MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL… Ng Kee Chuan Science Department Gaya Teachers’ Training College This is an action research on how to teach reflection among trainee teachers. It tells how I tried various ways to help increase the reflective abilities of my trainees. Among the methods I used were to teach the different types of reflections explicitly especially the higher order type of reflections, getting the trainees to consistently write reflections on their learning experiences and categorize their own reflections and giving specific feedback to the trainees on their reflections. From their own reflections and response to my probing questions, the trainees seem to gain confidence and clarity on the task of reflection after having gone through the practice with me during the semester. WHY IT ALL STARTED… During my eight years as a lecturer I have had a tumultuous relationship with reflection. It all started when I gave course work for trainee teachers that required them to write reflections on their experience of learning while preparing their portfolio. As I read reflection after reflection I soon became weary and bored because most reflections written merely dealt with generalities. I was not happy even though time and time again I asked my trainees to be more specific in their writing of reflections. My next encounter with reflections was when I supervised trainee teachers for their teaching practicum. They were required to write their reflections after each teaching session and also to record additional reflections in their journals. Again I encountered the same problem. My trainee teachers merely reported their activities but never really went deeper to make reflections on their teaching experiences. Then I started learning about qualitative research and action research. When I did my first action research, I soon discovered to my dismay that I too produced quite mediocre and haphazard kind of reflections. I then endeavored to improve my own reflective skills. I read books to discover how others did it and tried it out in my subsequent action research work. SO THE PROBLEM IS… In view of my experience both in observing others make reflections and in my own efforts in reflecting, I began to realize that making reflection does not come naturally but has to be consciously and explicitly taught. It is with this hunch that I embarked on this action research to explore how I could teach the practice of reflection among my trainee teachers. WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY… Donald Schon’s landmark book The Reflective Practitioner (1983) created an avalanche of interest in reflection. Even though this book does not focus on the teaching profession directly, its interest spilled over into the pedagogical practice (Bengtsson, 1995:23). Emerging from this is the focus on reflection in action as a particular form of problem-solving (Eraut, 1995:15) and reflection on action as a form of retrospection (Manen, 1995:34). What is reflection actually? Wubbels and Korthagen (1990) gave this definition on reflection: reflection is the mental process of structuring or restructuring an experience, a problem or existing knowledge or insights. This seems to encompass everything that is of importance in the educational context. Hart et al.’s (1992) pragmatic definition says that reflecting on their classroom experiences is a way to make teachers aware of how they teach and how their students are thriving within the learning environment that has been provided. Even though this might seem a rather general definition nevertheless it is helpful in that it points us to the two main factors in the classroom: the teacher teaching and the student learning. The educational world of professional development realizes that the practice of making reflections is an essential and crucial piece in the effort to produce quality teachers. For example Stein and Smith (1998:268) points out that according to the Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics (NCTM 1991), a primary factor in teachers’ professional growth is the extent to which they “reflect on learning and teaching individually and with colleagues”. Korthagen and Wubbels (1995:63-68) even reported that reflective teachers have better interpersonal relationships with students than other teachers and develop a high degree of job satisfaction. They also reported that student teachers consider it important for their students to learn by investigating and structuring things themselves, have strong feelings of personal security and self-efficacy and appear to talk or write relatively easily about their experiences. But how sure are we about teaching