Collaborative Reflective Practice Research Articles

Teachers' experiences in sekolah penggerak program: a retrospective case study

The Sekolah Penggerak program is one of the Indonesian Government's efforts to realize the vision of Indonesian education, namely an advanced Indonesia that is sovereign, independent, and possesses the Pancasila personality. As the leading actors in education, teachers play an important role in implementing educational programs. This study was carried out to examine the experiences of teachers involved in the Sekolah Penggerak program regarding the impact of implementing the program. This study is qualitative with an exploratory case study design and a retrospective approach. The participants in this study were 15 mover teachers willing to participate, selected using a purposive sampling technique. To collect data, an open-ended questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews were used. The results of the study reveal that, in general, the Sekolah Penggerak program has a positive impact on teachers, namely helping them change mindsets to be more innovative in utilizing student-focused learning, and on students, namely increasing their motivation and critical skills. The experiences after participating in the Sekolah Penggerak program also direct teachers to be involved in collaborative reflective practice of program implementation to produce teachers who are more professional so that this program runs more effectively in the future.

A conceptual model to guide collaborative reflective practice and values-driven child welfare decision-making

Child welfare professionals make critical decisions at every stage of a family’s involvement with the child welfare system. Values, both explicit and implicit, play a meaningful role in complex decisions related to safety, foster care, well-being, and permanency. The promise of critical reflective practice and values-driven decision-making offers a stronger application of social work values which may in turn promote systems change efforts that endeavor to advance more equitable outcomes for children and families. This conceptual article discusses the role of social work values and principles in supporting decision-making efforts aimed at protecting children and reducing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disproportionalities in child and family outcomes. We present a three-point conceptual model and use the structured decision-making model as an example for how child welfare agencies can include values and collaborative reflective practice in decision-making within the child welfare system.

‘When we sat together, it just worked’: Supporting individual and collaborative reflective practice in a team of early childhood educators

Educator reflective practice is fundamental to quality early childhood education with robust practice benefitting pedagogy and improving outcomes for children. Yet, examination of individual and collaborative reflective practice in experienced professional early childhood teams is scarce. This qualitative case study used an action research design to examine this gap in the literature. Previous research informed the implementation of a Model of Reflective Practice Framework as an intervention incorporating a professional development session and ongoing written support of individual and team educator reflection. An established team of six educators in a regional Australian preschool setting provided data through pre- and post-intervention surveys, individual journal entries, and online collaborations. Manual and computer-assisted thematic analysis was enhanced with evaluation using a continuum of reflection and by examining reflection outcomes. Results indicate improvement in individual and team reflective practice, with additional professional and personal benefits.

Action research and collaborative reflective practice in English language teaching

ABSTRACT The purpose of this investigation was to explore how reflective practice (RP) could be implemented and systematized in diverse ELT Mexican contexts in order to foster continuous professional development. Hence, this collaborative action research was conducted over aperiod of 22 months with different English Language Teaching (ELT) practitioners; 24 Mexican teacher educators and two in-serviceEnglish language teachers from Longford, Ireland and Texas, USA who were living and working in Mexico. The data was collected by means of classroom observations, feedback sessions, individual interviews, and professional dialogues–informal meetings, self-reporting,and text messaging. Overall, the findings of this investigation showed that teachers, who had the openness to challenge inconsistencies, gaps and at times fears in their teaching stances, beliefs and therefore practices, also had the willingness to carry out reflective actions that were guided by critical inquiry, collaboration with the researcher and modelled practices by other colleagues; enabling teacher effective engagement in reflective procedures as well as in personal continuous professional development processes.

