Week Two: Reflections on Dewey and Schon

After studying the theories of reflective practitioners John Dewey and Donald Schon this
week, one conclusion I have drawn is that reflection is a concept that has been oversimplified
and misused consistently throughout its existence. In her article Defining Reflection, Carol
Rodgers states, reflection has suffered a loss of meaning. In becoming everything to
everybody, it has lost its ability to be seen (843). Thompson and Pascal reiterate the
unfortunate misconceptions involving reflective practice in their article Developing critically
reflective practice: there has been a common tendency for it to be oversimplified in practice,
and, furthermore, dominant understandings of reflective practice can themselves be criticized
for lacking theoretical sophistication in some respects (311). It is not surprising that the
concepts of reflection and reflective practice have been watered down by professionals for
years. Due to the abstract nature of human thought, theorists like Schon and Dewey that attempt
to concretize these abstractions face a difficult challenge. While their theories have value and
are founded on research, the implementation of their theories by others appears to have been
mishandled. Because reflection and reflective practice have been oversimplified and have
suffered a loss of meaning in the field, I am appreciative of the opportunity to develop a truer
understanding of these theories through the readings this week.
Carol Rodgerss article Defining Reflection, which is a condensed summary of John
Deweys concepts and thought processes in his research and publications, does a fantastic job of
clearly outlining Deweys theory on reflection. According to Rodgers and Dewey, reflection is
more systematic than other forms of thought because it involves a series of distinct steps. These
steps include the observation of an experience, an analysis of that observation (which leads to a
theory), and a test of the theory. These steps are cyclical, as reflection is constantly moving
from practice to theory and theory to practice. Rodgers also includes that Dewey was a
proponent of community and collaboration throughout the deliberate process of reflection.
According to Rodgers, the self-discipline required for the kind of reflection that Dewey
advocates is difficult to sustain alone. When one is accountable to a group, one feels a
responsibility toward others that is more compelling than the responsibility we feel to only
ourselves (857). After gaining a better understanding of John Dewey through Rodgerss article,
I believe that Deweys theory on reflection can be the foundation for inquiry in my classrooms.
The steps for reflection that are outlined in Rodgerss article, although seemingly simplistic in
nature, can have a lasting impact on how I improve as an educator. A consistent and systematic
focus on reflective practice will create a space for improvement and growth that would be
missing if I did not subscribe to Deweys distinct steps. Another aspect of Deweys theory that I
particularly connected to is the emphasis on community in the midst of reflection. If attempted
alone, reflection would fail to meet the standard of focus and intentionality that Deweys theory
requires. Conversely, embarking on Deweys reflective practice in a community of fellow
educators creates the accountability that allows for significant growth and learning. Like most

intellectual endeavors, reflection is best carried out in a community that encourages the
conceptualization and implementation of evidence-based theory.
Donald Schons concepts of knowing-in-action and reflection-in-action come to
fascinating conclusions about the human mind. According to Schon, knowing-in-action relates
to the the instinctual actions that we perform but struggle to explain. In other words, the specific
process of knowing-in-action is difficult to define due to the fact that knowing-in-action is
dynamic, and facts, procedures, rules, and theories are static (Schon 25). Because the
skills and performances that stem from knowing-in-action are difficult to document and
describe, when our knowledge-in-action fails us it can be frustrating. Reflection-in-action aims
to relieve the frustration from these surprises by bringing to light the thought processes behind
our actions. Eventually, effective reflection-in-action leads to an on-the-spot experiment, where
new hypotheses are tested and the reflection-in-action process continues. Like Deweys theory,
David Schons concepts of knowing-in-action and reflection-in-action are cyclical in nature.
Schon explains the cyclical nature of these concepts in his book: it is one thing to be able to
reflect-in-action and quite another to be able to reflect on our reflection-in-action so as to
produce a good verbal description of it; and it is still another thing to be able to reflect on the
resulting description (31). One who is effective at reflection-in-action is constantly assessing
and reassessing their conclusions. In my opinion, Schons concepts have the power to motivate
professional inquiry throughout my entire career. Just as Schons process of knowledge and
reflection is never ending, I will never stop asking the important why question that can be so
influential to the decisions I make as an educator. Dewey and Schon bring forth concepts for
reflection and inquiry that will provide me with the tools I need to be an effective reflective
practitioner.

Week Three: Collective Reflective Practice

As I reflect on the coursework I have completed thus far in my undergraduate degree
program, I recognize that my training has significantly lacked specific instruction on reflective
practice. When my professors have mentioned the concept of reflective practice in the past, it
has been used vaguely and without conviction. Consequently, I come into this semester with
almost no previous insight on the specifics of reflective practice or what it truly means to be an
effective reflective practitioner. However, I do believe that my professors have instilled within
me the professional motivation to implement reflective practice. In other words, my professors
have taught me in such a way that promotes a consistent and focused interest in effective
teaching and the success of students; the deep interest that I have in the effectiveness of my
teaching and the success of my students will make reflective practice an extremely natural and
necessary action. In the article Preparing Teahers for Reflective Practice: Intentions,
Contradictions, and Possibilities, the authors state: engaging future teachers in multiple

