoretical educational discourse is moral and evaluative in character and its proper concern is with the education rather than the practical training of teachers.
Article
This article defends an approach to the clarification of values by schools which involves ‘reflexive evaluative enquiry or action research’ rather than an abstract or ‘armchair’ approach. An analysis is offered of the implications for this activity of the context of ‘market choice’ in which it must now be undertaken.
Article
Encouraging adults to undertake critical reflection is one of the most frequently espoused aims of graduate programmes of adult education. A considerable body of adult educational literature has been produced in this area, most of it focusing on conceptual analysis or on debate reflecting the strains between progressive, humanistic and liberal interpretations of these processes and radical, critical, socialist interpretations. Missing from the debate surrounding critical reflection as an adult capacity has been attention to the way adults feel their way through critically reflective episodes ‐ to understanding the visceral, emotive dimensions of this process. This paper uses Marton's concept of phenomenography ‐ the exploration and portrayal of how learners experience and interpret learning ‐ to outline a phenomenography of critical reflection as it pertains to one group of adults who happen to be adult educators. Five themes emerge from journals, conversations and autobiographies: impostorship (the sense that participating in critical thought is an act of bad faith), cultural suicide (the recognition that challenging conventional assumptions risks cutting people off from the cultures that have defined and sustained them up to that point in their lives), lost innocence (the move from dualistic certainty toward dialectical and multiplistic modes of reasoning), roadrunning (the incrementally fluctuating flirtation with new modes of thought and being) and community (the importance of a sustaining support group to those in critical process). The paper elaborates these themes and describes how developmental activities for adult educators in critical process can be grounded in participation in critical conversations within learning communities.
Article
Aspects of the psychodynamics of organisation change are explored and in particular how emotion and emotionality should be conceived. A case is made to go beyond the dichotomous world of “rational” versus “emotional” and develop a greater appreciation of how the rational and the emotional can be “fused” or act in a co-existent and co-dependent fashion where one cannot be understood in the absence of the other. Read through the optic of identity, acts of so called rationality may simply be an expression of a deeper, albeit unconscious realm – psychodynamics in which emotion and emotionality are significant. It is through the optic of identity that the individual’s attachment to the organisation is described and the meaning of behaviour in the midst of change is canvassed. It is noted that, depending upon the degree of identification with the organisation, one encounters behaviours that reflect dislodgement of identity and those more commonly associated with the processes of grieving. Some tentative strategies are advanced in managing these behaviours.
Article
This article argues that the meager existence of practical arts subjects in the curriculum comes about as a result of the persistence of the Platonic ideal of what constitutes valid knowledge. To illustrate this basic argument, the article first reflects upon Plato's conception of valid knowledge, as set forth in the The Republic, then it examines the ebb and flow of discourse on the nature and worth of knowledge. In particular, the article examines the hesitancy of response of formal education to industrial culture, even though this has been an important source of the expansion of human knowledge. Using illustrations from both sides of the Atlantic, the article shows that the curricular controversies (whether that attending prevocationalism in the United Kingdom, or education for “A Nation at Risk” in the United States) are traceable to the ancient conception of what knowledge is valid. The article concludes by arguing for dispassionate consideration of the curriculum—for a stance that views the practical arts in the same light as it does other areas of the curriculum.
Article
Penetrates educational rallying symbols and technological paradigms to celebrate Donald Schon's reflection-in-action approach to teaching. Advances an alternative, nonpartisan vision of American Education that fulfills promises, opens spaces for inquiry and dialog, and overcomes a spreading passivity. Affirms freedom, imagination, passion, and the power to act. Includes 25 references. (MLH)
Article
This paper is in response to Chak's paper Reflecting on the self: an experience in the preschool . In this paper, issues central to the nature of reflection (e.g., problem and time of reflection) are reconsidered as ways that help to question the manner in which Chak has conducted her reflective study. In so doing, the central issue is to find new ways of moving beyond reflection and so, the methodology of self-study is briefly explained and offered as a vehicle for creating ways of extending reflection in more rigorous and meaningful ways. The purpose of the methodology of self-study is in helping practitioners to better articulate the knowledge of practice at the heart of their work. Self-study then is important in creating ways of making knowledge development move beyond the individual to the professional community more generally.
Article
Much of the literature on curriculum decision-making focuses on individual teachers and their instructional decision-making role within the classroom. The propensity for studying curriculum decision-making from this perspective has left a deficit in the area of curriculum decision-making by groups. It is the aim of this paper to propose one possible framework to promote understanding in this neglected area. After establishing deliberation as a basis from which to study curriculum decision-making, it will be argued that the values issue in group deliberation may be clarified by applying some notions borrowed from the field of teacher socialization. Various factors which influence curriculum decision-making will then be incorporated into the framework.
Article
In recent years a great deal of research involving secondary schools has analysed and sought to define the concept of ‘school culture’. At the same time, parallel work has been done in respect of ‘pastoral care’. In this paper, the writer considers the links between the two concepts and suggests that pastoral care can assist in the improvement of the tone of the school through its staff and students. He argues that these issues are an integral part of the educational adrninistrative function of an institution.
Article
Reflection is re-examined in the context of professional practice from the stance of a social worker within a broadened horizon brought about by work done in teacher and nursing education. Based on a review on recent literature, the multiple dimensions of reflection are unravelled. The importance of understanding the social worker and service user as a person in the process of reflection is pointed out. Co-reflection is introduced to extend the parties involved in reflection from a single person to dyads or triads consisting of teacher-students or worker-colleagues. The personal experience of the author in a co-reflection process involved with students is put forward as an illustration. Finally, the paper calk attention to the importance of moral courage involved in the process of reflection.
Article
L'A. s'interroge sur le sens du concept de " pratique educative ", en analysant l'histoire du concept de pratique, chez Aristote notamment| le rapport entre pratique et theorie lui semble moins determinant que celui entre praxis et poiesis| le raisonnement est cependant une composante essentielle de la pratique. P. 177-180, reponse par R. Jonathan. P. 181-186, " Practice, Philosophy and History : Carr vs. Jonathan " par D. E. COOPER, qui examine la genealogie du concept en philosophie, ses motivations et sa methodologie
Article
This paper attempts to answer the research question, "how do senior executives in my organisation make sense of their professional life?" Having reviewed the sensemaking literature, in particular that of the pre-eminent author in this field, Karl E. Weick, I adopt a phenomenological, interpretist orientation which relies on an ideographic, inductive generation of theory. I situate myself, both as researcher and chief executive of the organisation studied, in the narrative of sensemaking. Using semi-structured interviews and a combination of grounded theory and template analysis to generate categories, seven themes of sensemaking are tentatively produced which are then compared with Weick's characteristics. The methodological approach is then reflected on, criticised and alternative methodologies are briefly considered. The conclusion reached is that the themes generated by the research may have relevance for sensemaking processes, but that the production of formal theory through social research is problematic.
Article
This article evaluated the validity of two traditional traitedness measures (i.e., standard deviation traitedness measures and global, single-item traitedness measures) and three new traitedness measures (i.e., multi-item, ranking, and facet traitedness measures). Overall, there was poor construct validity for both the traditional and new measures of traitedness. Furthermore, traitedness was a spurious moderator of the relationship between openness to experience and academic performance. Finally, evidence of nonlinear personality-academic performance relationships was discovered.