The Constructed Self
“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” John Dewey
Thinking, specifically critical thinking, has been widely acknowledged as an essential twenty-first century skill and technology has revolutionized the teaching, learning and thinking space in the 21st century. Technology has also had a significant impact on the ways in which we communicate with each other. Learners, today, will openly admit that they are "lost" without their cell phones and, as a teacher, one of my constant challenges is trying to figure out how I can engage these digital natives and empower them to take ownership for their learning, even as I grapple with the rapid technological changes. My own reflective practice has lead me to various researchers on the subject of reflection and a major take away over the past two weeks has been the concept of self-construction through reflection.
The Difference Technology Makes
Benade (2015) observed that "[t]he role and status of digital learning in the twenty-first century, by both students and teachers, has moved to the forefront of thinking about pedagogy...and classroom practice" (p.43). When I think about my own classroom, Benade's observation comes into full focus as I am aware of all the resources available to the contemporary learner. I see them (students) come alive when I use videos or ask them to access information from our course site using their digital devices and I notice their level of disengagement when they are asked to read chapters from recommended texts. It is indeed evident, on reflection, that I have to rethink pedagogy in this digital era.
In an article by Thomas, Briggs, Kerrigan and Hart (2017), the authors presented "a curation framework" which they noted could be "used to guide the design of systems that promote self reflection...self presentation and ...support digital literacy" (p. 53). The entire article made for fascinating reading as I have to admit that I never thought about using Facebook, pictures and video (film) in the ways mentioned in their study. Thomas et al. highlighted the challenges of the "dispersed", "digital self" and ways in which "context collapse" can cause distortion of the selves being portrayed on multiple social media platforms. I have seen the ways in which students present the selves they want others to see and "like" on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and I thought, as I read the article, that using these platforms as digital tools for reflection was a great idea. The authors pointed out that social media was referred to as a form of personal museum (Hogan, 2010; cited in Thomas et al.) and indicated ways in which these platforms could be re-purposed for self-reflection. I immediately thought that this activity could serve as an empowering tool for students, especially as they could actually select the learning experiences they wanted to focus on.
Self-Construction?
As a proponent of Schon's reflective model I could easily see the reflection-in- action and reflection-on action elements in the contexts outlined in the study conducted by Thomas et al. (2017). I am of the view that students are able to make adjustments to their thinking and their actions as they experience different situations in much the same way that teachers can. I was further enlightened by Kinsella's (2006) article in which she made the connection between Schon's model and constructivist theory. In her article she cited Noddings (1990) who mentioned that "constructivists generally agree that all knowledge is constructed...through a process of reflection..." (p. 279). This idea was supported and developed by Osterman (1998) who stated that it is the learner who "constructs his/her own understanding" based on experiences (p. 4). It can be inferred that if students are guided in reflective practices, using appropriate digital tools, then they are fully able to articulate their own experiences. As they reflect on these experiences, they are able to make choices that will redound to their benefit. To a certain extent, they are engaged in a form of self-construction; similar to the construction of the different digital "selves" mentioned by Thomas et al.
I found it interesting that Reid (2004; cited in Benade, 2015) added "reflection-for-action" as an added dimension to Schon's model. I feel this is an apt addition as I think about my own practice. In my last class (and lecture) for the semester, I usually ask students what they found helpful, what they did not and what they would like us, the teaching team, to do differently. They are frequently quite vocal and forthright in their responses. A follow up to this informal activity is a more formal, written reflection in which they have to comment on their learning of a particular concept and how they will apply it to their studies or job. Also, at the end of each semester, after marking has been completed, my team and I have a wrap-up meeting where we reflect on what worked, what did not work and what we need to change, going forward. These talks, with students and staff meetings have formed the basis for major course review. Sometimes we acknowledge that the changes that need to be made relate to our "selves" as facilitators.
Conclusion
The readings and other material over the past two weeks provided much food for thought. I found myself thinking of novel ways that I could get my students to think about their own learning. For the past year-and-a-half I have been using WhatsApp and Google Docs as collaborative tools; now I am wondering about ways in which I could leverage them for reflective purposes. Perhaps I could even conduct research on the use of these tools to share with colleagues in a professional conference setting. So far, I have to acknowledge that my level of self-reflection has deepened since the beginning of this course. I do believe that my process of self-construction is well underway!
References
Benade, L. (2015).Teachers' critical reflective practice in the context of twenty-first century learning. Open Review of Educational Research, 2(1), 42-54, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23265507.2014.998159
Kinsella, E. A. (2006). Constructivist underpinnings in Donald Schon's theory of reflective practice: Echoes of Nelson Goodman. Reflective Practices, 7(3), 277-286. doi:10.1080/14623940600837319
Osterman, K. F. (1998). Using constructivism and reflective practice to bridge the theory/practice gap. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Diego, CA, April 13-17). Retrieved from: files.eric.ed.gov
Thomas, L., Briggs, P., Kerrigan, F. & Hart, A. (2017). Exploring digital remediation in support of personal reflection. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 110, 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.10.002
Thinking, specifically critical thinking, has been widely acknowledged as an essential twenty-first century skill and technology has revolutionized the teaching, learning and thinking space in the 21st century. Technology has also had a significant impact on the ways in which we communicate with each other. Learners, today, will openly admit that they are "lost" without their cell phones and, as a teacher, one of my constant challenges is trying to figure out how I can engage these digital natives and empower them to take ownership for their learning, even as I grapple with the rapid technological changes. My own reflective practice has lead me to various researchers on the subject of reflection and a major take away over the past two weeks has been the concept of self-construction through reflection.
