Trainee teachers’ experience of reflection

This article reports an investigation of trainee teachers’ experience of reflection whilst undertaking a teaching qualification for the post-compulsory sector. The study used a sequential, mixed-methods design, employing a structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview; 127 individuals completed the questionnaire about their experience of reflection and keeping a reflective journal. The questionnaire responses were used to select a sample of 15 individuals for interview. The findings indicate that, whilst the majority value reflection and believe keeping a journal is useful, finding time to reflect can be problematic. Two potential areas of difficulty are identified, namely, individual preferences for engagement with reflection and the use of reflective journals. Where course requirements are at variance with an individual’s preferred approach, difficulties with reflection may be experienced. Therefore this article recommends that course requirements need to allow flexibility to enable individuals to try different techniques and adopt whichever they are most comfortable with.     

Creating more ‘elbow room’ for collaborative reflective practice in the competitive,performative culture of today's university

We live in ‘a world of clashing interests’ [Zinn, H. (1991). Declarations of independence: Cross-examining American ideology. Toronto: Harper Collins, p. xx]. In a grapple for survival, universities choose to spend less money and time on teaching and learning, less time on robust evaluation of student learning and concomitantly less active support for collaborative reflective practice. However, the situation is even more dire than that outlined above because university management seeks to portray its focus on teaching and learning as genuine and a priority. Considerable effort is spent on encouraging teachers to compete for teaching excellence awards at the same time as universities push academics harder and harder into ‘real research’, that is, research that is not about teaching and learning. This is further exacerbated by the use of teaching quality instruments which have been criticised as unreliable indicators of student learning. This paper argues that individual reflective practitioners collecting and collaborating together can advocate for teaching in the current higher education environment but the outreach of this advocacy is likely to be limited when the advocacy remains within ‘pockets of resistance’. To further promote change from within the institution and extend the breadth and depth of an individual's influence beyond the pockets of resistance, we suggest that individuals use collaborative reflective practice-based strategies aligned with each of the dimensions of the institution's ‘cultural web’. Collaborative reflective practice has the potential to advocate for teaching beyond small groups of enthusiasts because it taps into the often hidden but heart-felt passion and commitment to teaching held by many academics.     

Evidence of reflective thinking across the curriculum: college experience versus individual courses

This study investigated how individual and course-level variables across the curriculum at a four-year college (college here refers to a higher education institution that offers undergraduate education but not graduate degrees) in the southeastern US impacted student reflective thinking as measured by Kember and colleagues' [2000. Development of a questionnaire to measure the level of reflective thinking. Assessment &; Evaluation in Higher Education, 25(4): 381–395] scale. The measure includes four constructs: (1) non-thinking (i.e., habitual action), (2) understanding, (3) reflection, and the deepest level (4) critical reflection. The construct of understanding – students' assessment of their thoughtful use of knowledge – was the only measure that increased with credit hours completed. Students (n?=?802) reported more thinking to comprehend in science courses compared to business and humanities courses. An interaction of subject areas and gender showed that males reported more reflection in business courses than the humanities or science courses, and females reported the opposite (i.e., more reflection in humanities and science courses and less in business courses). All students, and especially older ones, were more likely to report thinking habits as the result of an overall college experience than from an individual course. A small set (6.23%), however, who did not report reflecting critically as the result of college did indicate that the current course prompted them to do so. Deeper habits of thinking were reported in students who were awarded course credit for participation and for those enrolled in courses taught by more experienced faculty.     

Moving beyond the reflectivity of post-lesson mentoring conferences in teacher education and creating learning/development opportunities for pre-service teachers

This longitudinal case study suggests ways to move beyond the reflective process usually associated with post-lesson mentoring conferences by describing the modalities likely to generate real learning/development opportunities. Based on cultural-historical activity theories (CHAT) and using methodologies from sociodiscursive interactionism, this study shows the joint construction of the meaning of teaching experience and proposes aids for developing the pre-service teacher’s power to act more effectively in the classroom. It provides a source for transforming the traditional mentoring methods, mediations and arrangements in teacher education. Proposals are made to further professionalise co-operating teachers at the new Graduate Schools of Teacher Education in France.     

Pre-service teachers’ meaning-making when collaboratively analysing video from school practice for the bachelor project at college

The study follows a group of student teachers (STs) facilitated in collaboratively analysing video recordings of their school practice experiences, required for their bachelor projects. Their meaning-making is examined in terms of what they experienced as outcomes, how they constructed understanding and how their interpretation of classroom experiences developed. The findings reveal that the structured collaborative analysis supported the STs in a more nuanced consideration of concrete incidents and in reconstructing their experiences with a focus on student learning. They noted the benefit of the peer support and had a positive view of the structured approach. Additionally, they emphasised insights gained by starting from a fine-grained analysis of concrete problems encountered in their school practice before applying theory. They did, however, resort to more general abstractions in their reports.     

反思型教师素质刍议

反思是教师成长和自我发展的内在要求，反思可以提高教师的能力和教学价值，可以培育教师的教育理想。文章由高考结束后学生最想说的几句话引发了做一个反思型教师的思考。     

JET : Directions for the future

Researching can be viewed as a way of analysing issues of schooling by linking theoretical knowledge with perceptions of educational reality already during teacher education. Not only does practicing teaching provide a context for analysing instruction, learning, school culture, diversity, or any other issue related to schooling, also researching these issues provides future teachers opportunity to view schooling as complex and problematic. This case study surveyed and interviewed a group of recently graduated teachers who had worked as teachers during their education. The interest was on their experiences of M.A. thesis research as well as the integration of theory and practice during the education. The respondents had experienced researching as useful as well as meaningful, although they also had development ideas concerning it.     

Developing professional learning for staff working with children with speech,language and communication needs combined with moderate‐to‐severe learning difficulties

This article presents research undertaken as part of a PhD by Carolyn Anderson who is a senior lecturer on the BSc (Hons) in Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Strathclyde. The study explores the professional learning experiences of 49 teachers working in eight schools and units for children with additional support needs in Scotland. In particular, she examines the professional learning experiences of teachers working with children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) combined with moderate‐to‐severe learning difficulties. While the teachers under study predominantly engaged with informal professional learning, she observes that they often expressed a lack of confidence in this form of professional development, tending to value formal learning regardless of impact. In response she raises a number of important questions about the role of Initial Teacher and Postgraduate Education and the ways in which schools understand reflective practice.     

源于乡土之中的“村规民约”体系及其未来演化方向--基于法律人类学的研究进路

基于法律人类学的视域,可以对中国现今的“村规民约”体系作出系统解读。围绕着“村规民约”的概念之争及其性质之辩,学界历来存在着不同声音。因此,在定义其属性之时,有必要将其置于“国家法”的分析框架之中,进而凸显其价值特性。与此同时,采用结构主义的研究方法,可以对“村规民约”的运行机制及其运行模式作出深层剖析。在未来语境下,“村规民约”的命运取决于双重维度———即内在维度和社会维度。只有优化“村规民约”的生成程序,才能凸显“村规民约”的自生秩序功能;只有建构完备的吸收转化机制,方能实现“村规民约”与“国家法”在可行时空内的多元互动。     

Clifton Forge and Back Again

Abstract

Coming from small-town Appalachia, Josh Howard reflects on his career as a public historian with a focus on sport. He maps out his recent work at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Lamar University, and other sport history work in explaining a journey from a background in statistics to one in public sport history. He concludes by offering some suggestions to better develop scholarship on the intersection of public history and sport history specifically through partnerships with professional sport franchises.