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In this paper we explore some of our cross-cultural experiences of learning to teach in three different contexts. Drawing upon a conceptual framework of narrative inquiry we see individual lives as stories lived and told. In this sense our teaching practices are conceived as having been composed over time as our lives unfolded in various contexts alongside and in relationship with different people. Learning to teach in new settings and finding hope in our lived experiences occurred reflectively and relationally. In this paper we inquire into how spaces of hope can be developed and sustained for teachers practicing in contexts different than their own cultural and/or educational backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which the reflection presented in student teachers' teaching practicum contributes to the development of their professional knowledge. The paper addresses the task of investigating the quality of teacher reflection in its guided forms. By using the procedures of guided reflection, this paper builds a conceptual account with which to structure and describe the forms of reflection presented in student teachers' reflective talk. Based our results, there is a need to investigate more closely what creates changes in teachers' knowledge and what kind of reflective processes can contribute to such changes. We hope that the procedure of guided reflection opens new opportunities for studying the development of teachers' professional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the unanticipated outcome of an experiment with a creative approach to reflective learning undertaken by a community of reflective practitioners. In form and content it represents an attempt to re-create an 'adventure', involving silence, sound and body language. Its rationale is the exploration of the conditions for engaging in reflective practices with an emphasis upon risk-taking and chance and it employs physical, cognitive and affective perspectives as a means of examining what we might learn from reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a reflectively critical analysis of the theoretical basis of independent, or learner-managed learning, and the pedagogical assumptions which underpin it. It considers the potential for personal development through work-based learning, and the tensions for educators in addressing sometimes competing perspectives of personal and professional development in such programmes. In doing so it considers the use of learning contracts or 'agreements', linked to experiential learning and reflective practice, as tools to facilitate formative and emergent learning, rather than more rationalist interpretations. It concludes that the term 'independent' is misleading, as the learning process is the result of reflective dialogues with contexts and others. The context for the study is a foundation degree, a collaborative initiative between a university, five colleges of further education, responsible for the curriculum delivery, and five local authorities in which the colleges are located. These also provided the students for the programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The learning achieved by individuals through their work‐based activity is unique and differentially experienced. It involves a combination of intuitive reasoning, inference and inductive thinking which is normally tacit and not available for analysis. In this paper I present research undertaken with groups of adult students training to work as mentors on a community mentoring project, in an attempt to explore how they learned from their mentoring encounters through the use of reflective practice. Each mentor was asked to keep a reflective diary using a specific model of guided reflection. A number of models of reflective practice are discussed in the paper and the briefing and debriefing methods used to help students understand the concept and processes are presented. Results from questionnaires and focus groups, in which mentors were asked to reflect on the efficacy of the reflective practice model, are also used. In addition, a discussion of earlier work with groups of students undertaking work placements in industry is also included in order to illustrate how the use of a model of structured reflection can have relevance for work‐based learning in a variety of contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portfolio assessment across the disciplines can be enhanced by the addition of vital reflective pieces. While many instructors include reflection as a part of their practice, fewer utilize critical steps necessary to further students' responsibility for their own learning. This article reviews a number of guidelines to aid in this process. They are as follows: creating a safe and supportive environment for candid reflection, the development and design of strategic prompts to enhance learning and move students toward metacognitive independence, use of a shared discourse so students and teachers are able to develop reflections from common understandings and vocabulary, and the construction of concise rubrics to ensure knowledge of required tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the beginning of a journey of learning. Drawing upon the writer's reflective and creative experiences over the past three years, the writer uses the analogy of a journey. Potholes in the road, hills to climb and needed breaks occur on her journey in developing and reflecting upon the introduction of a reflective activity in the first year of an undergraduate nursing degree. Drawing upon some of her students' work, the writer shares her experiences of introducing the media of story writing, poetry and collage, which enabled members of the class to reflect on an experience and highlights the personal practice knowledge that students bring with them into the tertiary setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research reflects on a two-year Flexible Learning pilot at Cornwall