reflection as a blanket practice for all student teachers? Even Korthagen and Wubbels pointed to the difficulty of determining the relationship between reflective practice and good teaching. The problem of course is agreeing to what constitutes good teaching! Another matter to consider is to what extent does teachers practice reflection? This area is still rather unclear. In Malaysia, more often than not, teachers are so inundated with workload that they are either too distracted or too tired to make any extended or explicit reflection. The record books of teachers are just that – a record of the content taught. No reflection is required and the teacher who does write some sort of reflection is a rare if not extinct species! It is far easier to use the word reflection than to actually practice it regularly. Furthermore, what is the minimal standard before we can categorize a thought as reflection? Perhaps I have raised more questions than I can answer in this paper. But, it cannot be denied that reflection is expected amongst student or pre-service teachers education in teacher training colleges in Malaysia. MY QUESTIONS IN A NUTSHELL ARE… My main aim in this action research is to formulate methods of teaching reflection explicitly to others. Some of the questions related to this quest are: What are some effective ways to introduce reflection to trainee teachers? What are helps that can be given to people to make reflections easier and more focused? WHAT MY TOOLS ARE… Sample: My sample consisted of 37 trainee teachers from the Malay Language – Science option who are currently in their third semester. Throughout the semester, we dealt with process skills in science and microteaching. Instrument: I relied on my own observations and journal writing. In my own journal and portfolio, I sought to collect all the methods and ways in which I tried to enhance the reflective writing skills of my trainees. Apart from that, I also read and gave feedback to the journals kept by each of my trainee teachers. From time to time I gave specific questions for the trainee teachers to write about their practice of reflection (see Appendix 3). My trainees wrote their reflections and answers in the Malay language and I have endeavored to retain their expressions in their original form when used to elucidate my findings. Analysis of data: I analyzed all qualitative data by categorizing them according to their natural groups. A thorough reading and categorization was done through out the duration of this study. Analysis questions were given to trainees to find out the effectiveness and suitability of methods used to enhance their reflective skills. WHY THIS INVESTIGATION IMPORTANT… This study will hopefully be beneficial to educators who seek to help their students or trainees to carry out reflections upon their learning. It will also be suitable for teachers who would like to improve their own reflective skills. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED… How it all started… The first day started by breaking them up into groups. They wanted to choose their own groups so I consented. As they did so, I noticed that some of them were rather passive and just waited to be called into a group. Of course in such situations, some ended up without a group and I had to intervene to get them included. It suddenly occurred to me that this could be a good situation to introduce reflection. I used this situation to illustrate the cyclic nature of doing reflections: These were the questions I used to spark their reflections: What did you notice just now? (Observation) Why were some not chosen? (Reflection) What should you do the next time to get included into a group? (Action) Another situation in class also prompted me to introduce reflection. As I was conducting the class, I noticed one trainee who kept facing the window and did not look at me. So, I verbalized my observation by naming him and relating my thoughts as a teacher. I then proceeded to ask “why” questions. The whole point of using these real life situations was to help my trainees realize that reflection is not just answering “What” questions but also “Why” questions, that is to move from observation to more higher order reflections. As I did so, I noticed that they were now nodding their heads and their facial expressions showed that some kind of ‘enlightenment’ occurred. (Diary 1:10/1/01) I then proceeded to get them to do some reflections by asking them to recall what happened last semester and why: What was your experience like last semester when you did your course work portfolio? What did you learn from that experience? What is my reaction to this new course work portfolio? What did