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

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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Jul 3rd, 10:00 AM

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.