Reflection skillsin teacher education:

an investigation into the natureof the written reflection

on specific teaching situationsin digital learning portfolios

Frederik Questier, Joost Ingels, Arno LibottonVrije Universiteit Brussel

ATEE conference 2011, August 2011, Riga

This presentation can be found athttp://questier.com

http://www.slideshare.net/Frederik_Questier

My background

Context:teacher training

Flemish decree on teacher educationcompetencies based

The teacher as…

1.guide of learning and developing processes

2.educator

3.expert

4.organisator

5.innovator

6.partner of parents

7.member of a school team

8.partner of external institutions

9.member of the education community

10.participant of culture

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Digital learning portfolioDigital learning portfolio

Flexible instrument for

➢students

➢ planning, reflecting, showcasing:

learning process, development of competences

➢teachers

➢ coaching and assessing➢ the development of competences➢ course and year transcending

Educational portfolios

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Reflectionquality?

Research study

➢ Analysis of➢ 11 portfolios

➢ 47 reflection blocks

➢ Built a category system➢ based on theory➢ adapted to context

Korthagen'sALACT cycle of reflection

Do students describe all stepsof the ALACT cycle?

Conclusions

➢ 3 first steps of ALACT

are more described

than 2 last ones (creating and trying alternatives)

How do students reflect?

Conclusions

➢ Reflection is described more from

a teacher perspective than from

a pupils perspective

➢ Reflection is more described for

“what did I / pupils do and think?” than for

“what did I / pupils want and feel?”

Onion model of Korthagen

Do students reflecton all layers of the onion model?

Conclusions

➢ More reflection on

outer layers than on

inner layers (identity and mission)

This could cause frictions!

Division in 2 groups

➢ Group A (N=24)➢ Reflection blocks with a description of any of the

following reflections:➢ What did I want?➢ What did I feel?➢ What did pupils want?➢ What did pupils feel?

➢ Group B (N=23)➢ Reflection blocks without any of the above reflections

described.

ReflectionGroup A vs Group B

ReflectionGroup A vs Group B

Onion model layersGroup A vs Group B

Conclusions

➢ Reflection quality is higher when it includes reflection upon “what do I/pupils want and feel?”➢ Statistically significant:

➢ Awareness➢ Create alternatives➢ Trial➢ Describe + reflect competencies➢ Describe + reflect beliefs

General conclusions

➢ Competence oriented nature of this portfolio →

focus on demonstrating efforts for the improvement of competencies

and less on the whole of personal development

➢ Not much core reflection

Recommendations

➢ Careful with too much emphasis on competencies!➢ Enough emphasis on own teaching experiences

➢ Stimulate full reflection cycles

➢ Stimulate reflection on what teachers and pupils want and feel.

➢ Stimulate reflection on all onion levels

Additional copyright acknowledgements

➢ Social Network CC-by by Frederik Questier➢ ALACT cycle of reflection, copyright by Korthagen➢ Onion model, copyright by Korthagen➢ Chamilo logo by Chamilo➢ Question? CC-by by Stefan Baudy

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Questions? Comments?Questions? Comments?Thanks!Thanks!

See also http://questier.com