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Assertions that reflection plays a critical role in both our individual growth and professional success are reinforced by personal experience and empirical research from around the world. Those keen to engage in the key skill of reflection can access a 'sea of support' that includes academic papers, modular-based websites, practical handouts, and peer assistance. In contrast, those wishing to engage in self-reflection are likely to be discouraged by the modest amount of quality information and resources that are readily available for practical use. Prompted, in part, by the concluding commentaries offered by Brownhill (2022a, 2022b), this thoughtpiece offers a refreshing literature-based exploration of self-reflection as an essential act, facilitated by asking and answering additional key questions such as what additional definitions and types of self-reflection exist, what is the process of self-reflection, and how can self-reflective activity be undertaken and encouraged in others. Written to be accessible in both content and scope, this thoughtpiece serves as a constructive 'go-to'/short resource that has the potential to help individuals self-reflect as part of their personal learning and professional development/practice with enhanced understanding, assurance, and enjoyment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This two-stage study was conducted to examine the awareness of policy and underlying pedagogy as well as the use of reflective practice by teaching staff (faculty) within a Scottish university. In the first stage, teaching staff completed a questionnaire; of these 14 then took part in stage two, semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were subject to thematic analysis and three main themes emerged: (1) The methods and processes of reflection ('How'); (2) The personal and organisational drivers for employing reflective practices ('Why'); and (3) The barriers to reflection ('Why not'). Significant findings included the dominance of traditional (paper-based as opposed to computer mediated) reflective writing in teaching staff's own reflection, and the importance of both formal and informal group reflection in methods and process. Reasons for reflection focused on the importance of both organisational drivers such as professional standards and awarding bodies, and personal drivers such as personal growth, identity, and psychological wellbeing. Barriers to reflection included both the concrete such as insufficient time and lack of opportunities to share resources, as well as the attitudinal and cultural. Possible ways of tacking these barriers also emerged. Implications for organisational and individual practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a description of recent transformative learning applications in four broad areas – health care study abroad, community, and the workplace. The applications were selected from a literature review of English language articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 2010 to 2020. To describe the applications in each of the four broad areas, the paper focuses on the rationale for the studies, their settings, their context, the reported transformation or outcome as well as the impediments and facilitating factors for the transformation. The paper also includes an overview of research designs and instruments that can be generally used to study applications of transformative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-service teachers need to prepare for diverse classrooms. Being culturally responsive, they should affirm students from diverse cultures and acknowledge that both their own and these students' cultural practices may shape learning in classrooms. Yet, many teacher education programs often fall behind in terms of focusing on cultural elements. One way to prepare pre-service teachers for culturally responsive teaching is integrating critical reflection into teacher education curricula. Pre-service teachers' reflections tend to be descriptive rather than in-depth. Also, usually, retrospective reflection is practiced in teacher education programs, but pre-service teachers should also learn reflection-in-action, reflection in the moment of an action, for effective teaching in dynamic atmosphere of classrooms. This paper offers a set of literature-driven guidelines for future teachers' learning of culturally responsive teaching through critical reflection-in-action. The conceptual design guidelines presented in this paper focus on how digital scaffolds can be designed to promote pre-service teachers' reflection-in-action in their future diverse classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what characterizes individual teachers' reflections on proposals for change in situated teamwork sessions and discuss the potential for professional development that lies in teachers' reflections. The teamwork sessions take place in the context of school-based professional development. Stimulated recall interviews (SRI) with teachers commenting on video recordings from their participation in teamwork form the empirical basis for the research. The sample consists of 17 teachers representing four teacher teams from different schools. We identified three primary types of reflection on proposals of change – comment and describe, extend and exemplify, and critical exploration. In the last type of reflection, when teachers critically explore, reflect and problematize existing practices whilst watching critical incidents that contain proposals for change, we identified tensions arising. The tensions emerged between teachers' established practices grounded in national regulations (ex. national tests, exams, documentation) and their basic assumptions, values, and beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this conceptual paper, we present a professional practice-oriented Multidimensional Model of Reflective Practice (MMRP) and a Critical Incident Reflection (CIR) protocol as worthwhile tools for supporting teacher candidates (TCs) to become more self-directed, multi-faceted, and holistic in their reflective practice. The model presents reflection as a complex endeavor situated in a dynamic milieu. It emphasizes the complementary nature of professional competencies of knowledge, skills, and disposition, and the interrogation of an incident through technical, contextual, and critical reflection as well as reflection-in, -on, and -for-action. The CIR protocol provides scaffolding support for TCs as they move toward becoming independent reflective