Enhancing teacher education through a lesson study application built with WordPress

A WordPress Lesson Study Application (LS APP) was developed for an English teacher education program at a Japanese national university for the following two purposes: (1) bridge the gap between teacher education classwork and school practice; and (2) enhance collaborative reflective practice between student-teachers. The first was accomplished through linking student-teachers’ teaching practicums with theory and techniques learned in their university English teaching methodologies class using the tagging function of the LS APP. The second was accomplished through enabling students to give each other feedback on their lessons during their practicum using the LS APP. This paper describes how WordPress content management functions and two plugins were utilized to accomplish the two objectives. Then, it describes the lesson study process facilitated by the application. Lastly, the authors describe the extent to which the LS APP has linked theory and practice as well as the type of peer feedback student-teachers perceive to have benefitted from. The goal of this paper is to describe how WordPress functionalities have been used to facilitate teacher development, and serve as a practical case study of using technology to enhance teacher education.

“Thriving through Reflecting”: Current Perspective on Teacher Professional Development Research in Asia Context

Reflective practice has long gained more spotlight from researchers in the education realm, particularly for promoting teachers’ professional development (TPD). Generally speaking, reflective practice provides abundant merit for teachers, namely, evaluating teachers’ teaching quality, enhancing teachers’ professional skills, and guiding teachers in their professional development. This study aims to present how reflective practice assists English teacher professional development in the Asian context. To discover how reflective practice promotes teacher professional development, the researchers analyzed several research journal articles using a document analysis method. The current contributions of reflective practice present the significance of reflective practice. It involves why and how English teachers should employ the reflective practice in their daily teaching processes. This study provides future research direction as well, specifically on how to equip teachers to become reflective practitioners in their teaching practices, how to provide a supportive environment for reflective practitioners, and how to enhance the implementation of reflective practice through online platforms.
 
 Keywords: reflection, reflective practice, reflective practitioner, collaborative reflective practice

Facilitating reflective practice: developing built environment educators’ capacity for teaching and learning

The international literature on higher education emphasises the importance for academics and professional staff to develop their disciplinary teaching and learning practice. Teaching staff in built environment degree programs tend to focus on ‘what’ subject content is taught and less on ‘how to’ improve and innovate teaching and learning contexts and students’ skills development. To investigate these trends, this research reviewed the higher education literature and relevant international studies on strategies to enhance quality teaching and student learning. Findings highlight that reflective practice and engaging in a personal teaching philosophy and teaching profile provide an important link for individual professional development and basis for improving teaching and learning. The objective of this study was to apply findings from the literature in facilitating professional learning workshops, with a pedagogy for collaborative reflective practice and the development of a teaching philosophy. This research reports on the first stage of professional development for staff in built environment programs to establish a teaching profile through reflection on their personal and discipline specific pedagogies. Initial findings highlight the positive impact of reflection and collegial conversations about learning and teaching, as well as future opportunities for individual and discipline based capacity building for improving educational practice.

How effective is collaborative reflective practice in enabling cognitive transformation in English language teachers?

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on an action research study conducted in 2015 with five in-service English language teachers from an ELT undergraduate programme of a university in the central part of Mexico over a period of 9 weeks by means of two video recorded classroom observations and different spaces for professional dialogue (a focus group, one on one feedback discussions and personal interviews). Overall, the study revealed that teachers have the ability to be critically reflective about their teaching given the appropriate conditions which Reflective Practice (RP) necessitates such as opportunity, time, and assistance from others, often lacking in everyday teaching scenarios, traditional evaluative classroom observations and conventional teacher education programmes. Hence, by challenging the ‘status quo’ of classroom observations in this context, the RP processes carried out helped teachers understand and reconstruct their teaching knowledge especially in terms of students’ responses to their instructional decisions and the impact this had on how their classes unfolded. It promoted an alternative way to fulfil the goal of teacher development, not through a ‘transmission’ model of education but through a process in which teachers learn and continue to develop their skill in dialogue within a professional community.

Lesson study: an inter-professional collaboration approach for Educational Psychologists to improve teaching and learning

This paper describes an innovative use of Lesson Study (LS), an internationally used collaborative approach in which teachers develop their teaching knowledge and practices. It aimed to evaluate how EPs join teachers in LS teams, using working memory and other knowledge to inform the teaching of pupils with learning difficulties. The study uses a case study methodology to evaluate LS teams (three teachers and EP) in a primary, secondary and special school. The findings show how working memory knowledge is used in reviewing and planning research lessons, how the teams interact, including the teachers’ perceived EP contribution to the Lesson Study process. The paper illustrates the potential of an inter-professional LS study to embody collaborative reflective practice in order to improve the teaching of pupils with learning difficulties.