you learn today’s lesson? Wading through their journals… After two classes, I decided to collect their journals and read what had been written thus far. As I read 19 journals in a row, two questions emerged as my most common response to their writings: What new thing did you learn or realize today? What change has occurred in your thinking today? When and how did that happen? (Diary 4:31/1/01) These questions came to me because many were still locked into describing what happened in class. I also noticed that many struggled to find a focus when I did not provide prompt questions. I wrote: “When it was left to them to write on their own, many resorted to relating what happened in the class – a mere recording of events – and very little or no commentary of their own.” (Diary 4-5:31/1/01) Therefore, I find that in the beginning stages of teaching reflection they needed some prompt questions to help kick start their reflection. Another thing that occurred to me was that they needed to be taught more explicitly about reflections. So, I planned to do that the following week. Teaching reflection explicitly One of the main things I had sought to help them understand explicitly was that there were different types of reflection, that is: On the level of description, there are two types: Anecdotes: Describe an event that happened including personal comments. Observation: Significant, surprising, shocking, important or interesting matters. On the level of interpretation, there are another two types: Theoretical notes: Suggestions forwarded to explain an issue or problem. The aim is to interrelate and understand issues or problems. Planning notes: Suggested action to be taken to overcome problems and improve the teaching and learning experience. According to 13 trainees reflection that was taught explicitly and consistently as the main factor that helped them to develop a better grasp of doing reflection. Explanation of higher order reflection One of the critical factors in doing reflection is that trainees need to realize and be able to differentiate higher order types of reflection from the lower order types of reflections. Once they acquired this ability to differentiate description (lower order) from interpretation (higher order), they gained greater confidence in doing reflection. Pada semester yang sudah, keyakinan membuat refleksi memang ada. Sebab pada pemahaman saya, membuat refleksi adalah cara kita mengimbas kembali perkara-perkara atau masalah yang dihadapi semasa membuat sesuatu. Ini kerana pendedahan tentang cara-cara membuat refleksi tidak ditekankan. Tetapi dalam semester ini, setelah En. Ng menerangkan dengan terperinci panduan menulis refleksi dan pengertiannya, barulah saya sedar cara penulisan refleksi saya semester lalu adalah salah. Semuanya berkisar pada aspek pemerhatian sahaja. Saya rasa lebih yakin menulis refleksi di semester ini berbanding dengan semester lalu. Menulis refleksi mesti ada pemerhatian, refleksi, tindakan susulan dan hasil. (35:33, 25/4/01) Penulisan refleksi secara jurnal pada semester ini adalah satu cara yang baik bagi diri saya kerana ia dapat menilai hasil pembelajaran saya dari semasa ke semasa dan membantu saya mengingati kembali pembelajaran lalu dan mendorong saya untuk mengetahui apa yang tidak dan belum saya ketahui. Melalui pendedahan pensyarah bagaimana untuk menulis refleksi secara ‘DESKRIPSI’ iaitu penulisan yang menceritakan apa yang berlaku di dalam kelas dan ‘INTERPRETASI’ iaitu penulisan yang menghubungkaitkan data dan memahaminya, telah menungkatkan kemahiran saya membuat refleksi yang lebih bermakna. Berbanding dengan semester lalu, saya hanya menulis refleksi setakat ‘deskripsi’ sahaja tetapi pada semester ini saya lebih yakin untuk membawa refleksi hingga kepada ‘interpretasi’ kerana saya sudah faham untuk mengaitkan aoa yang telah saya pelajari seterusnya mengaplikasikannya dalam pembelajaran. (35:33, 25/4/01) Pada mulanya apabila didedahkan dengan deskripsi dan interpretasi…barulah saya faham, penulisan refleksi, jurnal ini serupalah seperti menulis diari. Tetapi hanya isi utama yang ditekankan. Kepentingan penulisan jurnal ini sebenarnya baik kerana saya bukan sahaja dapat mengingat apa yang sudah berlaku pada kuliah yang lalu tetapi saya dapat mengimbas kembali aktiviti dan pembelajaran yang lepas…Malah pendedahan deskripsi dan interpretasi telah memudahkan lagi penulisan jurnal sudah ke tahap/aras yang mana satu. Ini membantu kami memperbaiki sebarang kekurangan dan kelemahan yang berlaku. (30:31,33, 15/4/01) Notes which explained the types of reflection (see Appendix 1) and examples of the four different types of reflection (see Appendix 2) were given to them and further explanations were given. 