Part D Reflective Writing

Abstract from USQ Week 15 

To remind myself it is not a descriptive writing 

I need to write a reflective essay based on my PE 

Be critical and descriptive in reflecting all the 5 lessons how student learning using ICTs associated with supporting theory and literature.

Also reflect how my future teaching could improve based on not so successful lessons during PE with factors incorporating ICTs into the lesson

Types of reflective writing

Hatton and Smith (1995, p. 48) end up developing four different types of reflective writing that are summarised in the following table. For Part D you should NOT be producing something that could be labelled descriptive writing.

Criteria for the recognition of evidence for different types of reflective writing

(Adapted from Hatton and Smith (1995, pp 48-49) Extracted from USQ Week 15 

Type	Description
Descriptive writing	Not reflective writing. Description of events that occurred/report of literature. No attempt to provide reasons/justification for events.
Descriptive reflection	Reflective, not only a description of events but some attempt to provide reason/justification for events or actions but in a reportive or descriptive way. For example, "I chose this problem-solving activity because I believe that students should be active rather than passive learners". Recognition of alternate viewpoints in the research and literature which are reported. For example, Tyler (1949), because of the assumptions on which his approach rest suggests that the curriculum process should begin with objectives. Yinger (1979), on the other hand argues that the "task" is the starting point. Two forms: Reflection based generally on one perspective/factor as rationale. Reflection is based on the recognition of multiple factors and perspectives
Dialogic reflection	Demonstrates a "stepping back" from the events/actions leading to a different level of mulling about, discourse with self and exploring the experience, events, and actions using qualities of judgements and possible alternatives for explaining and hypothesising. Such reflection is analytical or/and integrative of factors and perspectives andmay recognise inconsistencies in attempting to provide rationales and critique, for example.  While I planned to use mainly written text materials I became aware very quickly that a number of students did not respond to these. Thinking about this now there may have been several reasons for this. A number of students, while reasonably proficient in English, even though they had been NESB learners, may still have lacked some confidence in handling the level of language in the text. Alternatively, a number of students may have been visual and tactile learners. In any case I found that I had to employ more concrete activities in my teaching.
Critical reflection	Demonstrates an awareness that actions and events are not only located in, and explicable by, reference to multiple perspectives but are located in, and influenced by multiple historical, and socio-political contexts. For example, What must be recognized, however, is that the issues of student management experienced with this class can only be understood within the wider structural locations of power relationships between teachers and students in schools as social institutions based on the principles of control" (Smith, 1992)

References

Hatton, N., & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in teacher education: Towards definition and implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(1), 33–49.