Abstract
There is increasing evidence to show that teachers' epistemic cognition is related to how they conceive of and engage in teaching; therefore it is important that teachers develop adaptive epistemic cognition. This article provides an overview of the different ways of theorizing and investigating changes in epistemic cognition for teaching and learning. A growing body of research shows that explicit reflection on epistemic cognition may be a useful way to promote change. Drawing on the work of Lunn Brownlee and Schraw and the Advanced Study Colloquium group described in the introduction to this special issue, we extend the concept of explicit reflection to encompass reflexive thinking. Reflexivity involves critical thinking that evaluates multiple perspectives in context and leads to specific action in the classroom. The 3R-EC Framework (Reflection, Reflexivity and Resolved Action for Epistemic Cognition) for theorizing change in epistemic cognition is described and exemplified in the contexts of classroom practice and teachers' professional learning.
Highlights
A new conceptual framework for epistemic reflexivity Abstract There is increasing evidence to show that teachers’ epistemic cognition is related to how they conceive of and engage in teaching; it is important that teachers develop adaptive epistemic cognition
Drawing on the work of Lunn Brownlee and Schraw and the Advanced Study Colloquium (Cyprus ASC, 2015) group described in the introduction to this Special Issue, we extend the concept of explicit reflection to encompass reflexive thinking
Changing teachers’ epistemic cognition Given the connections between teachers’ epistemic cognition, the strategies they employ in the classroom (Buehl & Fives, 2009; Lunn Brownlee et al, 2011) and their expectations for students (Buehl & Fives, 2009), we argue that it is important to find ways to develop epistemic cognition in the context of teaching and teacher education programs
Summary
Reflection has been noted as a key way to change epistemic cognition but we have argued in this article that this needs to be extended to take account of epistemic reflexivity. The framework’s focus on action-oriented reflexivity for teachers to interrogate and potentially change their epistemic cognition for teaching practice is very useful for teaching contested forms of knowledge, or complex concepts that rely on interactions between subject and object for meaning to emerge An example of the latter would be consideration of government policy concerning asylum seekers, which deals with emotive (subjective) issues within objective structures of human rights, border protection, child protection, the law and so on. We posit that changes in epistemic cognition may take place through reflexivity, not just reflection about teaching practice Such reflexivity demands internal dialogues that evaluate a range of approaches to teaching, with explicit consideration of how they constitute reliable processes for achieving epistemic aims. Our framework rests on a host of existing educational and philosophical literature on epistemic cognition, yet its strength can only be tested through further empirical work such as longitudinal classroom interventions and formal evaluations of teaching and learning
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