opportunities to critique their own reasoning makes explicit to them the power of their own
thinking and its value for directing their instructional decisions and problem solving (142).
Thus far in my teacher education, I feel as if I have had ample opportunities to critique my own
educational reasoning, and the connection between my reasoning and my instructional decisions
has been made clear by my educators. I have been challenged to consider my own educational
philosophy and instructional framework, as well as how I will defend these decisions with
research and reason when challenged. Although this kind of thinking has not been labeled as
reflective practice by my professors, it is certainly a basis for reflection.
In their article on the collective dimension of reflective practice, Collin and Karsenti use
Vygotskys concept of the zone of proximal development to convey the importance of
interaction with others during reflection. Traditionally, reflection has been viewed as an act
performed mostly in solitude. However, Collin and Karsenti argue that reflective practice is
actually a process that is sparked by professional action, and that takes place at two intertwined
and interacting levels: interpersonal and intrapersonal. These two interactional levels fuel
reflective practice, which is in turn reinvested into professional action (578). According to
Collin and Karsenti, a true reflective practitioner has an internal conversation (intrapersonal)
and an external conversation (interpersonal) about what is happening in his or her classroom.
When I begin my career, I hope that my colleagues and I will have a specific space set
aside for collective reflective practice during our planning and collaboration. As I think about
this idea, I realize that collective reflective practice could be executed in a number of different
ways in a school or school district. One possibility for collective reflective practice could be a
small group atmosphere with teachers from the same department. In this situation, teachers
would be able to easily communicate and borrow ideas from each other to implement into their
own classrooms. However, grouping together like-minded individuals may be against the
explorative spirit of collective reflective practice. If teachers who share similar pedagogical
frameworks collaborate only with each other, they may struggle to look at their teaching from a
new perspective. In order to combat this issue, another possibility would be to group teachers
from different subject areas and backgrounds. While teachers from different departments may
have a more difficult time communicating with each other about the specifics of lesson plans or
classroom activities, they will be receiving perspectives that will be drastically different than a
perspective they would receive from teachers within the same department as them. I think
having opportunities to reflect alongside colleagues who are teaching the same subject and
different subjects would be ideal.
Grace Hall McEntees chapter, Growing Reflective Practitioners provides some
excellent ideas for how to effectively collaborate during reflective practice. Figure 11.4, A
Catalyst for Reflective Practice, especially stood out to me when I was reading McEntees
work. While I think the specific schedule outlined in the figure would have to be modified for
an actual small group within a school or school district, it provides a nice foundation for
thinking. Any type of collective reflective practice should include a combination of thinking and

brainstorming, drafting and submitting, receiving feedback, resubmitting, and eventually

publishing. I am pleased to know that our small groups in this class are set up in a way that
promotes this type of process, and I anticipate continuing this pattern of collective thinking with
my future colleagues.

Week Four: Evidence-Based Reflective Practice

As I read chapters 3-5 from Paula Zwozdiak-Myerss book, The Teacher's Reflective
Practice Handbook: Becoming an Extended Professional Through Capturing EvidenceInformed Practice, I couldnt help but recognize the specificity in which Zwozdiak-Myers
discusses evidence-based reflective practice. When dealing with a concept as abstract as
reflective practice, it is easy for educators and scholars to fall into the trap of only discussing
broad theory and shifting from one ambiguous term to another during their discourse.
Zwozdiak-Myers is able to make concrete the abstractions that some of the other writers we
have read this semester make, as she brings forth very specific strategies and practices for
gathering information and implementing reflective practice in the classroom.
While I truly believe in the importance of the evidence-based teacher reflective practice
that Zwozdiak-Myerss outlines in her article, the biggest obstacle I can see in the
implementation of this concept is time. Teachers are forced to juggle so many different
obligations throughout the course of a school day. With the hectic schedule of a teacher, it can
be difficult to find the time necessary to implement evidence-based reflective practice. More
specifically, I can see the data collection aspect of Zwozdiak-Myerss action research being
problematic when it comes to time. Due to the fact that teachers are required to cover a large
amount of content in a short amount of time, it might be difficult to collect data through field
notes, questionnaires, and interviews during class. Even after class is dismissed, teachers spend
their time preparing, grading, and fulfilling any additional after-school obligations. With the
constant flow of tasks that a teacher deals with, one of the first things that is easy to forget is
reflective practice. While it is extremely appropriate that Zwozdiak-Myers encourages a rather
strenuous and evidence based implementation of reflective practice, the time commitment that
would be required is something that has to be considered. There have even been times during
my undergraduate career where I get so stuck in the day-to-day tasks of class and homework
that I dont take the time to pause and consider the big picture of my performance. I imagine
that the stress and busyness of the life of a full-time teacher is exponentially greater than what I
have experienced while in college, so a focus on reflection will certainly be difficult to
maintain. I plan on overcoming this challenge by making reflection an emphasis in my career
regardless of how much effort or time it takes. Ideally, evidence based reflective practice will
become such a priority for me that it is something engrained in every class I teach.

The potential benefits of an effective implementation of evidence-based teacher

reflective practice are extensive. One of the key benefits that I see is consistent improvement.
According to Zwozdiak-Myers, an important feature of action research is the cyclical nature of
an on-going process to improve the quality and effectiveness of practice (52). Like teaching,
action research and evidence-based reflective practice are cyclical in nature. The process
constantly flows from defining a problem to implementing an action plan to reflecting on how
the plan successfully addressed the problem. Teaching is a career that aligns with this cyclical
thought process well. A teacher who is devoted to evidence-based reflective practice will
constantly adjust his/her teaching as the year goes on. If a teacher uses the same unit from a
previous year, he/she can fine tune the instruction of the unit through evidence-based reflective
practice from the year before. This kind of consistent improvement is not possible unless a
consistent focus on reflective practice is made. It is easy to teach something and then simply
move on to the next task; unfortunately, this mindset will not lead to an improvement in
teaching. I am excited to implement evidence-based reflective practice so that I can consistently
improve throughout my career.
In addition to aiding teachers after lessons through focused reflection, evidence-based
reflective practice will also benefit teachers in defining problems. According to ZwozdiakMyers, undertaking action research should help you to identify issues and address problems
identified through observation, reflection, and evaluation (66). When reflective practice is the
focus, identifying problems becomes more natural. Without the research behind evidence-based
reflective practice, the problems may never be identified (or they may be misidentified). As I
stated before, teaching is a hectic profession, and being able to identify key problems in the
midst of the chaos can be difficult. Evidence-based reflective practice is an effective tool that
will help me locate the problem at hand and find a solution to the problem.

Week Five: Collaborative Research and Writing

Based upon the quality of the articles we read for this week, it is clear that they have been
published in one of the leading sources of scholarly articles in the field of English Education,
the English Journal. When I envision the work it takes to write a piece similar to the ones that
we read for this week, I see the process beginning with inquiry. All of the articles that we read
stem from a scholar (or multiple scholars) identifying a specific topic that they have questions
about. Even if someone has been teaching for many years, there are still topics that require deep
contemplation. After a topic, question, or idea has been identified, research must be performed
to respond to the inquiry. We have learned throughout this semester that research can take many
forms. Obviously, scholarly articles that have already been written by leaders in the field
provide a solid foundation for thinking. Many of the intellectual explorations that we are
motivated to embark upon are really ongoing explorations; if one refuses to make use of

previous research as a foundation for thinking, he/she is not being an effective writer or
researcher. Beyond using previous research, scholars can also include their own research. While
this can be executed in a variety of different ways, for our purposes the clearest example is to
conduct research in our own classrooms. For example, one could conduct the informal
formative assessment of exit slips or an anchor lesson with informal communication groups
(outlined in Tim Pappageorges article Checking In) to gather data from students about their
opinions on various classroom practices. Once research has been performed, it has to be
evaluated before the draft of an article begins. During writing, a combination of logic and
research can be included to capture readers attention and help them understand the thought
process behind the article. Research can appear in a variety of ways in an article; charts,
diagrams, and statistics are all appropriate means of communicating research depending on the
content. As writing is an ongoing process, a draft must be revised multiple times by a variety of
people before it is finally published. It is during this time that collaboration with trustworthy
colleagues is of the utmost importance.
The topics of the articles that we read for this week are all intriguing, current, and
provoked by inquiry. It is clear that the content of the articles was contemplated extensively, as
each article is extremely relatable and interesting to the desired audience (scholars and teachers
of English). I was specifically intrigued by the article Meeting the Challenge: Beginning
English Teachers Reflect on Their First Year. Because I will embark on my first year of
teaching next year, this article was especially interesting in that it captured a variety of first year
experiences and how reflection played a role. I can also see how this article would be beneficial
for veteran teachers who need a reminder about how difficult the first year of teaching truly is
and the potential benefits of consistent reflection.
I imagine the writers of the articles collaborated through a combination of shared
brainstorming, data collection, drafting, and revision. True collaboration must include all of
these steps. If one were to only contribute by editing a piece, then he/she would be considered
an editor instead of an author. The group of scholars likely stayed in consistent communication
throughout the process of creating the articles, and they all contributed in a variety of ways. For
our purposes, we could collaborate by sharing our research and findings with each other and
drafting an article collectively. While it can be extremely difficult to effectively capture a
handful of voices in a single narrative, the potential insights that we could share through a
collaborative article are endless. For example, a handful of us could collaborate on an article by
pinpointing a single topic or idea for inquiry. With a specific idea and purpose in mind, we
could each perform research in our respective classrooms and test potential hypotheses that
emerge in response to our inquiry. Once we have each individually researched and put thought
into the question at hand, we can come together and share our findings with each other. After
much deliberation and discussion, we could narrow down a few key points that were either
consistent throughout our findings or are so persuasive that they must be addressed. With these
points in mind, the collective drafting, editing, and publication of an article would follow.

Obviously, these processes can also be executed in a variety of different ways, but the one
aspect of collaborative writing that is always consistent is that each writer contributes and is on
the same page as the other writers.