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Institute of Education

Who stands for reflective teacher education?

John Oversby

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Overview• Who is a reflective teacher?

• Why does reflection matter?

• How do we signify a reflective teacher?

• Frontier science and textbook science

• Teaching standards and reflection

• DfE and reflection

• Learned scientific societies and reflection

• ASE and reflection

• ATSE and reflection

• A blueprint for action

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Who is a reflective teacher?

• Reflection: explicit evaluation and action within a theoretical framework involving introspection.

• Introspection: self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations.

• Introspection illusion: ‘unaware of their unawareness’ (Wilson et al, 2008)

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Why does reflection matter?

• Instrumental teaching is teaching under the control of another: syllabus constructor; assessment creator; line manager. It is extrinsically determined.

• Reflective teaching is teaching from within, within a framework. It is intrinsically determined. It is theoretically framed.

• Normal teaching is personal mix of instrumental and reflective teaching. The exact mix depends on values and knowledge.

• Reflection provides a stimulus for innovation, and for a determination of effectiveness.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Types of reflection

Usage Commentary and assessment

Reflection-in-action Apprenticeship and contemplation. Assessed by observation

Reflection-on-action Observation; journal; discussion; blog

Frame reflection Essays; reports; posters; journals; vivas

Consciousness-raising Essays; reports; posters; journals; vivas

Self-conscious learning

Journal, narrative

Personal change and development

Personal development plan with evidence

Reflection as skill Viva, journal, questionnaires

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

How do we signify a reflective teacher?

• Explicit rationale for pedagogical practices

• Reflective diary or journal

• Explicit provision of rationale to learners.

• Transparency of discussion

• Commitment to values of fairness, justice and compassion.

• Osterman (1990) comments, "critically reflective teachers - teachers who make their own thinking public, and therefore subject to discussion - are more likely to have classes that are challenging, interesting, and stimulating for students" (p. 139)

• Stones (1994) suggested that three important elements are necessary for reflection to occur: practical experience, a meaningful knowledge base, and interaction with other human beings.

• Ginsburg (1988) added strong problem solving skills as another critical component of productive and meaningful reflection.

• Zeichner and Liston (1996) wrote that reflection is essential for helping understand the complex nature of classrooms.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Frontier science and textbook science

• Textbook science: established science with great confidence.

• Frontier science: provisional, tentative and liable to change or abandonment.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Teaching standards and reflection

There are no standards relating to either reflection, evidence-based teaching or critical thinking.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

DfE and reflection

• A search on the DfE site shows that it is almost entirely focused on evaluations of projects, and of research in generic areas such as inclusion, and not at all on reflection.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

Learned scientific societies and reflection

• There are no references on the sites of RSC, IoP or The Royal Society about reflective practitioners in science education.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

ATSE and reflection

• ATSE contributions assert reflection on many documents but nowhere is the term made clear.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

A blueprint for action

• Research Committee and ATSE collaborate in an article on Reflective Practitioners in Science Education.

• ASE promotes Reflective Practice as a major thrust.

• More research into the place of reflection in the teaching of science.

ATSE Teacher reflection: John Oversby

References• Brookfield S (1995) The Getting of Wisdom: What Critically Reflective Teaching is

and Why It's Important from Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Accessed on 4th August 2011 at http://nlu.nl.edu/academics/cas/ace/facultypapers/StephenBrookfield_Wisdom.cfm

• Ginsburg, M. B.(1988). Contradictions in teacher education and society: A critical analysis. New York: Falmer.

• Osterman, K. F. (1990). Reflective practice: A new agenda for education. Education and Urban Society, 22 (2); February 1990, p 133-152.

• Osterman, K.F. & Kottamp, R.B. (2004). Reflective practice for educators.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. • Stones E. (1994) Reform in teacher education: The power and the pedagogy.

Journal of Teacher Education, 45, 310-318.

• Wilson, Timothy D.; Yoav Bar-Anan (August 22, 2008). "The Unseen Mind". Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 321 (5892): 1046–1047

• Zeichner, M. and Liston, P. (1996). Reflective teaching: An introduction. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.