Creative strategies to support student learning through reflection (original) (raw)
Related papers
Speaking our minds: issues in designing learning with reflection and reflective practice (2010)
This paper examines attempts to describe the learning and teaching practice on a postgraduate course in education and problematises why this is difficult and in many ways unsuccessful. It forms part of a larger project to explore the intentions and outcomes of interventions designed to bring about reflection and reflective practice as part of professional development planning (PDP) and the use of e-portfolio. It takes a perspective on this of being ‘a problem of the present’ and considers the potential conflicts and fragmentation that may arise as a result of the divisions in interpretation of the metanarrative of reflection and reflective practice within one course, the institution and the academy. This has impacted on learners’ understanding of the purpose and benefits of reflection and its relation to professional practice, making it difficult for them to build this successfully into their learning. The author questions the practicality of continuing this struggle given the current educational discourse on planning and developing curricula. It is argued that it may be possible for courses to maintain substantial links with the shifts towards an enhancement-led approach in which practice is validated as a dynamic and changing rather than reified in documentation.
Educational prerequisites to ensure the use of students' reflection practice in the learning process
Nurture, 2023
Purpose: The objective of this study is to analyse the relationship between teachers and the pedagogical requirements of the learning process that ensure that students use reflective practice in the learning process by studying the theoretical framework of the concept of reflection. Design/Methodology/Approach: A phenomenological research design was chosen which is based on the paradigm of humanistic research. The method of inductive content analysis was chosen for the analysis of qualitative data. Findings: The empirical findings of the research indicate that setting goals is essential for the reflection process. Students must actively participate in the process by focussing on, evaluating and applying critical thinking to specific content in order to achieve those goals. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of reflection activities in the learning process which allow students to base their decisions on their previous experiences, choose and verify the correctness of learning concepts, focus on growth, improve research skills and create new experiences. Teachers need to incorporate this into practice by actively involving students in the learning process to facilitate the reflection process. Practical Implication: The result indicates that reflection practice is crucial in the learning process. Teachers need to incorporate this into a practice that allows the students to be actively involved in the learning process and take responsibility for their progress.
Online Submission, 2012
The concept of reflective thinking as a precursor for incorporating critical thinking has been not been adequately researched. Most research has not given any effective strategies on how to incorporate these two concepts. There is a constant need to incorporate critical thinking into the classroom without much success. This study will attempt to show a link between reflective thinking and its ability to stimulate critical thinking. Teachers often perceive that critical thinking skills need to be taught, however research has shown that they may not know how to do this effectively. The use of reflective thinking may be a precursor to stimulating critical thinking in teachers. The research questions are on the reflective thinking skills of teachers and how they perceive themselves and their teaching. In this study a total of 60 participants from institutions of higher learning volunteered to answer a questionnaire to determine the level at which they reflected on their teaching practices as an indicator of their level of critical thinking. It was found that most of the teachers did not reflect deeply on their teaching practices. They did not seem to practice the four learning processes: assumption analysis, contextual awareness, imaginative speculation and reflective scepticism which were indicative of reflection. It would suggest that critical thinking is practised minimally among teachers. Further research need to be carried out on how to bring about reflective practices among teachers and how it would enhance the quality of lessons in terms of critical thinking.
Supporting reflective processes with students: insights from a review of research
This briefing note is intended for staff within higher education whose students engage in reflective processes as part of their learning. We offer a framework that tutors may employ to help shape the way in which their students carry out such processes. The framework was developed during a review of research studies pertinent to reflective pratice for new academic staff (see under 'Papers' on here on my academia.edu site).
