Getting reflection off the page: The challenges of developing support structures for pre-service teacher reflection
Abstract
Recent international calls in teacher education include increased quantity and quality of field experiences for pre-service teachers (IALEI, 2008; NCATE, 2010). Despite increased attention to the quality of field experiences, there remains “much disagreement about the conditions for teacher learning that must exist for this learning in and from practice to be educative and enduring” (Zeichner, 2010, p. 91). In this formative experiment study (Reinking & Bradley, 2008), we use Dewey's (1933) ideas about judgment, analysis/synthesis, and balance to explore reflection as a communal process which results in “warranted assertabilities” (Dewey, 1986, p. 15) about teaching and learning. Findings show the presence of knowledgable others helped to focus the conversations on teaching and learning but that reflection, as conceived of by Dewey, did not occur. Therefore, additional inquiry is needed into the facilitation of the process of reflection.
Reference
Gelfuso, A., & Dennis, D. V. (2014). Getting reflection off the page: The challenges of developing support structures for pre-service teacher reflection. Teaching and Teacher Education, 38, 1–11. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.10.012
Journal
Teaching and Teacher Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
yes
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- Elementary school
- University
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
13
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Observations
- Transcriptions
- Video
Data Analysis Tools
- coding (open to axial to selective
- Deductive analysis
- Inductive analysis
- Thematic analysis
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
Guiding question for Phase 1: In what ways does
having scheduled conversations with a knowledgeable other
centered around a specific teaching moment as evidenced by video,
impact reflective practices?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
Guiding question for Phase 2:
The question guiding this phase of the study was: In what ways
does the presence of a knowledgable other (in the form of the eight
pillars) combined with the support of dialogue with a knowledgable
other (Literacy Content Coach) impact pre-service teachers’
reflection about teaching and student learning?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes