Using Learner Journals in Teacher Education in the Arts

Abstract

One approach to providing a vehicle for reflection is through a learner journal, which is an accumulation of material that is largely based on the writer’s processes of reflection (Moon, 1999a). Journals are used in professional education and development in different disciplines for various reasons, for example, to capture thinking, connect knowledge and ideas, and stimulate creativity. Whilst their use in education is generally accepted as an acknowledged learning tool it is also recognised that reflection is intellectually challenging. A feature of initial teacher training (ITT) in England over recent years has been the appearance of the terms ‘critical reflection and ‘the reflective practitioner’. They are frequently used to describe approaches to training that are designed to foster student teachers’ metacognition and help them to reflect on their learning (Schon, 1983, 1987; Hatton and Smith, 1995). Pre-service teachers need to learn to reflect on their learning experiences. They need to identify areas of strength which they can build upon; to monitor their progress over time and set realistic targets for their professional development; to analyse their experience and place it in a wider context related to the theory of teaching and learning; and to develop awareness and understanding of how their personal and professional development leads to an individual philosophy of teaching. However, although a variety of approaches have been used as strategies to develop reflection in pre-service teachers not all appear to be appropriate for stimulating reflection, and there is little research evidence to show how effective they are (Hatton and Smith, 1995). Drawing on personal experience and insights drawn from a small-scale research project, this chapter introduces a tool for facilitating reflective processes. The context in which this tool is developed involves trainee dance teachers. Questions arising include: What have they learned from the experience? Is a reflective journal a useful or valuable means of achieving the teaching Standards?1 Is the ability to engage in reflection during training, something that may usefully be extended into future professional practice? What are the factors that may help trainees to reflect in order to learn, or learn as a result of reflection? How might teacher educators encourage