practitioners. Together, the MMRP and CIR protocol facilitate multidimensional reflection. We present a case for providing a more deliberate support for reflection. In doing this, we define reflection, highlight its common frameworks, and discuss the significance of intentional and systematic reflection on professional competencies. In the conclusion, we bring these ideas together to discuss the implications for a self-directed and agentic approach to reflection and professional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The English Language Teacher's ability to examine his/her own practices and beliefs is always an area of language-teaching research worth exploring because the findings have an impact on classroom practice. However, while research on teaching the macro-skills is a rich area in the discipline, teacher beliefs in this aspect remain underexplored especially in developing countries such as the Philippines. This paper examines beliefs of teacher effectiveness in implementing lessons in the macro-skills among ESL teachers in the Philippines. Using data from reflective logs and interviews of 16 teachers of English in the Philippines, data reveal that the main beliefs among teachers center on learner centeredness, instructional skills in teaching the macro-skills and professional development. This paper argues that among the macro-skills, writing and speaking pose challenges in lesson implementation. In addition, the findings suggest that beliefs in effective teaching of the macro-skills are related to learner centeredness, instructional effectiveness and culture contribute to a nuanced account of teacher belief research in English language teaching in the Philippine context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The established link between quality early childhood programs and positive child trajectories has led to the professionalization of the early childhood workforce in Australia. Attention has concentrated on the upgrading of qualifications and opportunities for professional learning. This paper focuses on exploring teacher professional learning, positioning it as a reflective practice. It considers teacher dispositions, moments of disjuncture and how these influence teacher learning. Theoretically, the paper is informed by Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and reflexivity; Mezirow's theory of transformative learning; and Boler and Zembylas's notion of pedagogy of discomfort. The data are drawn from a statewide mentoring project for newly graduated early childhood teachers in Victoria, Australia. The findings suggest that for teacher professional learning to be transformative, the process must be informed by a pedagogy of discomfort thereby considering the interplay of teachers' professional dispositions, experiences of disjuncture, and acts of deliberation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous study, we introduced principles of micro- and macro-reflective cycles as they relate to work-based learning and research. Micro-reflective cycles are common in the literature as these relate to critical reflection practiced by individuals in a variety of well-chronicled domains, including education, nursing, and business. Macro-reflective cycles, we posited, are less common and relate to reflective practice applied at the project, program, or research initiative level. We specifically showed how these cycles can occur within a work-based learning higher degree by research program, and we highlighted the interfaces between reflective cycles showing their centrality to work-based research, particularly when applied as part of a mixed methods design. In this paper, we explore two advanced practice contexts for micro- and macro-reflection made explicit through work-based learning reflection, one related to executive coaching in Singapore and Australia, and the other related to non-government community development in Cambodia, India, and Sri Lanka. We show how the researchers have reflected on these contexts by employing micro- and macro-reflection to explore work-based situations leading individuals, agencies, and companies to higher levels of performance and learning, and we discuss the research which supports each context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-reflection has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on the academic growth of educators. Teachers that actively engage in self-reflection are more likely to exhibit an increased interest in the development of innovative teaching strategies, learning, and collaborative practices. This paper highlights the experiences and self-reflection of two teachers of diversity-centered courses, at very different points in their careers: one a veteran Professor of more than 20 years and one an Assistant Professor of less than 5 years. Utilizing both formal and informal feedback from students, both professors reflect on their experiences teaching diversity-centered courses. Recommendations and implications for new and established professionals and the broader community of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentorship programs are implemented within academia to build staff capacity and to enhance the human capital of the organization. Previous studies have centred on identifying the benefits of mentoring from the perspective of the mentee, while the role of the mentor has been overlooked, and limited research has been conducted to investigate the perspectives and experiences of both the mentor and mentee. This article reports on a mentor and mentee's catalyst for joining a formal mentoring program within their university, their expectations, needs and priorities, and how the mentoring relationship was sustained. A reflective case study and autoethnographic approach was used to undertake this study. The results revealed that both the mentor and mentee had vastly different catalysts for joining the mentoring program, shared expectations and priorities regarding career progression, and sustained the relationship due to both subjective outcomes such as enhanced self-belief and objective outcomes including increased publication outputs. This paper invites academics to consider their perspectives on mentoring and to recognise the value of engaging in a university facilitated mentoring program for both the mentor and the mentee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the nature of reflective writing through the experience of the researchers in running a series of writing workshops with a group of higher education practitioners working in a UK further education college. The focus here is on reflective writing, which was chosen to start the sequence of workshops, as it was perceived as a form of writing with which the participants would be familiar, given its role in the education and development of teachers within the sector. Our assumption was that this familiarity would facilitate the writing process and participants would readily respond by engaging in reflective writing. However, in practice this proved not to be the case, despite being introduced to a variety of different forms of writing over a series of workshops, it took the participants longer than we expected to begin to write. This led us to question our assumptions about the starting point for the writing workshops and what they might achieve. The paper draws on field notes made during the writing initiative and data gathered through focus groups and interviews with the participants, as well as extracts of their writing to examine their experiences. Different conceptualisations of reflective writing are identified and their implications are explored in relation to the participants’ engagement with writing and their experience of professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using reflection to merely affirm existing beliefs rather than engaging in confrontation and examination of beliefs is like reflecting in a hall of mirrors. This study explores the process of critical reflective development of practicing teachers through program reflections written to prompts during master's-level coursework, seeking to understand: How does critical reflective capacity develop and change in practicing teachers enrolled in advanced coursework in an M.Ed. program? Researchers used a three-level reflective practice pyramid as a frame for examining teachers' reflective writings. Specifically, 103 reflections from 26 PK-12 teachers were available for analysis. Where finding a clear trajectory in teacher's reflective development was an anticipated outcome in which teachers would progress from the technical to contextual to dialectical levels of reflection, findings did not indicate such linear development for most teachers. As faculty analyzed the data, they engaged in critical reflection, also questioning purposes and program outcomes. This paper reports on both our study's findings in response to the research question and on the results of faculty reflective engagement. Results reinforce the understanding that reflection is an individual journey for teachers and faculty alike; results also highlight the importance for engagement in critical reflection for both teachers and teacher educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role and importance of reflective practice have been thoroughly documented and its benefits are well established. When coupled with research in a higher education context, a similar importance for reflection can be extended to professional development, leadership, and work-based learning. However, the relation of reflective practice to work-based research, specifically when defined as an element of methodology in higher degree research awards, has yet to be fully examined. In this paper, we explore the basic principles of reflective practice as they relate to work-based learning and highlight the interfaces or 'bridges' between reflective cycles, showing their centrality to work-based research. As an example of how these principles might be applied, we also introduce the role of each micro- and macro-reflective cycle in the Professional Studies program at University of Southern Queensland, a relatively new academic approach which utilises both work-based learning and work-based research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following my progression and development from an undergraduate sports science student to my present position as a lecturer in Coaching and Performance, I sought to reflect upon this journey and how each significant stage of my development has either challenged, developed, or influenced my career. In attempting to articulate and disseminate such information I have utilised reflective accounts that were recorded throughout this time. Consequently, the current paper seeks to present a reflective account of key stages within my own career and development, from the initial stages of a newly graduated sports science intern, into a novice practitioner undertaking a PhD before finally attaining a full-time position in academia. I hope that these insights into my own personal and professional development may help anyone seeking employment or working in the sports science industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With international and national policies requiring teachers to adopt inclusive practices worldwide, this paper examines the impact of transformational learning in a critical service-learning program on final-year pre-service teachers’ approaches to inclusive teaching. Data from emailed questionnaires and focus group interviews are analysed through a social, critical framework. The results indicate that the critical service-learning program provided the students with an opportunity to consider diversity and inclusion in selecting teaching strategies, and to enact values suitable to inclusive practices and appreciation of diversity in schools. In this paper we argue that transformative learning experiences about inclusivity and diversity are needed if pre-service teachers are to be challenged to adopt inclusive values and practice in schools. A critical service-learning program for pre-service teachers provides a solid foundation on which to develop or build on the ability to think and teach inclusively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Given today’s educational context, educators are rarely viewed as knowledgeable decision makers, especially in rural contexts where there are few resources for professional development. However, action research has long been characterized as a way to engage in reflective practice while providing a forum for educators to share their knowledge of effective, research-based instruction. Therefore, this paper seeks to explore the ways in which eight rural educators understand their roles and knowledge gained from conducting year-long action research projects. Findings demonstrate that participants reported a shift in their roles as educators, an increased understanding of the benefit of incorporating a researcher lens, and an enhanced sense of responsibility for meeting the unique needs of their students and rural communities. In particular, the paper highlights the need in today’s educational climate