Proposal Title
Digging for ponies: reflection, feedback, accountability, and social support for STEM educators
Session Type
Panel Discussion
Room
HSB 35
Start Date
3-7-2019 10:00 AM
Keywords
critical reflection, feedback, professional development, reflective teaching
Primary Threads
None of the Above
Abstract
“There must be a pony somewhere!”
The value of critical reflection of teaching in higher education is increasingly being recognized for its use in ongoing professional improvement. Indeed, a purposeful reflective practice was used as a criterion to distinguish “expert” from “novice” instructors in a recent study aiming to quantify differences between novices and experts (Auerbach et al. 2018). However, reflection and feedback can be challenging on a number of levels, such as concerns have been raised about some traditional feedback approaches (e.g. student evaluations of teaching).
With that in mind, one year ago, a group of Biology educators from different universities in Ontario embarked upon a critical reflection practise project. Together, we sought to develop a better understanding of how reflection and feedback could affect our teaching, while supporting one another and keeping each other accountable. It’s been an eventful year (in different ways for each of us)!
This session will introduce the literature on critical reflection and feedback in STEM teaching, share our own experiences and lessons learned, and provide tips and materials for others who would like to undertake their own reflection project. Participants will leave this session with resources and practical steps for continuing their professional reflection individually or in reflection groups.
Elements of Engagement
The session will be an interactive panel discussion, involving session participants in discussions and reflection activities (including breakout groups). Participants will be encouraged to consider aspects of their own teaching that would be suitable for development, will have an opportunity to do a guided reflection exercise, and identify next steps for continued critical reflection.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Digging for ponies: reflection, feedback, accountability, and social support for STEM educators
HSB 35
“There must be a pony somewhere!”
The value of critical reflection of teaching in higher education is increasingly being recognized for its use in ongoing professional improvement. Indeed, a purposeful reflective practice was used as a criterion to distinguish “expert” from “novice” instructors in a recent study aiming to quantify differences between novices and experts (Auerbach et al. 2018). However, reflection and feedback can be challenging on a number of levels, such as concerns have been raised about some traditional feedback approaches (e.g. student evaluations of teaching).
With that in mind, one year ago, a group of Biology educators from different universities in Ontario embarked upon a critical reflection practise project. Together, we sought to develop a better understanding of how reflection and feedback could affect our teaching, while supporting one another and keeping each other accountable. It’s been an eventful year (in different ways for each of us)!
This session will introduce the literature on critical reflection and feedback in STEM teaching, share our own experiences and lessons learned, and provide tips and materials for others who would like to undertake their own reflection project. Participants will leave this session with resources and practical steps for continuing their professional reflection individually or in reflection groups.