College, during which I was employed as a Flexible Learning Co-ordinator. My role involved developing Flexible Learning lessons for students studying various business and administration courses. The lessons developed engaged the students in a range of paper and computer activities for which I acted as a facilitator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the importance of understanding silence in the process of reflection in relation to teaching and learning. We can assume that silence means different things to different people, and that it can communicate many and different things. Silence can, so to say, be 'used' in various ways. We can, for example, elect to be silent, but in some situations silence is imposed, as one cannot find words to respond. Irrespective of the reason for the silence, one can emphasise that a non-message is also a message—the silence tells us something. This line of reasoning can lead one to an interpretation and conclusion that silence becomes a language when the ordinary vocabulary is not enough, or when one favours silence above the spoken word. Within this paper multiple meanings of silence, as well as different expressions of silence, will be highlighted. Finally, the value of silence in the process of reflection on teaching and learning will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a reflective methodology of the body as a resource for reflective practice based on an analysis of my personal response and experience of autobiographical narrative. It offers an approach in which the movements and markings of the body serve as important sites for collecting additional evidence of the daily practices that shape our lives. The paper extends and develops the notion of reassembling 'artifacts' from Watson and Wilcox (2000), in order to expand the possibilities for enlarging methods of reflection. Two forms of artifact are presented: visual illustration and movement vignette. Re-collecting and reading these artifacts, allows the personal history stored in the body, as well as the body's contemporaneous knowledge to become more accessible for examination, dialogue and reflection. In a dialectic relationship with narrative writing, an example is presented of this reflective model that mines one's impulses for motion and stillness, movement and marking. Drawing upon the researcher's larger concerns, the paper concludes with a critical discussion of autobiographical inquiry and sexuality, heterocentric value systems, and reflective practitioners' ability to exhume the 'taken for granted' oppressions suffered in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitation is a key ‘ingredient’ in the success and sustainability of communities of practice. Yet, little attention has been given toin situexperiences of facilitators of these communities. This paper takes up the challenge to explore these experiences using reflective stories written by seven TATAL (Talking about Teaching and Learning) facilitators (the authors) from different disciplines in five different Australian universities. The authors’ collaborative analysis of their experiences suggests reframing the role of facilitator to include the role of alchemist, a promoter of transformation. This reframing has the potential to change the way higher education community of practice facilitators think about and enact their role. The story-based reflective process used in this self-study could also be used by facilitators to investigate their own practice, as a component of facilitator education programmes or by academics and researchers in other contexts who seek a participatory, collaborative approach to evaluate their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper showcases the work of Third Space professionals in a complex higher education (HE) setting, and specifically its impact on the building of trust relationships and innovative approaches. It makes use of a case-study methodological approach, reflecting on the experiences of various stakeholders within pilot phases. The findings reveal challenges related to maintaining trust relationships, which can be threatened by technicist approaches. The reflective case study explores an innovative live-streaming project and the related pedagogical approaches by Instructional Design experts, as Third Space professionals, who have carved out a critical space within a HE setting. This investigation, and its related lessons, highlights that learning-and-teaching aspects, training and support, reconciliation of trust relationships, can be applied to Third Space professionals in other HE institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article identifies students' difficulties in making interview questions, their solutions and reflection on a good interview question. This firstly aims at enhancing our knowledge of doing interviews for research purposes, and secondly evaluates the effectiveness of a learning-by-doing based intervention on students' critical thinking and knowledge formation. The study applied a survey to collect data. Then qualitative content analysis with the use of Atlas.ti (v.9 for Windows) was employed to analyze data. In terms of the students' difficulties, a majority of students found it hard to convey exactly their ideas and make relevant questions to the topic. They also found it challenging to make questions with appropriate difficulty levels for the public audience. To solve the problems, the students mostly did self-investigation and asked for opinions and guidance from peers and teachers, which helped them create their zone of proximal development. Regarding the characteristics of a good question, most students concluded that its content with appropriate difficulty level and its coherence make it accessible for interviewees, while some students also required the language to be concise, polite and not academic. Students' reflection shows that the intervention helps them form their knowledge of interview questions and hone their critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the