for teachers to engage in reflection, which can be supported through action research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper features an autoethnographic approach in presenting and reflecting upon the story of one higher education student’s rapid vocational and academic transformation. Initially an inconspicuous undergraduate student, Andrew experienced an accelerated development that catapulted him to working in elite sport performance analysis (PA) environments, within a year. PA is a sub-discipline of sports coaching that involves using the latest technological advances to influence sporting performance, through the objective analysis of performance data. This autoethnographic piece is partly Andrew’s personal reflection upon that journey towards his newfound profession, which initially grew out of his experience of a generic sports degree at a university. Through stepping out of his comfort zone, and analysing sports previously unknown to him, extraordinary progress was made, and various vocational and academic opportunities arose. The initial catalyst for this developmental journey was facilitated by coaching lecturer David, who reflects upon how Andrew’s story links to his own educational philosophies. Andrew and David explore what these stories might mean to them personally, including potential links to the metaphor of learning as becoming, and notions around the concepts of learner agency, and educational facilitation. The paper ends by exploring the theoretical frameworks that guided this paper’s structure and focus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For a few decades, reflective practice has been employed in second language teacher education (SLTE) as ‘a means by which practitioners can develop a greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth and development’. Dewey, who initiated the concept of reflective thinking in teacher education, emphasized one’s attitudes toward engagement in reflective process. One such disposition is open-mindedness, ‘a willingness to entertain different perspectives… and acknowledgement of the limitations of one’s own perspectives’. Regarding this concept of open-mindedness, Gadamer, who established philosophical hermeneutics, provided profound insights by using the German word Bildung, which is often translated as education, culture, or self-cultivation. Through this concept, Gadamer emphasized not only one’s open and introspective disposition toward new experience but also one’s mode of being. This paper explores this notion of Bildung and examines its possible practical application to SLTE in combination with reflective practice. Referring to Grondin’s notion that education is to raise true questions, I will argue for the importance of nurturing Bildung of preservice second language teachers and of second language teacher educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a form of self-directed learning that has been employed for over 30 years within a variety of disciplines and professional training programmes. This paper focuses on the acquisition of skills and knowledge gained through experiential learning components of the academic programme, namely Problem-Based Learning, of a Clinical Psychology training programme. This paper explores the learning experiences of a PBL group on this programme, reflecting on the impact of an experience early on in their group formation (presenting a personal in-vivo version of their PBL experience and subsequent negative evaluation). These narratives were written after their 3rd PBL exercise (the latter two were formally evaluated). This paper then goes on to consider how they then managed PBL including factors that may have helped or hindered their ability to learn and work together effectively. We conclude with what we may learn for the benefit of other learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the UK, Clinical Psychologists (CPs) work in a variety of settings within the National Health Service (NHS), often within Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs). Problem-Based Learning (PBL) within CP training at the University of Hertfordshire (UH) offers unique opportunities to combine scientist-practitioner and reflective-practitioner models to learn about group dynamics from the personal experience of working within an experiential learning group. Further, given Trainees work three days per week on placement within MDTs in the NHS, the learning gained within a ‘safer’ PBL context can be utilised within these clinical settings. For two years, Trainees at UH have to work in small PBL groups with five or six members learning to work together to achieve a goal (four assessed presentations) negotiating their own personal and professional journey, as well as a group journey. Consequently, PBL offers trainees opportunities to learn (1) how individuals work within a group; (2) how personal experiences influence this process; (3) how others influence them and are influenced by them; and (4) how a group of diverse individuals conceptualise, understand and convey case vignettes to an audience. Within these groups, many Trainees learn to speak out, reflect, listen attentively, empathise, validate and accept diverse experiences. Further, when differences dominate they often learn to negotiate these, finding a way to maintain effective team working in order to complete the presentation. Focusing on the conflict that can occur within (any) group, this paper explores themes from the reflective narratives of six trainees: parallels and differences between MDTs and PBL groups, striving for and achieving authenticity; and conflict as a ‘swear’ word. We conclude that exploring the role PBL can play in training individuals to work effectively in teams may be of benefit within the training of other professional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the concept of reflection and its changing role in the journey of the student teacher. It presents part of the findings of a year-long investigation into the reflective practice of student teachers during their training year. Specifically, it investigates the reflections of the student teachers’ lessons during the PGCE (Post/Professional Graduate Certificate of Education) year at a higher education institution (HEI) in England. The strengths and weaknesses of the student teachers’ lessons are analysed and how these reflections change as they reach Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) status. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the use of critical reflection in reviewing my professional development in a West of Scotland university. The paper explores my development against the changing socio-political, cultural and educational landscapes in the Scottish HE sector. The first part addresses my development as a professional educator, citing seminal experiences that have been influential in my thinking and practice. It examines how social interaction, engagement with peers, the HEA subject centre and students helped form and reform my professional identity, allowing me to develop a robust sense of professional autonomy. The second part explains how the process of critical reflection has led to a deeper understanding of how I reconnect with the moral dimension of professional academic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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 explores the impact for teachers’ identity of undertaking professional development designed to enhance provision for children identified as having dyslexia, in line with the recommendations made by the UK Government. In the paper the concept of ‘participation in communities of practice’ is taken as a departure point for investigating how reflective practice can inform professional identity. The data reported upon were gathered through focus groups and narrative life history interviews conducted with teachers on a Specialist Dyslexia Training for Teachers Programme. The paper identifies and investigates the ways in which teachers who work with dyslexic pupils view themselves as different from other teachers, as having distinct attributes and different motivations for pursuing their chosen career paths. These findings are reviewed, and it is argued that reflection can enable teachers to become better learners, develop their practice and feel integrated into a specific community of practice. However, tensions that arise from perceptions that these teachers have a distinct positioning in the school community are also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper considers the cultural politics of working with elite athletes with a disability. The focus of the paper is a coach who has dedicated his career to performance athletes with a disability – Robert Ellchuk – and draws on the coach’s personal experiences and ethnographic work with four different coach-Paralympic athlete dyads. These data are (re)presented in the form of a reflexive conversation supplemented with post-conversation reflections. Important questions are raised about the structure of ‘coach education’, the role of a coach, hierarchies within disabled sport, the impact of commodification on the disabled body and the (perceived) barriers to physical activity for disabled participants. The article concludes with an invitation to readers to make their own meaning of this polysemic narrative, especially at a time when specific representations of ‘acceptable’ disabled bodies will be circulated in, and through, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the manifestations of reflection in the Finnish day-care staff of 21 day-care centres, using data collected during a development process of 18 months. The level of reflective work was investigated with surveys and interviews. The results show that interviews provide a better possibility of examining reflection. The survey data collected by means of a paper questionnaire were limited to brief and superficial replies, the reasoning behind which was often difficult to discern. The results also show that most day-care employees were on the two lowest levels. The descriptions given in interviews were mostly located on the second and third levels of reflection, but the fourth level, showing critical reflection, was also reached during the interviews. The survey responses, on the other hand, were mostly located on the two lowest levels; in practice, the fourth level was hardly reached at all. Our research shows that the professional behaviour of day-care staff can be modelled and supervised using reflective practices theory. The approach offers a challenging and dynamic method of developing new practices together with others, but in a way that also allows an individual approach to one's work. Reflection skills are adopted gradually, and people reach various levels of individual reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an enquiry into how practitioners working in healthcare environments bring mindfulness, a particular type of practice of reflection, into their professional and personal lives. Nine participants engaged in group discussion, Haiku poetry writing and the recording of personal audio diaries. Thematic analysis of the diaries indicates a transcending theme that being in the here and now can highlight discomfort, pain and uncertainty. Within this, sub-themes illustrate that mindfulness can act as a support to personal and professional development, to the content and process of clinical work and as a means to support dealing with work-related stress. A final theme illustrates participants' experiences of using the research process to facilitate their ongoing reflective practice. The paper concludes with a note on what has been identified as 'mindfulness-based reflective practice': a practice that can bring vitality and fluidity to critical reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the findings of research carried out with two cohorts of science teachers engaged in professional development by investigating how these teachers perceived any changes they experienced. In particular we engaged with the work of Foucault on power/knowledge to cast a critical lens over the qualitative data collected in order to explore how the teachers came to know themselves as specific types of professional subjects: namely as physics or chemistry teachers. This paper details how teachers perceive shifts in their professional self-identities by attending to three key themes: (1) subject knowledge and competence; (2) peer support; and (3) the reflective practitioner. In the conclusion we suggest that if individuals come to identify themselves as subject specialists they become integrated in particular communities of practice. This integration can enhance teachers' subject knowledge and pedagogic practice, but also impact upon job-satisfaction, which in turn can increase science teacher retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the concept of reflective practice and its role in the professionalisation of student teachers. There is an examination of the requirements to become a qualified teacher and how these requirements have determined practice. After looking at the recent evolution of state requirements for initial teacher education, in England, it investigates the place of reflective practice within that process and to what extent reflective practice is still needed to become a teacher. It presents the different interpretations of reflective practice and the role of professionalism in the journey to qualified teaching status (QTS). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper seeks to expose the definition of reflective practice from its seminal roots through the lens of a critical review underpinned by epistemological perspectives of the Vygotsky Principle, Temporality and Socio-Cultural Theory. The discussion includes the framing of reflective practice and the models that have been developed from discourse over time, concluding that reflective practice is a personal interpretation driven by the individual’s choice of reflective practice model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using an autoethnographic approach, this paper reviews and examines how I went through my professional development journey to develop as a curriculum planner and manager by engaging in critical reflective practices to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the era of Curriculum Reform in Hong Kong. A series of carefully selected critical incidents relating to school-based curriculum development were examined to witness how I approached a brand new primary Social Studies area of study and developed it as a distinct multi-disciplinary school-based curriculum. The curriculum documents, learning and teaching materials, students’ work, personal reflective writings as well as personal communications with parents and students were collected for thematic analyses. By reflecting on the critical curriculum development and implementation incidents, a school-based curriculum development model evolved. This helps shed light on how school practitioners, irrespective of their positions or teaching experiences, to engage fruitfully and continually in the professional development process to develop as an effective curriculum developer and manager in schools. The experiences also inform teacher educators as well as school practitioners the salient characteristics and needs for a teacher to grow up as a reflective practitioner. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reflection on practice continues to gain increasing support, if not a requirement, within vocational and professional fields. As a method of instruction, it can be used to develop increased awareness of individual performance and support lifelong learning. However, whereas research generally focuses on how individuals become proficient practitioners through reflection, it is less concerned, if at all, with how individuals learn to become proficient as practitioners of reflection. This paper turns to an example from aviation to describe a modification of practice that makes reflection an integral part of practice. In our partner airline, all pilots not only engage in reflection on practice for improving practice but also in activities that improve the practice of their reflections. Training pilots to assess video recorded sessions of other pilots – via benchmark training – is viewed as an important step in improving pilots’ ability to review their own performance during their biannual performance assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Teacher educators demonstrate scholarship and contribute to professional development when they reveal to their student teachers how to live with uncertainty. The focus of this paper is a self-study where the aims were to contribute to my own professional development as a teacher educator and to understandifand eventuallywhatstudent teachers could learn from reading my plans and reflections published online through my open journal. The self-study project lasted for 18 months and was carried out in close collaboration with a critical friend. Data collection is based on transcripts from mentor meetings, my personal and open journals, my critical friend’s observations and interviews with student teachers. Through the study I learned that access to my open journal made the student teachers understand more of the complexity of teaching, the possibilities for framing and reframing teaching and the importance of reflection. Different possibilities for getting access to teacher educators’ uncertainty are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The art of holding complexity is the ability to face conflict and other life challenges through collaboration, self-awareness and flexibility rather than through control and coercion. Holding complexity is a key theme identified in a research project exploring educator identity and development in practice in a system of alternative or ‘flexi schools’ in Queensland, Australia. Flexi schools support young people to create positive education pathways after experiences of failure and/or exclusion from conventional schooling. This paper explores the concept of holding complexity and how educators develop this capacity in their work. Design experiment methodology was used to explore how ways of working and professional learning in flexi schools influenced educator identity and development and how induction needs of new staff could be addressed. Educators enfranchising young people in flexi schools face challenges that require different ways of working that are young person-focused; that shift power dynamics and require adults to adopt a position of co-learner and facilitator. Holding complexity enables educators to support young people who face multiple issues that impinge on their ability to engage in conventional schooling. Induction and professional learning programs emphasising the art of holding complexity assist flexi school educators in their work with young people. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In giving voice to the experiences of leading educational change in a primary school, this paper frames a story of a change initiative told from multiple perspectives, those of Emma as a school leader and of Alma and Catherine as outsider facilitators. As well as highlighting Emma’s story alongside that of her university colleagues, the situated narrative uses a recognised theoretical framework for effective school improvement to examine key elements. The shared narrative unfolds over three years, deepening our understanding of crucial elements associated with educational change. It confirms the importance of multi-layered interactive approaches and of affective components in change initiatives. This portrait demonstrates that entertaining multiple perspectives and supporting distributed leadership can provide core components of educational change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When coaches watch our athletes in the Olympic Games competing as the best in the world, we fill with pride in what we have nurtured and produced as a nation. However, often less visible, yet no less integral to this success is the Olympic coach. While defining what it means to be an effective coach is quite difficult and controversial, most would agree that to have reached Olympic coaching level is to have reached the pinnacle or ultimate level of your sport. What sets these coaches apart enabling them to be the best in the world, emerging to become leaders in their chosen field? This paper fills a gap in the current literature by identifying the most significant factors eight Olympic coaches attribute to their own success and fulfilment of goals. Analysis revealed that having a passion and commitment to wanting to succeed, past experience as an athlete, learning from other coaches/mentors, focusing on the needs of the athlete and a need to contribute were the key factors identified as helping them reach their dream of becoming an Olympic coach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper shares the results of a research study with home visitors on the implementation of a statewide training in a type of reflective practice in the north-eastern United States. Home visitors (n = 112) participated in a training and follow up study of the Touchpoints Approach. All home visiting programs in Maine participated in this research, which used survey methods at multiple points in time. The primary research questions examined the effect of training in and application of the Touchpoints Approach on home visitor job satisfaction, competence, and knowledge change. Data were collected immediately after the training and after six months of reflective practice with Touchpoints. Increases in confidence levels and knowledge related to Touchpoints and reflective practice were found. High levels of job satisfaction were present prior to training, and no significant changes in job satisfaction were found. Home visitors increased their ability to critically evaluate their own practice, and qualitative responses revealed increased listening and communication skills. The findings support the continuation of the Touchpoints Approach with home visitors. This study provides insight into a practice approach with children and families that provides a foundation for systems change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Prison officers, gardaí and social care practitioners who work at the frontline in such demanding jobs require specific training with special emphasis placed on their development. Many changes affecting these professionals have occurred in Irish society over the past decade. This article explores some of these changes and how they are impacting on the professionals. While the author works from a theoretical reflective base as a social care practitioner, she opines that there is a lack of education and training for professionals working with vulnerable people in Ireland. This paper makes some recommendations for reflective practice changes in training and development for the aforementioned professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

This article argues that interviewing is a process in which interviewees can reflect on critical decisions about their academic careers. Reflective practice is a course of action where a person ponders significant incidents in her or his life. In so doing, she or he can make critical decisions about her or his own well-being. Drawing on our experiences collecting qualitative data for ADVANCE Purdue, an NSF-funded project to increase the number and success of women faculty in STEM academic disciplines, we illustrate how interviews triggered our interviewees to think differently about accessing or interpreting promotion and tenure policies of the university. Hence, we argue that interviews can be considered as a form of reflective practice where interviewees decide to take alternative actions to enhance their well-being. In this paper, we ask: (a) How do interviews trigger new realizations among interviewees?; and (b) How do interviews act as agents of potential social change? Data are derived from semi-structured interviews with faculty members from science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture disciplines at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. We interpret the data qualitatively in the context of reflective practice. [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]

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]

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]

This paper is a response to Ghaye's (2010) invitation to consider how reflection might contribute to human flourishing. It reports on a four-year action research project that investigated the use of a professional practice portfolio in a postgraduate professional development programme, preparing special education resource teachers to undertake a paradigmatically different role to support the inclusion of students with moderate special needs. The portfolio was a prompt for reflection and reflective practice that enhanced the professionalism of the special education teachers through improved practice, development of a theory of practice, and increased clarity and confidence in their role. It is argued that reflection of professionals should be judged by the outcome for them and their clients and that a well-designed professional practice portfolio can be the prompt necessary for a process of reflection that has positive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine student teachers' opinions of changes to reflective practice requirements during a five-week teaching practice placement as part of a one-year postgraduate initial teacher education programme. The results highlighted that prior to the changes, students saw little relevance in the reflective writing requirements while on teaching placement. Students saw the new requirements as more beneficial as they provided them with more time to reflect and greater opportunities to explore issues relevant to their professional development. Teacher educators need to consider carefully the reflective practice requirements of professional placements in order to ensure that they foster critical reflection and that students do not see them as mandatory paper exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]