In the literature on reflection in teaching, authors frequently lament the lack of clarity in understandings of this concept, despite its wide acceptance as a phenomenon beneficial to teaching and learning. This dissertation reports a study of this literature that attempts to clarify the meaning of reflection and to establish a methodology for examining such a complex concept. Three analyses, each intended to explore the literature on reflection from a different perspective, comprise the study. The first is an analysis of (...) the literature on reflection in three professional communities---continuing professional development, higher education and teacher education---to establish general themes in this literature. The second analysis examines definitions of reflection from the three communities, focusing in particular on processes and rationales of reflection. The third analysis explores a variety of critiques of reflection to determine predominant epistemologies and recurring themes in the literature. The merging of the results of the three analyses leads to a framework for understanding reflection. This integrative framework highlights the importance of underlying epistemologies as the bases for different understandings of reflection and shows the intricate interrelationships among four major themes in the literature: the processes involved in reflection, the rationales behind it, the context in which it occurs, and its connection to action. The framework also points to the link between the self and the reflective context, the possibilities of reflection in-, on-, for-, and as-action, the unclear connection between the cognitive and affective processes and the movement from internal to external rationales. The study contributes both conceptually and methodologically by making sense of the range of ways reflection has been understood and by providing a possible model for exploring a complex concept. It provides a consistent language for discussing reflection, demonstrates the complexities of the concept and the interrelationships of the themes contained in the literature, allows for the situating of individual works within the literature, increases understanding of the connection of reflection and action, and helps to position the concept of reflection within broader theories of cognition and social practice. (shrink)

Abstract : This article makes the case that teacher’s personal qualities should be considered to be of great importance to being a teacher and that pre- and in- service teacher education has a social responsibility mandate. Developing personal qualities in teacher education is an important way in which teacher education can address its social responsibility mandate and, conversely, this mandate can provide the perspective from which the value of teacher’s personal qualities for teaching can be judged. Finally, the article discusses (...) the role of reflective thinking and reflective practice in addressing the social responsibility mandate of teacher education and identifies characteristics of reflective practices that seem particularly suitable for developing a teacher’s personal qualities relevant for addressing the social responsibility mandate of teacher education. Résumé : Cet article fait état des qualités personnelles de l’enseignant qui doivent être considérées comme d’une grande importance pour être un enseignant et que l’éducation initiale des enseignants et la formation continue a un mandat de responsabilité sociale. Le développement de qualités personnelles dans la formation des enseignants est un moyen important par lequel la formation des enseignants peut s’acquitter de son mandat de responsabilité sociale et, inversement, ce mandat peut fournir la perspective selon laquelle la valeur des qualités personnelles de l’enseignant pour l’enseignement peut être jugé. Enfin, l’article examine le rôle de la réflexivité et de la pratique réflexive à travers ce mandat de responsabilité sociale de la formation des enseignants et identifie les caractéristiques des pratiques réflexives qui semblent particulièrement appropriées pour le développement des qualités personnelles de l’enseignant pertinents pour atteindre les objectifs de ce mandat de responsabilité sociale de la formation des enseignants. -/- . (shrink)

La escritura para la reflexión pedagógica es una competencia profesional docente que debe ser desarrollada durante la formación inicial para que, posteriormente, pueda ser aplicada en diversos contextos educativos, enriqueciendo así el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje tanto del propio profesor como de los estudiantes con los que este interactúa. El ámbito de formación práctica es un espacio curricular donde esta competencia asume mayor preponderancia, pues el futuro profesor debe transferir diversos conocimientos teóricos hacia el ejercicio de aula. Bajo este (...) contexto, es posible reconocer la producción y circulación de ciertos géneros escritos específicos que dan cuenta de esta competencia. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo principal caracterizar, desde una perspectiva socioretórica, los géneros de reflexión pedagógica que escriben los estudiantes de dos carreras de pedagogía de una universidad chilena durante su formación práctica. Desde un enfoque metodológico cualitativo y con un diseño de Estudios de Casos Múltiples, se aplicaron dos instrumentos de recolección de datos: entrevistas semiestructuradas y focus group a profesores y estudiantes de la carrera de Educación Especial y Educación Parvularia. Entre los principales resultados destacan el reconocimiento de la escritura como un recurso que recoge la reflexión pedagógica de los profesores en formación; la utilización de determinados géneros pedagógicos en cada carrera y además la existencia de una progresión en el uso de estos de acuerdo a la complejidad y avance en el recorrido formativo del Plan de Estudios. (shrink)