ways in which reflective practice is learnt, taught and assessed within the profession of occupational therapy. It utilises individual experiences of reflection of both students and staff members in university and practice placement settings. The discussion places reflection within learning a profession’s way of being and individual learner’s relation to this ‘sense of being’. It concludes that the ‘rote’ way in which reflection is currently used to demonstrate evidence of reflective practice is detrimental to the development of a reflective professional, in this instance, an occupational therapist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper gives an embodied perspective on the use of judgements of reflective practice and reflective writing for professional development in Higher Education. Programmes for professional development in Higher Education and recognition processes for academics have become prevalent in the UK and internationally. These programmes and processes often assume, implicitly or explicitly, development or evidencing as a ‘reflective practitioner’ through pieces of reflective writing which is then judged against competencies or attainments. However, this focus on reflective practice and reflective writing is not always critical, and does not examine the different theoretical and practical interpretations of what it means to reflect, or the impact of assessing such reflections. Taking an embodied stance allows a new view into a contested area that is more habitually connected with cognitive rather than corporeal processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper draws from phenomenological research exploring the nature of relationships in education, collaborative research exploring alternative pedagogies in educational leadership programmes and postgraduate students’ experiences of leadership. These inquiries have been brought together with the aim of outlining two pedagogical approaches which evoke an appreciation of, and contemplative stance towards, the relational sensibilities within the lived experiences of practising, emergent and aspiring educational leaders. Relational sensitivity and sensibilities are essential to how leaders show what matters in their immediate context. Relational sensibilities appear to have an enduring and ontological presence within experiences of leadership. Examples include a leader’s attunement, nous, tact and improvisation. In addition, sensibilities include how leaders remain resolute having made a moral judgement. Two pedagogical approaches that deepen leader’s relational sensibilities are outlined. One includes the interpretive and hermeneutic use of experiential stories in inquiries of leadership as a phenomenon. A second pedagogical approach, an appreciative appraisal, involves the application of Appreciative Inquiry to the life-centric nature of an individual’s professional practice. It is critically important that leadership courses engage leaders in pedagogical approaches that engender a deepening appreciation of relational sensibilities in their everyday lives. This concern underpins the need for those in leadership to revisit their everyday humanity as this leads to action sensitive praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines four models of debriefing practices applied by the team of authors in settings working with conflict resolution and peacemaking practitioners. It examines the effectiveness of these methods in particular, and of the practice of debriefing as a reflective tool in the context of peacemaking practice. All research was conducted as part of an Applied Practice and Theory team, under the supervision of Dr. Susan Allen, at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the use of painting with a group of pre-registration nursing students, as one-approach educators might use to encourage deeper thinking and reflection. During the second week of their course, the students were asked to paint a picture of what they believed nursing to be, using colour to capture their feelings associated with nursing. On completion of their paintings, the students shared their ideas and beliefs with the group. This process was repeated at the start of the second year when, on completion of a second painting, their first picture was returned; with time devoted for the students to analyse both paintings and write a reflective account. Analysis was required on three levels: (1) to examine the content of each picture; (2) to explain why they had painted particular images, and explore factors influencing changes or similarities between pictures; and (3) at a deeper level, begin exploring how their values and beliefs had shaped their paintings. Through a facilitated group, students shared their analysis and associated feelings with their peers, the latter being encouraged to ask questions and discuss arising issues to develop their reflective and analytic skills. Examining personal and peer experience enables students to begin to recognise where, in terms of self and self in relation to others, they need to focus their attention. The findings provide tentative evidence that such innovative approaches, together with careful facilitation, can promote deeper insight into self and their chosen career. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mentor teachers of student teachers play an important role in novice teacher development, yet rarely receive training or support. This study investigates five mentor teachers during the 2021–2022 school year as they participated in monthly mentor professional development meetings. It asks the question 'How can recordings of mentor/mentee conversations be used within mentor professional development to support the development of educative mentors?' This qualitative analysis used interviews and video recordings of meetings to understand the mentor teacher experiences. It finds that audio clips in mentor meetings worked to support mentor teachers' learning as mentors and teachers and worked to deprivatize the work of mentoring. Findings from this study can help inform mentor professional development facilitation and can help inform decisions regarding how to prepare and support mentor teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commitment to ongoing learning is a hallmark of effective sport coaches. Available literature indicates: (a) coach learning inquiries have become more common but mostly conceptual not empirical; (b) the few available empirical studies provide only brief snapshots of ongoing learning efforts and seldom track learning impact; and (c) ongoing learning for sport coaches should be coach-driven and contextually-situated. To help close the gap between conceptual advice and empirical evidence, this paper shares our collective reflections on a unique, 10-year ongoing learning effort initiated and sustained by an American high school basketball coach in a suburban Midwestern community. This story is compelling, not only because of its sustained longitudinal nature, but because of the peer teaching role played by the iconic American basketball coach John Wooden. The story we tell is based on our conversations and interviews with the high school coach, media documents, systematic observation of the coach’s practice videos seven years apart, and perspectives from his school administrators and one of his former players. Ermeling’s four-feature reflective practice typology is used to frame the coach’s ongoing learning effort, and connect the story back to the coach development literature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of and reflection on writing prompts in mathematics education can allow pre-service teachers to enhance their own mathematical knowledge and broaden their understanding of students’ learning needs. In this paper, we share results from a study with secondary pre-service mathematics teachers who were asked to respond to writing prompts related to various mathematical concepts, reflect on their responses, and then give the same prompts to a group of college algebra students. Our analysis of the data shows that the prompts helped the pre-service teachers to reflect on their role as learners, student thinking and needs and classroom practices. We relate these findings to a framework for looking at pedagogical content knowledge and discuss the usefulness of writing prompts with pre-service mathematics teachers for expanding such knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a self-employed sports consultant, I was overwhelmed when three of the athletes I work with were selected for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Working in a minority sport, I knew there would not be scope for me to attend to every step of the way; but like all good sports consultants, I was committed to doing the best I could to ensure these athletes performed at their peak when required. This paper follows my journey as performance coach with one Olympic athlete and the National coach, reviewing practice along the way through interviews, conferences, research, journal entries and the social media. It has led me to what some will see as a surprising conclusion; namely, that most sports science is not used in a functional way. Although my analysis is qualitative, I hope this account of what I did or observed will help us to rethink strategies going forward to Rio 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As continuing professional development is now mandatory in the UK for health and social care professionals, teaching reflection skills is commonplace in many higher education institutions. However, getting health and social care students to engage with activities developing their reflection skills has been problematic at one Scottish university. This paper describes action research carried out to improve first-year university students’ enthusiasm and engagement with reflection on an inter-professional module. Teaching and learning activities were based on the principle of constructive alignment. Students were given an interactive lecture and two tutorials; each successive tutorial consolidated knowledge and skills gained from the previous learning activity. Responses from a small percentage of students to an online questionnaire indicate students saw the reflection activities as advantageous, however, a majority felt both tutorial activities did not improve their confidence, with peer feedback having less impact than tutor feedback. Further iterations of the action research cycle will be undertaken to improve students’ engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A call for papers on reflective learning and small firms for the special issue of "Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives," to be submitted on or before January 31, 2011 is presented.

Reflective practice has become an influential concept in various forms of professional education, for example, in nursing and social work. However, there has been a common tendency for it to be oversimplified in practice, and, furthermore, dominant understandings of reflective practice can themselves be criticised for lacking theoretical sophistication in some respects – particularly in relation to the social and political dimensions of learning and professional practice. This paper therefore seeks to clarify the theoretical underpinnings of reflective practice and to propose developments in relation to the missing sociological elements. It briefly reviews current dominant understandings of reflective practice before proposing developments in the theory base to make it more theoretically sophisticated in general and more sociologically informed in particular. In this way, the foundations for a critically reflective practice are sketched out. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Whilst the concept of reflective learning has been extensively studied in the classroom, its role in business settings has not been the subject of significant research. This paper presents the outcomes of a small research study which focused on reflective learning and its application in a small organization. The main aim of the research was to ascertain the extent to which clerical workers were engaged in reflective learning while on the job and to outline the implications of this occurrence for small business management. A modified version of Valli's reflective typology was used to guide the research and to aid in achieving the aim. The main research instrument was a comprehensive questionnaire. The findings indicate that clerical staff at the University College predominantly engaged in reflection-on-action, reflection-in-action and personalistic reflective learning on the job. The implications of this occurrence for workplace learning, management and greater organizational efficiencies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the beginning steps of the author as a special education teacher in a large Southwest public school district in the US. The author discusses his first year of experience in a large US middle school as an inclusion teacher by using self-reflective practice in the form of excerpts from his learning journal to become aware and understand the complexities of becoming a special education teacher. The metaphor of the maze is introduced and used as the lens through which the author experienced his becoming a special education teacher and how the metaphor of the maze dominates the professional growth and identity of the author in the field of special education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a comparative analysis of municipal and banking organisations, this paper examines how dialogs, inspired by the World Cafe approach, can contribute to developing reflective and organisational learning. Participatory and appreciative action and reflection (PAAR) helps people to understand their circumstances with a view to changing them for the better. This creates opportunities to develop employee communication and shared understanding. Continuous support for a dialogic process of this sort needs tolerance. The world cafe can have a long-term and sustainable effect. The basis for the comparative analysis was dialog seminars and an analysis of cafe dialogs. It is important to gain full support for cafe dialogs from an organisation's senior management before expanding them to the whole organisation. Reflective learning is a more complex phenomenon than formerly assumed because the conscious or unconscious participation of senior management can significantly influence reflective learning processes. If increased integrity and mutual respect are attained through dialog it is worth asking how this can also be further developed in different organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the concerns which prompted the introduction of an innovative Masters level module designed for practising teachers at a university in the UK. The module was intended to offer an alternative to positivistic modes of reflectivity and to introduce reflective writing practices that acknowledge the constitutive force of writing. Experimentation with writing styles is not usually associated with continuing professional development offered to teachers. We explain why we view writing as a legitimate and valuable reflective research method for practitioners and why we support efforts to challenge the sedimented assumptions that inform teacher training and professional development activity directed at practising teachers. Our adopted pedagogic strategy was to introduce teachers to reflective writing that simultaneously promotes self-reflexivity and highlights the creative and constitutive power of writing. We sought to challenge pervasive dualisms or binaries (e.g. teacher: student, creative-analytical, cognition: affect) and featured the work of Laurel Richardson in support of this agenda. It is argued that practitioners may be better served by reflective writing practices that foster ethical sensibility through recognizing the intuitive or affective dimensions of the writing process. Previous contributors to this journal have called for an expansion of the modes of reflectivity that qualify as reflective practice in higher education. The introduction of the module can be read as a response to that call. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurtured as a teacher and mentored as a mathematics education researcher, the reflective voice of a teacher-researcher-educator is portrayed in this paper. While drawing upon experience of creating teaching-learning environments, the author outlines the growth of praxis within her practice. She then outlines her coming upon narrative as a deployable unit of analysis with which to grasp teaching-learning practice. With narrative inquiry as strategy, she finally outlines examples of educational action research she is able to conduct. She argues in favour of empowering the praxis of teachers, recognising their language of practice and urges us to listen to their individual voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-service teachers in the Faculty of Education of the University of Malta compile a Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) which includes artefacts and reflective writings. The process of developing their PDP enables student teachers to grow and develop professionally. This paper explores whether the reflective learning skills which teachers acquire in their pre-service education are retained in their first year of teaching. The study suggests that these skills are internalised by teachers and used in an informal manner to help them reportedly cope better with their new role as effective teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflection is generally acknowledged as an important part of teacher education and a central activity in teacher development. The close connection between reflection and identity development has been noted in literature on teacher education. This paper will focus on the interplay among the concepts of reflection, identity and the ideal, and will report the results of a pilot study