Contemplating one's teaching is an essential part of teacher education. As instructors of a methods course with a tutoring component, we asked education majors in the class to author weekly e-mail reflections about their teaching experiences. However, they had difficulty considering their lessons. The authors knew poetry stimulated introspections.…

Telecollaborative research often focuses on intercultural objectives rather than language learning, and highlights limitations due to technical difficulties and poor task design. This study redresses the balance by focusing on language and learner interaction in an exchange involving the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners of 35 secondary…

This paper reports on a self-study by two teacher educators who used Korthagen and Vasalos' (2005) core reflection model. This model extends Korthagen's earlier ALACT model of reflection for teachers, to include deeper levels of personal reflection, tapping into the emotional dimensions of practice (for example, beliefs, identity and mission). The…

This paper describes the use of reflection journals in a teacher education course with a field experience, analyzing and discussing the results of using these reflective journals. Information comes from Education 75 (ED 75), "The Teacher, the Learner, and the Curriculum," which is offered at a small, Texas, liberal arts institution. The…

This paper presents descriptive research comparing levels of cognitive and reflective development among preservice and inservice teachers. A question about the effectiveness of the state educational reform law was used to collect data identifying student reflection levels. The question was presented as a written assignment to undergraduates in an…

This study analyzed 42 preservice teachers' reflection levels during their Master of Education program. Participants completed three types of reflective journal writing (reflections on selected readings, class discussions, and early field and student teaching experiences). The 21 control students received a 30-minute orientation that provided…

In response to state licensure standards, Ashland University, Ohio, revised its teacher education program. The faculty pondered how to build in ways that would ensure students were making connections between their courses and field experiences while simultaneously reflecting on their own growth. Portfolios appeared to be the solution. The…

This study examined a fifth year teacher, who had participated in an original project assessing the effectiveness of metaphor within collaborative reflection to help prospective teachers define, explain, and challenge their beliefs about learning and teaching science. Results found that using metaphor as a tool for reflection helped the teacher…

Since 1989, professional growth seminars at St. Norbert College (Wisconsin) have brought cooperating teachers together to share their thoughts and emotions related to the experience of student teacher mentoring. In these seminars, the mentors gather for mutual instruction and support. Each seminar series consists of six 2-hour meetings during a…

This paper describes three studies designed to determine whether beginning and completing teacher candidates reflected on their teaching experiences, in what categories they reflected, and how prompts affected their reflections. The research also noted whether teacher candidates' credential programs; modalities (Web site, e-mail, and paper…

Problematic issues in developing preservice teachers' capacities for reflection include: distinguishing reflective thinking from reflective action; immediate versus extended time frames for reflection; the complexity of critical reflection and the need to foster it over a considerable period; and the role of problem solving in reflection. An…

This research examined the effects of a process of digital video editing used to create multimedia portfolio has on the quality of teacher candidates' critical reflections. The target population was Northwestern Oklahoma State University teacher candidates. Subjects were 22 student teachers in the fall 2001. Subjects were randomly assigned to one…

This paper presents an argument for self-study of teacher education practices as a means-and-ends tool for promoting reflective teaching. The assertion is that self-study serves a dual purpose: as a means to promote reflective teaching and as a substantive end of teacher education. The argument consists of a five-part theoretical rationale for the…

The level of reflection achieved by preservice teachers (N=21) at the end of their Master of Education program is analyzed in this exploratory study. Data were collected from class sessions and field experiences during three quarters. Subjects engaged in reflection by writing in journals about readings, class discussions, and field or student…

This paper discusses email journaling for those hoping to become a teacher. The author discusses an innovative format she designed for journal entries that revolutionized her field experience supervision practices and those of other supervisors with whom she has shared this format. It has vastly improved the quality of the teacher-candidate's…