11 trainees wrote in their reflection that the notes helped them understand reflection better. Melalui contoh-contoh refleksi dan penerangan yang diberikan oleh pensyarah, saya telah dapat meningkatkan kemahiran membuat refleksi. Selain daripada itu, penulisan jurnal yang saya buat setiap selesainya satu-satu pembelajaran dalam kelas dan seterusnya diberi ulasan oleh penysarah telah memberi input kepada saya untuk meningkatkan kemahiran membuat refleksi. (4:24, 25/4/01) Hasil daripada pengajaran dan penerangan yang telah diberi oleh pensyarah saya lebih yakin membuat refleksi pada semester ini jika dibandingkan dengan semester lalu. Iin kerana pada semester ini kami telah didedahkan bagaimana untuk membuat jurnal yang baik. Pensyarah juga banyak membantu dengan memberi panduan dan nota berkenaan dengan cara membuat refleksi. (16:30, 25/4/01) Another important twist in teaching reflection was when I asked them to read their own reflections and categorized their writings according to the four types of reflection (Diary 10:26/2/01). During that time, some came to realize that they were still writing on the level of description. This spurred them on to try and write interpretive reflections. Writing reflections consistently Coupled with this was the requirement to write reflections after every teaching-learning experience that I conducted with them. During the second half of the semester, I then switched to them making reflections as they carried out microteaching or observed their peers conduct their microteaching. This continuous practice of writing reflections after each class helped some of the trainees to improve on their reflective writing skills. Furthermore, some questions were also given to help prompt their thinking and reflection. (See Appendix 3) The comments written by some of the trainees indicate that this weekly requirement to do reflection eventually helped them to gain confidence in making higher order reflections. Cara membuat refleksi semester ini adalah berbeza sekali cara membuat refleksi semester lalu. Ini disebabkan cara membuat refleksi lalu sekali sahaja iaitu refleksi KKB. Mungkin pada semester (ini) keyakinan untuk membuat refleksi ada kerana bimbingan yang telah diberikan telah begitu banyak mengajar atau membimbing. Lebih-lebih lagi di semester ini setiap sesi pembelajaran ada sahaja refleksi. Mengapa ini menambahkan keyakinan? Ini disebabkan seakan-akan membuat refleksi telah dilatihtubi apa yang lebih penting mendapatkan nota teoretis dan perancangan dalam sesi pembelajaran yang akan dicatat dalam refleksi. (15:22, 25/4/01) Setelah menulis refleksi beberapa kali saya dapat menilai kemampuan penulisan refleksi saya. (24:32, 25/4/01) Penulisan jurnal yang kami lakukan juga banyak membantu saya dalam membuat refleksi kerana kerja ini adalah berterusan. Hasilnya daripada yang tidak saya ketahui kini saya telah mengetahui untuk membuat refleksi. (16:30, 25/4/01) I also collected their journals from time to time to mark and give suggestions on their written reflections. Pada semester lalu, kami telah membuat tugasan KKB secara individu dan terlalu banyak yang perlu kami siapkan. Dalam membuat refleksi, saya tidak tahu apakah yang perlu saya catatlan dalam refleksi kerana saya hanya membuat KKB asal siap sahaja tanpa memahami aktiviti pembelajarn saya. Tetapi berlainan dengan semester ini, kami diminta menulis refleksi setiap kali pembelajaran berakhir. Kami juga banyak diberi dorongan dan nota tentang bagaimana menulis jurnal dengan mengenalpasti bahagian deskripsi dan interpretasi. Kami juga diminta menghantar kepada pensyarah untuk bimbingan dari masa ke semasa. (27:23, 25/4/01) In summary… It was a roller coaster ride for me this semester as I sought to inculcate the habit of doing reflections amongst my teacher trainees. It was a joy to see my trainees gain confidence not only in making reflections but also in evaluating their own reflections. If I were to put the approach I used in a step-by-step process, it would be somewhat like the flow chart below: The first step is to illustrate reflections using everyday and relevant situations. This step is to encourage trainees to make reflections by showing them its benefits. They will also see that making reflections is a very natural part of the process of learning. Nevertheless, they need to realize that it is only too easy to forego making reflections because it does take time and effort. The second and critical step is to explicitly teach the different types of reflection. At this stage they need both the theoretical and practical aspect of reflection. This means they need to know the descriptive and interpretive types and levels