which attempted to elicit from student teachers their reflections on an ideal identity for their future lives as teachers. The implications of such reflection for teacher education programmes will be indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a retrospective reflexive narrative of my experience of sensemaking and identity on a Professional Doctorate Programme. It discusses some of the challenges of professional doctoral learning, and some of the nuances of following a 'practitioner doctorate'. Sensemaking and habitus provide a method of conceptualizing how I positioned myself in relation to particular pre-existing discourses, and how this in turn influenced my identity as student/researcher/practitioner. The complexities of practitioner focused doctorates involve dealing with the ambiguity and uncertainty of multiple identities. Concluding comments include considering a Chair of Learner Identity, which is influenced by both structural and individual factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various strategies have been recommended to foster student reflection as an important goal of education. In this paper, I describe two research studies where I implemented Weblogs to support student reflection in two graduate courses. In both studies students were provided with individual Weblog spaces to document thoughts, reflections and learning processes. The first study data from five student participants indicated that Weblogs were useful for archiving information and thinking; however, not all students engaged in the process of Weblogging regularly or in the process of reflection. The second study, implemented based on results of the first study, indicated that providing guidelines resulted in more consistent writing on the Weblogs. However, the quality and depth of posts still varied greatly and many students indicated the need for more guidance and structure for engaging in reflection on the Weblogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the constraints of managerialism and high caseloads, I suggest that probation should still be committed to working creatively with vulnerable individuals, many of whom exhibit strong negative emotions. Reflective practice enables practitioners to deal with these feelings sensitively, then move on to effect change. However, imparting skills and knowledge for reflective practice is not straightforward and is further complicated by distance learning. Two studies were embarked on to discover from Trainee Probation Officers (TPOs) themselves how learning about reflective practice could best be accomplished. The main themes of the studies, the ability to handle and learn from anxiety; negotiating academic and organisational barriers; and the parallels to Trainees' work with offenders, are explored. This paper argues reflective practice is integral to effective probation practice and should continue to hold a key position in offender manager training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents the final phase of a journey within a self-directed problem-based learning group occurring on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Programme based at the University of Hertfordshire. It provides personal reflections from the trainees and trainers on the process of this type of experiential learning. We explore themes related to this experience, such as the emotional experiences evoked and strategies used to manage these; issues of power and responsibility; and the transitory nature of these experiences. We conclude with implications for the participation and facilitation of experiential learning groups within clinical training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing undergraduate nurses to meet the challenges of clinical reality and develop their reflective skills requires innovative and creative pedagogical approaches. It has been suggested that the use of creative arts media enables one to surface well-springs of knowledge and critique it artistically, cognitively and meta-cognitively. Recent research highlights the sense of graduate nurses being unprepared at the completion of their undergraduate studies to face the responsibilities and challenges of being a registered nurse. Confronted as an educator with the challenge to address this sense of un-preparedness, Jenny sought to introduce an element of creative reflectivity into a final year clinical practice unit of the Bachelor of Nursing. This was done in anticipation that it might encourage students to draw upon their multiple intelligences, embrace their artistic intelligence and realise their knowledge and learning. This paper presents through a reflective dialogue, the approach taken by the authors sharing their experiences of the introduction of reflective creativity into the course. Examples of creative works produced by students are celebrated, as are the responses to those works. Students expressed their learning, in many differing media and in doing so gained a sense of realisation that during their course of study they had actually acquired a knowledge base to engage as novice practitioners. As educators it raised a significant issue of being caught up in the creativity of the student and the need to see beyond the creation into the meaning and reflection of what it offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jokes, banter and humour quite often show signs of some serious reflection behind them. This paper is an explorative venture that presents some of the characteristics of humour and links these to corresponding core elements in reflection. As such it is probing for opportunities that humour may offer to reflective learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of health professional groups have been looking at alternative models to the traditional 1:1 model of practice education in order to meet the increasing shortage of practice placements for pre-registration students. One such model that has been explored recently is the 2:1 or collaborative model where one practice educator takes responsibility for the education of two or more students. This paper presents the findings of a small research study undertaken to explore facilitation of learning in 2:1 collaborative models of physiotherapy practice education, and focuses on the potential for reflection with particular emphasis on peer reflection within the collaborative model. The study adopted a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen educators and eighteen third year physiotherapy students at a number of different NHS practice sites in southeast England. Additional focus groups were held with academic tutors and students at the end of the placement period. Findings from the study indicated that learning was facilitated in a variety of ways with students benefiting from peer learning and teaching approaches. Opportunities for peer reflection appeared to be increased in the 2:1 model. However, some practice educators highlighted the need for further guidance when promoting reflective practice. Further research into the role of reflection within 2:1 models and the facilitation of reflection during clinical education placements is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students can find the academic requirements of performance‐style assessment hard to interpret and educators have been called on to provide explicit articulation for the support of academic, critically reflective assignments. This paper discusses the development of a flexible learning workbook for post‐qualifying social work (PQSW) students, undertaken in response to these issues. The development of the workbook began with the aim to provide such explicit articulation, focusing on two intended learning outcomes—applying theory to practice and being critically reflective—which can appear to students to be vague and unclear terms. Key activities were identified for each of these outcomes and aligned to relevant assessment criteria within frameworks to show the student exactly what is required in order to demonstrate their abilities in these areas. The main activities within the workbook allow students to interact with three examples of writing by analysing and applying assessment criteria to them, i.e. assessing the levels of critical reflection and application of theory to practice in each. Students are then encouraged to apply the learning gained to their own assignments and self or peer evaluate their work. This ongoing project has also been informed by focus group research as part of a commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines narratives of experience from teachers’ lives. It locates teachers as academic constructors of knowledge and uses the cases of reflective practice and inquiry in the development of self‐knowledge. I explore teachers knowledge in light of my own understanding from literature, research findings on beginning teachers, reflections on my personal experiences; my development as a teacher overseas and in my country Pakistan. Most importantly as self‐reflection I offer Pakistan’s move to construct professional knowledge and my own attempt as a teacher educator to aspire towards that goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an account of how I improved my professional practice by keeping a reflective learning journal. It begins with the recognition that to improve my practice I first needed to understand its nature. This resulted in an evolving journey of personal and professional self‐discovery that led to a greater understanding of my role as a practitioner–researcher. I describe how engaging in double‐loop reflection (as distinct from single‐loop reflection) became my real reflective learning, and how that process helped me analyse my theories‐in‐use, leading to an understanding of where and how my practice needed to improve. I acknowledge the importance of recording my practice honestly, and illustrate how writing openly and appreciatively led to a richer reflective and reflexive journal that helped me better understand and manage the change taking place in my organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To create and hold a space where people do reflective work is incredibly rewarding. It is a real privilege to bear witness to their emerging self‐insight and growth. It can also be tedious, difficult and exhausting when faced with people's natural resistance to learning and self‐discovery. Within organizations, people often approach change unwillingly, and reflection with some scepticism. This creates challenges for change agents where reflective spaces are used as catalysts for change. In this paper I want to share my experiences of creating and working with reflective spaces. I have called my role ‘the holder of the space’ to reflect my relation to it, and have drawn on my experiences over a number of years of working with reflective practice to create a narrative that reveals the avalanche of thoughts and feelings that emerge in doing this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the meaning of experience and learning in a multi‐client, multi‐vendor information system procurement that lasted over one year. We show how the phases in the acquisition process were developing and how our experiences affected on them during the changing process. We also describe the learning process using the means of reflective practice. The information system was to be piloted in three Finnish universities before it was introduced into the public domain. The pilot project was based on previous projects, forming an interesting case and offering several possibilities in learning. Choosing the right acquisition method, understanding the importance of experience and trust and taking power when needed were among the lessons that were learnt during the process. This study also shows how the experience—even if not pervasive—can lead on to fruitful outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces the June 2005 issue of the "Reflective Practice" journal, a celebration of the third Carfax international conference called "Reflection as a catalyst for change," held in Gloucester, England in June 2004. Paper presentations and workshop activities.