Sacred and secret stories in professional knowledge landscapes: learner agency in teacher professional learning

Set in a schooling practitioner research context, this article critiques instrumental forms of teacher professional development. An account of teacher professional learning and development is provided, as an inter-relational construct, where teachers reflect on practice to inquire into their students’ learning and foster their own and others specific interests and talents in creative ways. In an Aotearoa/New Zealand context, teachers are mandated to inquire into what their students need to know and understand, the strategies required for teachers to attain these learning goals, and how effective the approach implemented is in enhancing student learning. Emerging from qualitative case study research, a teacher’s narrative account of a student-initiated critical thinking episode in a secondary science classroom is analysed to demonstrate sacred, secret and cover stories of professional knowledge landscapes. Findings highlight the importance of agentic teacher-enacted forms of practitioner inquiry that support critical and collaborative reflective practice.

Whose ‘Crisis in Language’? Translating and the Futurity of Foreign Language Learning

Author(s): Gramling, David J; Warner, Chantelle | Abstract: This contribution questions to whom and to whose learning experience has the idiom of crisis that so pervades the domain of U.S. foreign language teaching been addressed. The authors report on an advanced foreign language classroom-based study from 2013, in which undergraduate German learners translated a 14-page prose poem about translingual experience—“Das Klangtal” (“The Sound Valley”) by British-Austrian poet and translator Peter Waterhouse (2003). The course—located at a university in the American Southwest—created an opportunity for the students and the instructor to reflect on a constellation of relations—transdisciplinarity, translingualism, and transcontextuality—often perceived under the aegis of a “crisis” of the subject. Through an analysis of the students’ reflections as translators, readers, and languagers, the study considers the different orders of recognition by which the learners in this class positioned themselves as multilingual subjects. Based on this case study, the authors argue that transdisciplinary practices and translingual pedagogies such as translation can and should be integrated into L2 classrooms in order to create opportunities for collaborative reflective practice between teachers and learners, which would enable educators to step out of their own habitual ways of speaking about foreign language learning.

Black Lives Matter in TESOL: De-Silencing Race in a Second Language Academic Literacy Course

As racial tensions and reports of violence have become prominent in news and social media, U.S. society has been responding, struggling, and changing. This complex political and social situation can be particularly confusing for international students studying at U.S. universities. English language teachers are especially well positioned to create space for exploring this complexity and supporting learners' understanding of these events in light of their historical context. This report on the authors' collaborative reflective practice examines a second language academic literacy course through the lens of multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996). This approach acknowledges the multilingual, multicultural landscape of the United States and draws on multiple modalities and discourses in literacy education (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). The core course novel that is the focus of the current article, A Lesson Before Dying (Gaines, 1993), is the story of a young African American man during the Jim Crow era who is sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. These teachers noticed that students struggled to put race-related issues that are central to the text into meaningful historical and social context. The authors responded by situating the novel through inclusion of key supplementary materials on themes such as African American Vernacular English and Black masculinities. The pedagogy challenged racist master narratives that permeate American society, as reflected in both the course novel and current events, and constructed counternarratives. The resources described here are immediately relevant to English language classrooms in the United States at this important historical moment.

Reflective practice-oriented online discussions: A study on EFL teachers’ reflection-on, in and for-action

This qualitative case study examined in-service EFL teachers’ reflective practice oriented online discussions in a graduate course. The analysis of reflective discussions and individual interviews brought about two conclusions about the nature of reflective practice as an embedded and collaborative process. First, the results regarding participants’ simultaneous engagement in reflection in, on and for-action indicate that reflective practice is an embedded process benefiting from the interplay of these three reflection types working together to lead to positive outcomes. Second, teachers benefit more from collaborative reflective practice through online discussion platforms that provide them with an online community of practice.

