Education Commons^™

Re-Engage Your Instruction Team Today, Jolene Cole

Jolene Cole, MILS

Being an academic librarian comes with many challenges. Very few of us are privileged enough to come into the profession with a background in education and knowledge in assessment practices. For those of us running instruction programs it is our duty to prepare librarians to not only teach but also assess their own work.

Over the last year, Georgia College has implemented a new training and assessment program for the library staff. This program is grounded in reflection practices and encourages self-improvement. The reflection program includes but is not limited to departmental/personal teaching philosophies, peer-review of instruction, reflection journals and …

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Tpack) In Action: A Descriptive Study Of Secondary Teachers' Curriculum-Based, Technology-Related Instructional Planning, Judith B. Harris, Mark J. Hofer

Judith Harris

How does teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) inform their instructional planning? How can this knowledge be enhanced? In an interpretivist study of experienced secondary social studies teachers' planning, we sought to discover clues to the nature and development of these teachers' TPACK-in-action as it was expressed in their planning processes. Comparisons of interview data and planning products before and after engaging in professional development that addressed content-focused, TPACK-based learning activity types (Harris & Hofer, 2009) revealed three primary findings, each supported by participating teachers' oral and written reflections upon their learning. The participating teachers' (a) selection and use of …

Is A Students’ Ability To Critically Self-Reflect, Related To Their Performance On Physiotherapy Clinical Placements?, Sarah Brooks, Nikki Milne, Rob Marc Orr, Rebecca Terry

Rob Marc Orr

Background. The relationship between students’ reflective ability and performance on physiotherapy clinical placement is currently unclear.

Objectives. To investigate: i) if a relationship exists between students’ critical reflective ability and performance on physiotherapy clinical placement; and whether these relationships differ by ii) Critical reflective task (CRT) rank grade or, iii) by gender.

Design. An observational cohort study design.

Methods. Critical Reflection Task (CRT) marks and clinical placement (APP) scores from 196 (F=94; M=102) post-graduate, entry-level physiotherapy students were analyzed.

Results. A significant moderate predictive relationship was found between CRT marks and APP scores (r=.411, p2=.169, SEE=12.79). There was a weak …

Is A Students’ Ability To Critically Self-Reflect, Related To Their Performance On Physiotherapy Clinical Placements?, Sarah Brooks, Nikki Milne, Rob Marc Orr, Rebecca Terry

Dr Nikki Milne

Background. The relationship between students’ reflective ability and performance on physiotherapy clinical placement is currently unclear.

Objectives. To investigate: i) if a relationship exists between students’ critical reflective ability and performance on physiotherapy clinical placement; and whether these relationships differ by ii) Critical reflective task (CRT) rank grade or, iii) by gender.

Design. An observational cohort study design.

Methods. Critical Reflection Task (CRT) marks and clinical placement (APP) scores from 196 (F=94; M=102) post-graduate, entry-level physiotherapy students were analyzed.

Results. A significant moderate predictive relationship was found between CRT marks and APP scores (r=.411, p2=.169, SEE=12.79). There was a weak …

Undergraduate Reflective Journaling In Work Integrated Learning: Is It Relevant To Professional Practice?, Susan Edgar, Jacqueline Francis-Coad, Joanne Connaughton

Jacqueline Francis-Coad

This paper presents the research findings from a study reviewing graduates’ opinions on completing online reflective journaling tasks during work integrated learning as an undergraduate. The study was divided into two parts with an initial focus group conducted with six physiotherapy graduates seven months following graduation. Findings from the focus group guided the development of a questionnaire sent to graduates nine months after course completion. Results from both the focus group and questionnaire (n = 25) highlighted the benefits of online, structured, assessed reflective writing tasks. Graduates provided specific examples of their personal and professional development and perceived benefits from …

Using Video To Develop Skills In Reflection In Teacher Education Students, Anne M. Coffey

Anne Coffey

Teacher education students confront the challenging task of acquiring a unique and complex set of skills during their courses. These skills are acquired through the study of education theory together with practical experience in the classroom. Perhaps one of the most important skills that students quickly need to develop is that of reflective practice. It is only through a critical and detailed analysis of their performance that strengths and weaknesses can be ascertained and addressed. Video has been used as a tool in teacher education for many years and provides a means by which a teaching episode can be captured …

The Learning Analytics Readiness Instrument, Meghan Oster, Steven Lonn, Matthew D. Pistilli, Michael G. Brown

Matthew Pistilli

Case Studies To Enhance Graduate Employability: Graduate Attributes, Caroline Lovell, Shelley Kinash, Madelaine Judd, Linda Crane, Cecily Knight, Matthew Mclean, Kirsty Mitchell, David Dowling, Ros Schwerdt

Linda Crane

This is one in a series of case studies to enhance graduate employability. The theme of this case study is: • Focus on graduate attributes This case study on the role/context of graduate attributes is based on interviews and focus groups with 18 people across the stakeholder groups of employed graduates, students and educators from four universities. This particular case study attempts to capture and share the insights of leading higher education thinkers/change agents. It also incorporates data from the surveys and in-depth interviews/focus groups described above. Australia is internationally recognised as leading the worldwide higher education paradigm shift to …

Reflection Impulsivity In Adolescent Cannabis Users, K Jones, N Solowij, M Rozman, S Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick Heaven, Daniel Lubman, M Yucel

joseph Ciarrochi

Abstract of a conference paper presented at the 2010 summer meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.