of reflection. They will also need actual examples to help them see the different types and levels of reflection. The next step is to help them concretize their understanding of the difference between low-level reflections (anecdotes and observation) and high-level reflections (theoretical notes and planning notes). Emphasis needs to be placed on high-level reflections. When all these have been understood, then get them to write reflections regularly. This consistent practice of reflecting in action and reflecting on action needs to be carried out consistently because practice makes perfect. It is also helpful from time to time to give specific feedback to their writings. What I usually do is that I give feedback in the form of questions to help stimulate further and deeper reflections. What is more, we could also get them to categorize their own reflections so that they realize at what level of reflection they are operating. It will also encourage them if we pick out good examples of high-level reflections and read it out to the class. At the later stage of their reflective endeavor, it will be appropriate to give them metacognitive questions to help them think about their reflection. Questions that help them consider how they have changed in their practice of reflection, the advancement they have made and what helped them most in making those steps forward could be given to help them consolidate their learning experience. Closing words… Nevertheless, I feel that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg with regards to teaching reflection. Perhaps a further research endeavor is to find out how reflection actually affects practice. What are the changes that reflection brings about in group exercises and teamwork? How does reflection contribute to the teaching-learning experience in schools amongst students? That is another story… PENULISAN JOURNAL PETUNJUK PERIBADI: Gunakan bahasa, cara, format dan gaya yang anda selesa. SERING: Tulis secara berterusan. Anda mungkin tetapkan satu masa setiap minggu, sebaik sahaja sesuatu berlaku yang anda fikir signifikan, atau selepas setiap masa pengajaran dan pembelajaran. MARGIN: Sediakan margin yang cukup besar atau beli buku catatan yang tersedia dengan margin ini. Margin ini akan berguna terutama apabila membuat analisa. INFORMASI: Tarikh, masa, tempat, peserta, fokus, dan lain-lain informasi yang berkaitan dan relevan. BENTUK: Tulis dalam bentuk perenggan dan masukkan tajuk, sub-tajuk dan perkataan yang digariskan. ISI KANDUNGAN: Sediakan isi kandungan yang berterusan, muka muka surat dan menomborkan perenggan untuk menyenangkan rujukan. ANALISA RINTIS: Penganalisaan rintis dari semasa ke semasa akan menyenangkan dan membantu anda membuat refleksi yang lebih bernas. JENIS KEMASUKAN JOURNAL DESKRIPSI ANEKDOT: Cerita tentang peristiwa yang berlaku termasuk komen sendiri. PEMERHATIAN: Perkara signifikan, menghairankan, menakjubkan, penting atau yang menarik. INTERPRETASI NOTA TEORETIS: Cadangan yang diusulkan untuk menerangkan isu atau masalah kajian. Tujuannya ialah untuk menghubungkaitkan data dan memahaminya. NOTA PERANCANGAN: Candangan tindakan yang akan diambil untuk mengatasi masalah atau mempertingkatkan P&P. CONTOH REFLEKSI UNTUK JOURNAL 1. DESKRIPSI “Saya juga membuat keputusan untuk memberi setiap kumpulan satu aspek tentang cahaya untuk dirancang eksperimen dengan sendiri dan menunjukkan serta menerangkan kepada kelas. Setelah itu saya membiarkan mereka berbincang. Setelah setengah jam, saya perhatikan mereka agak tidak tertumpu. Mungkin sudah puas hati dengan perancangan. Saya pun menyemak setiap kumpulan bermula dengan perbincangan gambar kelmarin – bagaimana seorang dapat melihat jam di dinding. Mereka dapat terangkan tetapi apabila saya minta keterangan yang lebih lanjut., saya dapati mereka tersekat. Mereka dapat menerangkan secara kasar dengan menggunakan istiilah-istilah sains seperti “memantul”, “memancar”, “mencapah”, “membias”. Contohnya, “Cahaya dipancar dari tingkap ke jam dan dipantulkan ke mata orang.” Tetapi apabila saya mempersoalkan bagaimana mereka tahu demikian mereka tidak dapat berbuat demikian, Soalan yang saya tanya: Adakah semua benda memantul cahaya? Jika satu alur cahaya dipantulkan kepada orang di A, bagaimana orang di B dapat melihat jam itu? Bagaimana anda dapat buktikan cahaya dipantulkan dari jam ke mata?” (Journal:11-12 – 2/3/2000 10.50-12.50 a.m.) “Ada beberapa keraguan yang saya dapat dengar daripada keterangan mereka kepada soalan saya: Cahaya dibiaskan daripada lantai ke atas kerana melebihi sudut genting. Ada cermin di muka jam. Cahaya itu satu alur sahaja dari tingkap ke jam dan dipantulkan.” (Journal:12 – 2/3/2000 10.50-12.50 