Analysis of design and delivery of critical incident workshops for elementary school English as a foreign language teachers in community of practice

ABSTRACTLanguage teachers can uncover new understanding of the teaching and learning process through reflecting on critical incidents [Richard, J.C., and T.S.C. Farrell. 2005. Professional Development for Language Teachers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press]. Based on the data analysis of workshop handouts, observation notes, and interviews, this study analyses three critical incident workshops designed and delivered to 19 elementary school English teachers in Taiwan in terms of design, participants’ learning, strengths, and suggestions. The study has the following findings. First, the participants moved from knowing nothing about critical incidents or mazes to writing up, discussing, and analysing critical incidents in collaborative reflective practice. Most importantly, the workshop facilitator fostered a safe and trusting environment for participating teachers to discuss critical incidents freely and combat their isolation. Five elements are recommended to be integrated into the design and delivery of critical incident workshops.

Collaborative Reflection Under the Microscope: Using Conversation Analysis to Study the Transition From Case Presentation to Discussion in GP Residents' Experience Sharing Sessions

Phenomenon: In higher education, reflection sessions are often used when participants learn in the workplace. In the Netherlands, all General Practitioner training programs include regular meetings called Exchange of Experiences, in which General Practitioner trainees are expected to learn collaboratively from their own and one another's experiences. Despite this being common practice, we found little research into the structure and process of these sessions. The purpose of this study is to describe the structure and characteristics of group reflection by describing transitions in interactions. We aim to describe the tutor's role in some detail, as this could lead to faculty development. Approach: In medical education, reflection is often approached from a cognitive perspective. However, learning in a group is also an interactional achievement. It is therefore relevant to study the sequential nature of group interaction in collaborative reflective practice. We have used conversation analysis to study the reflection meetings, zooming in on the transition between case presentation and discussion, focusing on the role of each of the participants in these transitions. Findings: The transitions were conversationally complex. Three interactional aspects recurred in the meetings. First, the transitions can be characterized as ambiguous, as there is ambiguity about what will happen next and the floor is open. Second, transitions are an arena for negotiations between case presenter, participants, and tutors, in which knowledge and the right to take the floor (epistemics) play an important part. Third, the tutor can have different interactional roles, namely, that of teacher, expert, facilitator, and active participant. The role of the tutor is important as the tutor's interactional behavior is part of the hidden curriculum. Insights: Conversation analysis focuses on the interaction in group learning and shows how the interaction is part of what is learned and how learning takes place. Transitions are the “messy” moments in interaction yet can tell a lot about the way in which group participants relate to one another. Being conscious of how the floor is taken, the tutor's roles, and the way negotiations take place could help medical educators in the way they shape collaborative learning sessions.

Reflective practice and its relationship to mindfulness, situation/movement awareness and person-centredness during mobility care in nursing homes: a discussion paper

This paper highlights the relationship between reflective practice and staff mindfulness, situation and movement awareness, and person-centredness during mobility care in nursing homes. An overview of relevant decision-making theory is followed by discussion of the place of reflective practice in optimizing mobility care. Two contrasting case scenarios, derived from observations of mobility care during a previous qualitative study, are used to illustrate and contrast how mindfulness, situation awareness and reflection-in-action may enable person-centredness. Implications for training designed to improve person-centredness during mobility care are considered. Training in situation and movement awareness, combined with observations and collaborative reflective practice, may provide a format for coaches and peer leaders to develop mindfulness and person-centredness of care staff during mobility care.