Teaching Critical Reflection, 2010
Despite long-standing commitment to the notion of critical reflection (meta cognition) across the healthcare professions it is unusual for critical theory and practice to be taught as explicit subjects in healthcare Higher Education. There is evidence to show that reflective techniques such as critical portfolios and reflective diaries can help students to consolidate and assess their learning, understanding or practice of a discipline. Yet, there are also known drawbacks of critical reflection, including over self-critical inspection, unbounded reflection (reflection unrelated to a purpose), and the infinite regress of reflection on action (inertia or cyclical thought). This paper offers a theoretically informed model of critical reflection which encompasses different purposes of critical reflection (for thinking, learning and assessment of self and social systems), together with different forms of reflection (personal, interpersonal, contextual and critical). Explicitly teaching critical reflection is a logical step towards students being able to recognise and negotiate complex ethical and professional issues. However, teaching critical reflection creates challenges for curricula design, assessment, and professional development (external expected identities and behaviours). Furthermore, thinking about thinking is not an easily observable behaviour without expression of emotion/response system (the origin of thoughts) through language. Nevertheless, critical reflection can be a valuable stop gap - to think before you act. To slow down thinking and action. To explore possible consequences and to simulate/postulate the impact of emotions, thoughts, judgements (and an awareness of drawing on limited knowledge, experience, gut feelings, etc.) before making them or acting on them.
Synergy of Reflection and Critical Thinking: a Catalyst for Students’ Intellectual Growth
Journal of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University
The article is dedicated to exploring the interaction between reflection and critical thinking in the context of developing students' intellectual abilities. Special attention is given to studying the impact of reflective practices on stimulating critical thinking in younger students and their ability to analyze and perceive information critically and objectively. The article analyzes the fundamental aspects of reflective activities, including its role in developing students' consciousness, self-awareness, and internal processing of acquired information. The authors investigate various methods and techniques of reflection that educators can use to activate students' critical thinking. Specifically, the article offers practical case studies of implementing reflective approaches in the educational process. The primary aim of the article is to raise educators' awareness of the significance of the interaction between reflection and critical thinking as key elements in st...
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice
As the number of students engaging in higher education increases, so too does their diversity. Additionally, there is growing pressure on universities to better prepare graduates for the varied paths they will pursue beyond study. In responding to these conditions it is important to develop pedagogical approaches that are both inclusive and engaging. One adaptation needed is in relation to the practice and documentation of reflection for learning. Reflection is widely practiced across higher education, and is favoured by the Work-Integrated Learning field for the ways it helps students make sense of their learning. The ongoing reliance on journals for practising and documenting reflection has several benefits; however, a diverse student body, engaging with diverse learning experiences, is likely to benefit from being offered diverse, flexible ways of engaging with reflective practice. Informed by student and practitioner reflective data gathered at an Australian university, this con...
Critical Reflection as an Educational Process: A Practice Example
Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education: Special Issue – Critical Reflection Method and Practice: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.7-28, 2011
Numerous social workers discuss the importance of critical reflection and refer to its capacity as an educational tool to improve practice, yet there is relatively little evidence to support the claims made about the benefits of critical reflection by its proponents. This paper contributes to addressing this gap by reporting on the critically reflective educational process undertaken by one practitioner. The transformative learning gained by this practitioner provides a concrete example of how critical reflection improved her thinking about practice by increasing congruence between her espoused theoretical framework and her actual practice, and by creating opportunities for emancipatory practice within a context where she felt constrained to achieve critical practice aims. The paper suggests critical reflection is an important component of social work education.
2013
This paper presents a flexible framework of principles for teaching critical thinking and reflective practice skills at the postgraduate level. It reports on a collaborative project between four UK institutions providing postgraduate programmes in deaf education. Through a critical review of current theories of critical thinking and reflective practice in higher education, the authors identified and constructed frameworks of principles for relevant skills. They selected a set of learning activities for the institutions to trial to target those skills. Students evaluated how successfully the activities promoted the skills. The investigators evaluate the methodology and provide a critique of the framework of principles. Findings reveal that the framework of principles is a robust model for the development, design and evaluation of bespoke learning activities targeting critical thinking and reflective practice skills.