aspects of professional learning; a new framework for student reflection rachel lofthouse &...

Aspects of professional learning; a new framework for student reflection

Rachel Lofthouse & Roger Knill,

School of Education, Communication & Language Sciences,

Newcastle University

TEAN Conference 21st May 2010

Our context 36 week M.level PGCE:

◦ bridging practice, theory and research

Students work towards QTS standards and Ofsted ITT grading: ◦ tracking and evidencing standards

TDA directives regarding ITT curriculum: ◦ overcrowded programme, increasingly

content heavy

Our role PGCE course tutors

Designing and managing the student experience

Working in partnership with school mentors and other subject tutors

Assessing student progress (professional and academic)

Our focusFocus on the professional learning journey;

QTS as one element

Personalised professional learning within a common programme and partnership framework

M.level assignments focusing on◦ Reflection on professional processes enabling a

developing understanding of subject pedagogy ◦ Development of practitioner enquiry approaches

within the context of placement schools and own classroom

Our dilemmaHow to create coherence across

the diverse demands and aspects of the PGCE

Looking for ‘sense-making tools’ which can allow students to find relationships between their practical experience, their reflection and the academic elements of the programme

Our 3 year enquiryTo develop a model of professional learning that

is derived from evidence of the outcomes of professional learning experiences

To make this model accessible to student teachers so that it can be used as the basis of personal reflection and professional dialogue

To determine how and whether the model can be used as a pedagogic tool to stimulate greater student teachers’ metacognitive awareness of the processes and outcomes of their professional learning

Year 1 Students reflected on their use of video-

recording

Thematic review of written questionnaire responses and assignments

Comments were coded and categorised

Regularly occurring themes and relationships

Described a number of aspects of professional learning, as conceived by the student teachers

Understanding of, and ability to focus on, the ‘significant

others’, in this case the students

Acquiring professional confidence and identity

Ability to evaluate own practice

Willingness & ability to take action to

develop own practice and solve problems

Critical ‘user’engagement with relevant theory,

research and policy

Understanding of how

‘practice’evidence can be collected

and analysed

Constructive engagement in

professional dialogue with

other practitioners

Development of reflective attitudes

and skills

8 Aspects of Professional

Learning

Year 28 aspect model offered to students as a

means through which to reflect on their experiences during the PGCE

Students produced two annotated diagrams using model - exemplified elements of their experience and considered its impact

Diagrams used as the basis of one-to-one progress tutorials with the students

Year 3 – in focus

Stage 1:

•Students were asked what their personal objectives were for the course. Responses mapped onto the eight aspects of professional learning and fed back to the group.

Stage 2:

Stage 3:

Understanding of, and ability

to focus on, the ‘significant




Willingness & ability to take

action to develop own practice and solve problems

Critical ‘user’ engagement with relevant theory,

research and policy

Understanding of how ‘practice’

evidence can be collected

and analysed

Constructive engagement

in professional

dialogue with other

practitioners

Development of reflective

attitudes and skills

8 Aspects of

Professional Learning

To engage students and get them interested in Geography Become an inspirational

Geography teacher

Have a better idea of how to cope with difficult situations

To be able to brush off the bad days and learn positively from

them

Organised and confident in the classroom

To increase my knowledge of how children learn

To feel like I am improving & see progression

To be effortlessly confident in front of a

class24

14

2

1

Stage 1: Personal objectives for PGCE

Year 3 – in focus

Stage 1:

Stage 2:

•Students worked in groups to review first placement experience and identify what activities and processes had enabled them to make progress in each of the 8 aspects of professional learning. Thematic review,

Stage 3:

Reported key experiences related to 8 aspects model

Interpretation of emerging themes

Undertaking the core tasks of a teacher (planning, teaching, assessing, differentiating)

Working with others; peers and mentors

Feedback from others

Self-reviewing & enquiry processes

Students respond positively to ‘getting on with the job’ and start to problematise the role of teacher

Significance of routines (such as mentor meetings, reflective training journals)

Meeting the challenge of M.level enquiries

The importance of feedback loops (from pupil learning, mentoring, self-evaluation) and taking action

Stage 2: Review of first placement

Year 3 – in focus

Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Stage 3:

•Students worked in groups to construct concept map illustrating the relationships between the 8 aspects of professional learning as experienced part way through long placement. Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.

Development of reflective attitudes

and skills (13)

Understanding of, and ability to focus on, the ‘significant


(9)Acquiring

professional confidence and

identity (14)

Willingness & ability to take

action to develop own practice and solve problems

(6)

Ability to evaluate own practice (13)

Critical ‘user’ engagement with relevant

theory, research and policy (6)


‘practice’ evidence can be collected and analysed

(8)



other practitioners (9)

Stage 3:Relationships between aspects of professional learning

Development of reflective

attitudes and skills (13)

Acquiring professional

confidence and identity (14) Ability to

evaluate own practice (13)



other practitioners (9)

Understanding of, and ability to

focus on, the ‘significant

others’, in this case the

students (9)


‘practice’ evidence can be collected and analysed

(8) Willingness & ability to take

action to develop own practice and

solve problems (6)

Critical ‘user’ engagement with relevant theory,

research and policy (6)

Num

ber

of

links

made t

o o

ther

asp

ect

s

Stage 3: Relationships between aspects of professional learning

Examples of strongly related aspects

Student comment


Understanding of how ‘practice’ evidence can be collected and analysed

Having evidence to evaluate has provided better evaluations and has helped provide evidence for reflection

Constructive engagement in professional dialogue with other practitioners

Development of reflective attitudes and skills

From reflecting on own practice we start to see good aspects of practice in others. This promotes dialogue between practitioners.


Understanding of, and ability to focus on, the ‘significant others’, in this case the students

In first placement you are mostly focussed on yourself as a teacher and developing your professional identity, but in the Long Placement you have more of an idea of yourself as a teacher so you plan for the students more and take them into account increasingly in your lesson.

Stage 3: Relationships between aspects of professional learning

Thinking about professional learning Eraut (2007): Importance of informal learning: asking

questions, getting information, locating resource people, listening and observing, reflecting, learning from mistakes, giving and receiving feedback and use of mediating artefacts.

Lave and Wenger (1991):Learning is a function of the activity, context

and culture in which it occurs. Learners, such as student teachers, thus become involved in a community of practice which embodies certain beliefs and behaviours.

8 Aspects of Professional LearningStarting to describe the ‘model’ as

a tool (Wall et al., 2010)

Its function varies according to the intent of the user (tutor, individual student or group of students )

Functions include: ◦teaching, interaction, feedback,

framing

References Eraut, M. (2007) Learning from other people in the

workplace, Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 33 (4), pp. 403-422.

Lave, J. & Wenger, W. (1991) Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wall, K., Hall, E., Baumfield, V., Higgins, S., Rafferty, V., Remedios, R., Thomas, U., Tiplady, L., Towler, C. and Woolner, P. (2010) Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 4 and Learning to Learn in Further Education, Campaign for Learning: London

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