Professional Conversations: A Collaborative Approach to Support Policy Implementation, Professional Learning and Practice Change in ECEC

IN 2012, AUSTRALIA INTRODUCED a new National Quality Framework (NQF), comprising enhanced quality expectations for early childhood education and care services, two national learning frameworks and a new assessment and rating system spanning childcare centres, kindergartens and preschools, family day care and outside school hours care. This is the linchpin in a series of education reforms designed to support increased access to higher quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) and successful transition to school. As with any policy change, success in real terms relies upon building shared understanding and the capacity of educators to apply new knowledge and to support change and improved practice within their service. With this in mind, a collaborative research project investigated the efficacy of a new approach to professional learning in ECEC: the professional conversation. This paper reports on the trial and evaluation of a series of professional conversations to support implementation of one element of the NQF, the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009), and their capacity to promote collaborative reflective practice, shared understanding, and improved practice in ECEC. Set against the backdrop of the NQF, this paper details the professional conversation approach, key challenges and critical success factors, and the learning outcomes for conversation participants. Findings support the efficacy of this approach to professional learning in ECEC, and its capacity to support policy reform and practice change in ECEC.

Creating more ‘elbow room’ for collaborative reflective practice in the competitive, performative culture of today's university

We live in ‘a world of clashing interests’ [Zinn, H. (1991). Declarations of independence: Cross-examining American ideology. Toronto: Harper Collins, p. xx]. In a grapple for survival, universities choose to spend less money and time on teaching and learning, less time on robust evaluation of student learning and concomitantly less active support for collaborative reflective practice. However, the situation is even more dire than that outlined above because university management seeks to portray its focus on teaching and learning as genuine and a priority. Considerable effort is spent on encouraging teachers to compete for teaching excellence awards at the same time as universities push academics harder and harder into ‘real research’, that is, research that is not about teaching and learning. This is further exacerbated by the use of teaching quality instruments which have been criticised as unreliable indicators of student learning. This paper argues that individual reflective practitioners collecting and collaborating together can advocate for teaching in the current higher education environment but the outreach of this advocacy is likely to be limited when the advocacy remains within ‘pockets of resistance’. To further promote change from within the institution and extend the breadth and depth of an individual's influence beyond the pockets of resistance, we suggest that individuals use collaborative reflective practice-based strategies aligned with each of the dimensions of the institution's ‘cultural web’. Collaborative reflective practice has the potential to advocate for teaching beyond small groups of enthusiasts because it taps into the often hidden but heart-felt passion and commitment to teaching held by many academics.

Reflecting on professional development

This paper describes how a cluster of nine secondary science teachers and lecturers from five schools and colleges in the United Kingdom designed and undertook small-scale action research projects as an approach to their own continuing professional development. The participating teachers identified a range of topics for investigation such as: student voice to inform curriculum planning; the use of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) to raise student engagement and motivation in mathematics and literacy; and assessment and learning in practical work. The participants brought their research into practice either as individuals, pairs or within a team. Central to each project was the use of reflection as a primary approach to enable the teachers to self-evaluate their professional practice and gain a greater understanding of the wider contexts of teaching and learning. The key aim of establishing a cluster was to foster collaborative reflective practice and encourage a teacher-led process. Reflective practice was developed through the use of several approaches including: reflective discussions, audio reflections, a paper-based learning and evaluation tool, and an online hub. Teachers were particularly encouraged to use the latter three tools in an attempt to stimulate and structure their reflections critically about what was taking place in a given situation during their designed interventions, to identify suitable options, and to make tacit the knowledge gained about their approaches to classroom-based research.

Mobile learning for teacher professional learning: benefits, obstacles and issues

This paper reflects on the role of mobile learning in teachers’ professional learning. It argues that effective professional learning requires reflection and collaboration and that mobile learning is ideally suited to allow reflection-inaction and to capture the spontaneity of learning moments. The paper also argues for the value of collaborations between teachers and students in professional learning. It suggests that authentic artefacts and anecdotes, captured through mobile technologies, can enable the sharing, analysis and synthesis of classroom experiences by teachers and students. Such analysis and synthesis helps to encourage collaborative reflective practice and is likely to improve teacher and student learning as a result. Ethical issues that might arise through using mobile technologies in this way are also discussed. Teacher voice is presented to indicate the range of views about mobile learning and to indicate current practices. Practical, school systemic, attitudinal and ethical factors may inhibit mobile technology adoption; these factors need to be researched and addressed to realise the potential of teacher mobile professional learning. Keywords: mobile learning; professional learning; teaching; education DOI: 10.1080/09687760903247641