Reflective learning journals are recognized as a significant tool in promoting active learning among nursing students. Essentially, nurse educators strive to encourage students to think about past experiences, current situations, and expected outcomes of their actions so that they can explain what they do in the clinical setting and why. In other words, nurse educators seek to promote professional practice that is reflective rather than routine. The purposes in this paper are to discuss the application of two models of reflection to a set of reflective learning journals and to offer some recommendations for educators, researchers, and students. Using a three stage model of reflection (Scanlon & Chemomas, 1997), 52 nursing students explored managerial concepts. The major findings indicated that students may be categorized, according to Kember et al. (1999), as nonreflectors (i.e., lack evidence of deliberate appraisal), reflectors (i.e., demonstrate insight through analysis, discrimination, and evaluation), and critical reflectors (i.e., indicate a transformation from initial perspective). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sets out the experience of an innovative Work-Based Learning programme based in a university context. The scheme itself is designed to enable different levels of flexible participation through the engagement of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and large organizations in the design and delivery of several types of provision. The university provides the input of a full-time academic, with one-to-one support in the university and on site, leading to accredited awards at BA (Hons) Certificate, Diploma and Masters level. To date the scheme has been in operation for five years and has been evaluated by the authors as part of an internal review. The main sources of evidence in the review have been the students and the employers and this paper focuses on their perceptions of its advantages and disadvantages in relation to Work-Based Learning professional development. The article concludes with an outline of the next stage of the evaluation which is designed to focus on assessment techniques for onsite evaluation of the technical and higher level skills which the programme aims to develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of all the factors that affect student learning, a student's desire to learn may be among the most significant. The quality of one's effort to learn and the persistence and striving a student exerts are determined by the student's aim and commitment to fully achieve the desired learning in a specific situation. This is learner intent. Students involved in this study had no difficulty speaking about their intent; in fact, their intent seems to be either predetermined habitually or situationally determined. In either case, reflective reasoning--thinking about one's learning effort and the quality of that learning--can be a catalyst in the formation of worthy intent. Without exception, all participants in this study regarded learning as a worthy endeavor. Still, students often lost their desire to learn when faced with deadlines and other conflicting intentions. When this happened, students tended to justify their decision. The quality of one's intent may depend on the source of one's reasoning. If learner intent is formed because of a fear of failure or a need to succeed, then the effort is often draining, and seldom will a student do more than the bare minimum to achieve their academic goals. In contrast, a learner whose intent comes from a passion to learn, a hope of enabling their abilities, or a love for the topic, generates energy and a desire to do more; it lifts, exhilarates, and can inspire an exceptional learning effort. This type of intent leads to expertise. Understanding learner intent and how it develops may provide valuable insights into how one should teach. This paper describes the results of a study involving learner intent and the need for reflection in the development of worthy learner intent. Both teachers and students can benefit from a better understanding of learner intent. Worthy learner intent is derived from honest reflection by students. Teachers can consciously attempt to help students become reflective practitioners. Such openness will lead, we believe, to a richer, more fulfilling experience for anyone who is committed to improving learning and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores problem-based learning as a dimension that adds context and framework to coaching and reflection. The process for problem-based learning is described as a healthy environment for reflection, discussion and problem solving. Results illustrate how teacher candidates move from micro-reflection to self-reflection to macro-reflection as they engage in a year-long teacher education program in a professional development school. Implications from the study suggest that problem-based learning is a valid process for the enculturation of teacher candidates to schools and to the profession of teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the benefits of reflection for students are well documented, there is a parallel body of research pointing to varying levels of engagement with reflection. Students on a four-year business information systems programme have to complete a reflection as part of their placement assessment. Using a constructivist qualitative methodology, this research explores the students' experience of reflecting with a view to identifying what supports could be useful to guide students in the future. Using semi-structured interviews, the students described a focus on description of activities and overall uncertainty on what to write. There are multiple possible interventions which could support the students but some would require significant and high-level support within the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]