The Difference Technology Makes
Benade (2015) observed that "[t]he role and status of digital learning in the twenty-first century, by both students and teachers, has moved to the forefront of thinking about pedagogy...and classroom practice" (p.43). When I think about my own classroom, Benade's observation comes into full focus as I am aware of all the resources available to the contemporary learner. I see them (students) come alive when I use videos or ask them to access information from our course site using their digital devices and I notice their level of disengagement when they are asked to read chapters from recommended texts. It is indeed evident, on reflection, that I have to rethink pedagogy in this digital era.
In an article by Thomas, Briggs, Kerrigan and Hart (2017), the authors presented "a curation framework" which they noted could be "used to guide the design of systems that promote self reflection...self presentation and ...support digital literacy" (p. 53). The entire article made for fascinating reading as I have to admit that I never thought about using Facebook, pictures and video (film) in the ways mentioned in their study. Thomas et al. highlighted the challenges of the "dispersed", "digital self" and ways in which "context collapse" can cause distortion of the selves being portrayed on multiple social media platforms. I have seen the ways in which students present the selves they want others to see and "like" on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and I thought, as I read the article, that using these platforms as digital tools for reflection was a great idea. The authors pointed out that social media was referred to as a form of personal museum (Hogan, 2010; cited in Thomas et al.) and indicated ways in which these platforms could be re-purposed for self-reflection. I immediately thought that this activity could serve as an empowering tool for students, especially as they could actually select the learning experiences they wanted to focus on.
Self-Construction?
As a proponent of Schon's reflective model I could easily see the reflection-in- action and reflection-on action elements in the contexts outlined in the study conducted by Thomas et al. (2017). I am of the view that students are able to make adjustments to their thinking and their actions as they experience different situations in much the same way that teachers can. I was further enlightened by Kinsella's (2006) article in which she made the connection between Schon's model and constructivist theory. In her article she cited Noddings (1990) who mentioned that "constructivists generally agree that all knowledge is constructed...through a process of reflection..." (p. 279). This idea was supported and developed by Osterman (1998) who stated that it is the learner who "constructs his/her own understanding" based on experiences (p. 4). It can be inferred that if students are guided in reflective practices, using appropriate digital tools, then they are fully able to articulate their own experiences. As they reflect on these experiences, they are able to make choices that will redound to their benefit. To a certain extent, they are engaged in a form of self-construction; similar to the construction of the different digital "selves" mentioned by Thomas et al.
I found it interesting that Reid (2004; cited in Benade, 2015) added "reflection-for-action" as an added dimension to Schon's model. I feel this is an apt addition as I think about my own practice. In my last class (and lecture) for the semester, I usually ask students what they found helpful, what they did not and what they would like us, the teaching team, to do differently. They are frequently quite vocal and forthright in their responses. A follow up to this informal activity is a more formal, written reflection in which they have to comment on their learning of a particular concept and how they will apply it to their studies or job. Also, at the end of each semester, after marking has been completed, my team and I have a wrap-up meeting where we reflect on what worked, what did not work and what we need to change, going forward. These talks, with students and staff meetings have formed the basis for major course review. Sometimes we acknowledge that the changes that need to be made relate to our "selves" as facilitators.
Conclusion
The readings and other material over the past two weeks provided much food for thought. I found myself thinking of novel ways that I could get my students to think about their own learning. For the past year-and-a-half I have been using WhatsApp and Google Docs as collaborative tools; now I am wondering about ways in which I could leverage them for reflective purposes. Perhaps I could even conduct research on the use of these tools to share with colleagues in a professional conference setting. So far, I have to acknowledge that my level of self-reflection has deepened since the beginning of this course. I do believe that my process of self-construction is well underway!
References
Benade, L. (2015).Teachers' critical reflective practice in the context of twenty-first century learning. Open Review of Educational Research, 2(1), 42-54, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23265507.2014.998159
Kinsella, E. A. (2006). Constructivist underpinnings in Donald Schon's theory of reflective practice: Echoes of Nelson Goodman. Reflective Practices, 7(3), 277-286. doi:10.1080/14623940600837319
Osterman, K. F. (1998). Using constructivism and reflective practice to bridge the theory/practice gap. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Diego, CA, April 13-17). Retrieved from: files.eric.ed.gov
Thomas, L., Briggs, P., Kerrigan, F. & Hart, A. (2017). Exploring digital remediation in support of personal reflection. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 110, 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.10.002
This was quite an insightful post . I to found myself draw to Schon's model. When doing our graded discussion entries and requesting peer feedback from my colleagues, I had to make an intentional effort to visit other reflective theory view points and do as much research to gain a deeper understanding whenever possible. This research proved to be quite useful if combined with other colleagues takes on the same theory in question , it allowed me to explore their strategies for choosing certain model approaches and techniques. By so doing, I got a clearer understanding of my colleagues’ rationales and can thus reflect on whether or not these strategies might be a good fit for the courses that I teach.
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