a.m.) 2. INTERPRETASI “Saya pelajari bahawa mereka yang telah pelajari sains dapat menggunakan istilah sains untuk menyembunyikan ketidakfahaman mereka. Inilah bahayanya apabila kita tidak mengajar konsep asas sains tetapi mengajar teori secara umum. Menghafal fakrif dan keterangan dari buku bukan bernaksud kefahaman mereka boleh digunakan untuk menerangkan situasi yang spesifik.” (Journal:12 – 2/3/2000 10.50-12.50 a.m.) “Mungkin adalah perlu untuk memberi situasi harian semasa dan selepas mengajar konsep-konsep sains. (Journal:13 – 2/3/2000 10.50-12.50 a.m.) SOALAN-SOALAN PERANGSANG UNTUK PELATIH (17/1/2001) Bagaimanakah pengalaman saya membuat KKB semester lalu? Apakah pembelajaran hasil daripada pengalaman itu? Apakah reaksi saya selepas menerima KKB baru ini? Apakah yang anda dapati daripada pembelajaran kuliah hari ini? (31/1/2001) Apakah pendapat anda tentang kelas hari ini? (21/2/2001) Apakah pendapat anda mengenai pembelajaran kuliah hari ini? (28/2/2001) Apakah anda rasa kemahiran membuat refleksi anda sudah berkembang? Jika ya, bagaimana?Apakah yang telah membantu anda mengembangkan kemahiran ini? Apakah yang anda dapati daripada membuat refleksi secara menulis dalam Jurnal? (7/3/2001) Apakah yag anda dapati daripada pembelajaran kuliah hari ini? (21/3/01) Apakah yang anda dapati hasil daripada pembelajaran hari ini? (7/4/01) Apakah yang anda dapati daripada pengaajaran mikro hari ini? (25/4/01) Apakah aktiviti pembelajaran yang telah membantu anda memahami dan menguasai KPS? Terangkan mengapa? Bagaimanakah pengenalan 3 fasa penyiasatan sains (iaitu perancangan, pelaksanaan dan membuat kesimpulan) membantu memahami KPS? Banding dengan pendedahan kepada KPS pada semester yang sudah? KPS mana (jika ada) yang anda masih kurang jelas? Mengapa? Apakah aktiviti pembelajaran yang telah membantu anda meningkatkan kemahiran membuat refleksi anda? Bagaimana dan mengapa? Berbanding dengan semester yang sudah, adakah anda lebih yakin membuat refleksi? Mengapa? Apakah pembelajaran utama secara spesifik yang anda perolehi semada anda membuat refleksi? Terangkan. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bengtsson, J. (1995) “What is reflection? On reflection in the teaching profession and teacher education.” Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice. 1(1):23-32. Eraut, M. (1995) “Schon Shock: a case for reframing reflection-in-action?” Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice. 1(1):9-22. Hart, L. C., Schultz, K., Najee-ullah, D. and Nash, L. (1992) “Implementing the Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics: The role of reflection in teaching.” Arithmetic Teacher 40: 40-42. Korthagen, F.A. & Wubbels, T. (1995) “Characteristics of reflective practitioners: towards an operationalization of the concept of reflection.” Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice. 1(1):51-72 Manen, M.V. (1995) “On the epistemology of reflective practice.” Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice. 1(1):33-50. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (1991) Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics. Reston, Va.:NCTM. Schon, D.A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. How professionals think in action. (new York, Basic Books). Stein, M.K. and Smith, M.S. (1998) “Mathematical tasks as a framework for reflection: From research to practice.” Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. 3(4): 268-275. Wubbels, T. & Korthagen, F.A.J. (1990) The effects of preservice teacher education program for the preparation of reflective teachers. Journal of Education for Teaching. 16(1):29-43. 18 PAGE 3 Kajian Refleksi 2001 ANEKDOT: Cerita tentang peristiwa yang berlaku termasuk komen sendiri. A B PEMERHATIAN: Perkara signifikan, menghairankan, menakjubkan, penting atau yang menarik. NOTA TEORETIS: Cadangan yang diusulkan untuk menerangkan isu atau masalah kajian. Tujuannya ialah untuk menghubungkaitkan data dan memahaminya. NOTA PERANCANGAN: Candangan tindakan yang akan diambil untuk mengatasi masalah atau mempertingkatkan P&P. Keterangan Konsep Buku dipelajari Penerangan selaras? Pelajar terjemahkan Situasi harian asas Appendix 2 Appendix 1 Appendix 3 Observation Reflection Action Results Start llustrate reflections using everyday situations Explicitly teach different types of reflection by giving actual examples Emphasize higher order reflections and contrast with lower order reflections Types of reflection understood? Trainees write regular reflections Lecturer gives specific feedback to trainees’ written reflections Appendix 1 and 2 Trainees categorize their own reflections Yes No Metacognitive questions on reflection End Journal Appendix 3