Is reflective writing an enigma? Can preparing evidence for an electronic portfolio develop skills for reflective practice?

Documenting reflective practice would be easier if practitioners were in agreement about the meaning of reflection for practice. Even though evidence exists to support the links between reflection, professional learning and reflective practice, agreement about how to effectively facilitate the reflective process for deeper levels of reflection is not yet established. The reflective writing of postgraduate teacher education students was scaffolded using a Three-Step Reflective Framework. Written reflections were prepared for an electronic design portfolio and assessed by the subject lecturer. All participants demonstrated three levels of reflection in their writing, namely, Descriptive, Explanatory and Supported. There was a degree of critical reflection although this was not directly scaffolded by the framework. All participants found the Reflective Framework useful for assisting them to write reflectively, and the majority intended to carry on using it to assist in constructing a professional portfolio.

[1]  Narelle Lemon.  Take a photograph: teacher reflection through narrative , 2007 .

[2]  Maggie Stephenson,et al.  Developing reflective practice in student teachers: collaboration and critical partnerships , 2005 .

[3]  Jennifer A. Moon.  A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: Theory and Practice , 2004 .

[4]  J. M. Simmons,et al.  Reflective Pedagogical Thinking: How Can We Promote It and Measure It? , 1990 .

[5]  Mark A Minott.  Valli's Typology Of Reflection And The Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers' Reflective Journals , 2008 .

[6]  Suzanne Schwarz McCotter,et al.  Reflection as a Visible Outcome for Preservice Teachers. , 2004 .

[7]  M. Manen.  Linking Ways of Knowing with Ways of Being Practical , 1977 .

[8]  Carol R. Rodgers,et al.  Seeing Student Learning: Teacher Change and the Role of Reflection. Voices inside Schools. , 2002 .

[9]  Kitty Kwakman,et al.  Factors affecting teachers' participation in professional learning activities , 2003 .

[10]  R. Tremmel.  Zen and the Art of Reflective Practice in Teacher Education , 1993 .

[11]  Fiona Gardner,et al.  Practising critical reflection: a resource handbook , 2007 .

[12]  Joan Pedro,et al.  Reflection in teacher education: exploring pre‐service teachers’ meanings of reflective practice , 2005 .

[13]  Kate Morss,et al.  Guided reflection: A framework to facilitate and assess reflective practice within the discipline of physiotherapy , 2000 .

[14]  K. Fisher.  Demystifying Critical Reflection: Defining criteria for assessment , 2003 .

[15]  D. Boud,et al.  Writing and Reflection , 2013 .

[16]  David Boud,et al.  Making the most of experience , 1990 .

[17]  J. Livingston,et al.  Metacognition: An Overview. , 2003 .

[18]  Barbara Illsley,et al.  Using ePortfolios to Enhance Reflective Learning and Development , 2006 .

[19]  Barbara B. Levin,et al.  Reflection as the Foundation for E-Portfolios , 2002 .

[20]  Fred A. J. Korthagen,et al.  Reflective Teaching and Preservice Teacher Education in the Netherlands , 1985 .

[21]  D. Schoen.  Educating the reflective practitioner , 1987 .

[22]  Mary Samuels,et al.  Crossing the threshold from description to deconstruction and reconstruction: using self‐assessment to deepen reflection , 2007 .

[23]  D. Boud,et al.  Reflection, turning experience into learning , 1985 .

[24]  Ronald M Epstein,et al.  Preventing Errors in Clinical Practice: A Call for Self-Awareness , 2004, The Annals of Family Medicine.

[25]  J. Dewey,et al.  How We Think , 2009 .

[26]  Donald A. Sch.  The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action , 1983 .

[27]  D. Schoen,et al.  The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action , 1985 .

[28]  Linda R. Valli.  Listening to Other Voices: A Description of Teacher Reflection in the United States , 1997 .

[29]  Fred A. J. Korthagen,et al.  Levels in reflection: core reflection as a means to enhance professional growth , 2005 .

[30]  Nooreiny Maarof.  Telling his or her story through reflective journals , 2007 .

[31]  K Gray,et al.  The use of e-portfolios to enhance student learning: a Faculty-level strategy and experience , 2003 .

[32]  Jenny Moon,et al.  Getting the measure of reflection: considering matters of definition and depth , 2007, Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice.

[33]  Beverly Ray,et al.  Challenges of Electronic Portfolios: Student Perceptions and Experiences , 2002 .

[34]  R. Yin.  Case Study Research: Design and Methods , 1984 .

[35]  Carol R. Rodgers,et al.  Voices Inside Schools , 2002 .

[36]  Amanda C. Gingerich.  The Digital Teaching Portfolio Handbook: A How-To Guide for Educators , 2002 .

[37]  S. White,et al.  Critical reflection : a review of contemporary literature and understandings , 2006 .

[38]  Deborah Joy Corrigan,et al.  Teaching portfolios: A strategy for developing learning and teaching in preservice education , 1995 .

[39]  E. Boyd,et al.  Reflective Learning , 1983 .

[40]  The Reflective Framework for Teaching in Physical Education: A Pedagogical Tool , 2002 .

[41]  Nico Verloop,et al.  The Portfolio as a Tool for Stimulating Reflection by Student Teachers. , 2007 .

[42]  Thomas W. Bean,et al.  Scaffolding Reflection for Preservice and Inservice Teachers , 2002 .

[43]  D. Boud,et al.  Promoting Reflection in Learning: a Model , 2013 .

[44]  Lynn McAlpine,et al.  Reflection: issues related to improving professors' teaching and students' learning , 2000 .

[45]  N. Hatton,et al.  Reflection in teacher education: Towards definition and implementation , 1995 .

[46]  Jane Ann Falls,et al.  Using a Reflective Process to Implement Electronic Portfolios , 2001 .

[47]  Richard E. Morehouse,et al.  Beginning Qualitative Research: A Philosophical and Practical Guide , 1994 .