Revisiting Reflection: Utilizing Third Spaces In Teacher Education, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

Much has been written about the importance of reflective practice. What is missing is reflective work on the part of teacher educators to address the mismatch between university-based methods courses and the realities of classroom life. With examples from a third grade mathematics classroom as well as a university-based mathematics methods course, this article explores ways educators can employ third space theory as a way to engage in purposeful reflection into their teaching practices.

Pushing The Field Of Practitioner Research: Utilizing ‘Reflective Third Spaces’ To Explore Educational Practice, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

For decades, literature in the field of education has been rife with descriptions of the divides between theory and practice, research and implementation, and universities and public schools. Beginning with an examination of these divides, this chapter explores the ways that teacher educators can capitalize on their positioning in order to better understand educational practice. Following a brief introduction, an examination of third space theory and its usefulness to teacher educators— especially those engaged in practitioner research— ensues. Building on the work of early theorists in fields such as literature and cultural geography, third space theory has typically been used …

Beyond The Author's Chair: Expanding Sharing Opportunities In Writing, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

Providing children with opportunities to share their writing with others is a vital part of establishing a successful writing community. Although sharing is most often viewed as a beneficial experience for children, it is important to acknowledge that sharing can also be uncomfortable and intimidating for many young authors. This article provides tips for establishing a respectful writing community, including strategies for whole-group sharing, as well as alternative experiences for children who are reluctant to share.

A Brief Examination Of Professional Development Models, Imran Chaudary

Imran Anjum Chaudary

This paper aims to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the major professional development models by examining their underpinning assumptions in the light of the particular bodies of scholarship from the field of education. For this purpose, nine professional development models have been chosen from the Kennedy (2005) and a framework of analysis has been constructed by modifying the criteria of effective professional development reported in the Fraser, Kennedy, Reid, and Mickinney (2007) and the Piggot-Irvine (2006). There is no ‘one right answer’! No one particular form or model of professional development is better than others to be adopted; rather, …

Self-Assessment Of Employability Skill Outcomes Among Undergraduates And Alignment With Academic Ratings, Denise Jackson

Denise Jackson

Despite acknowledgement of the benefits of self-assessment in higher education, disparity between student and academic assessments, with associated trends in over- and underrating, plagues its meaningful use, particularly as a tool for formal assessment. This study examines self-assessment of capabilities in certain employability skills in more than 1000 Australian business undergraduates. It evaluates the extent to which student self-assessments differ from academics, in what ways and the influence of certain individual and background characteristics - such as stage of degree, gender and academic ability - on rating accuracy. Explanations for documented disparities are presented, in addition to implications and strategies …

Creating Polyphony With Exploratory Web Documentation In Singapore, Sirene Lim, Chee Lum

Sirene Lim

We introduce and reflect on "Images of Teaching", an ongoing web documentation research project on preschool teaching in Singapore. This paper discusses the project's purpose, methodological process, and our learning points as researchers who aim to contribute towards inquiry-based professional learning. The website offers a window into some Singaporean ways of working with young children in preschool settings; it contains video examples of authentic classroom teaching, contextualised with teacher reflections, artefacts, and interview transcripts. Based on two years of reflection and research meetings, we discuss four key learning points: a) utilising the affordances of web technology to create heteroglossia; b) …

Using Critical Reflection As An Applied Learning Technique Among Online Emergency Services Students, R. Jeffery Maxfield, John Fisher

R. Jeffery Maxfield

Non-traditional students in an online introductory course in Homeland Security used the DEAL model of critical reflection to describe (a) what they learned, (b) how they learned it, (c)why it matters, and (d) what they will do with what they learned. Online discussion of readings proved to be the most effective learning technique used in the course because it incorporated reflective practices and allowed application of real-life experiences.

Using Critical Reflection As An Applied Learning Technique Among Online Emergency Services Students, R. Jeffery Maxfield, John Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

Non-traditional students in an online introductory course in Homeland Security used the DEAL model of critical reflection to describe (a) what they learned, (b) how they learned it, (c)why it matters, and (d) what they will do with what they learned. Online discussion of readings proved to be the most effective learning technique used in the course because it incorporated reflective practices and allowed application of real-life experiences.

Trailblazing The E-Reader Revolution: Two Universities, Two Approaches, Joan Wines, Julius Bianchi, Harlan Stelmach, Gary Gorka, Michael Brint

Harlan Stelmach

The Role Of Metacognitive And Reflective Learning Processes In Developing Capable Computer Users, Renata Phelps, Allan Ellis, Stewart Hase

Dr Renata Phelps

There is continued pressure for the application, and integration, of computer technologies into learning and teaching. For such innovations to be successfully implemented, students themselves must have the confidence, ability and willingness to engage with computer technology. In some disciplinary and professional contexts such as arts, humanities, social studies and education many adult learners are insecure and anxious regarding their ability to use, or to learn about, computer technology. Traditionally, competency-based, or skills-focussed training approaches have been utilised to assist inexperienced students to gain confidence with using computers. This paper argues that such approaches do not promote the development of …

The Role Of Metacognitive And Reflective Learning Processes In Developing Capable Computer Users, Renata Phelps, Allan Ellis, Stewart Hase

Dr Renata Phelps

There is continued pressure for the application, and integration, of computer technologies into learning and teaching. For such innovations to be successfully implemented, students themselves must have the confidence, ability and willingness to engage with computer technology. In some disciplinary and professional contexts such as arts, humanities, social studies and education many adult learners are insecure and anxious regarding their ability to use, or to learn about, computer technology. Traditionally, competency-based, or skills-focussed training approaches have been utilised to assist inexperienced students to gain confidence with using computers. This paper argues that such approaches do not promote the development of …