Module

Reflecting on Educational Practices

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

This module is focused on experiencing and reflecting on educational practices. The module involves two parts: a series of lectures and seminars focusing on critical reflection, experiential learning and professional development within education; and a set of educational experiences. It allows you the unique opportunity to observe, experience and reflect on practice and to use this as an opportunity for personal, professional and academic development. The module will provide you with the tools to reflect critically upon your  experience of educational practices. You will also be encouraged to reflect on your learning in your experience of educational practices and to consider how this relates to the wider issues, processes, practices, policies and theoretical ideas that you have explored in your academic study.  This module thus strongly supports you in connecting theory and practice.

The educational experience of practice may either: be based on curated digital online activities; take place physically in a place of education; or occur in a virtual place of education.  In the curated digital online activities, you would engage with a wealth of initial resources selected by module tutors to allow you to experience a variety of educational settings, and will build on this independently to develop your own particular focus. You will have the opportunity to search for your own physical/virtual experience, and support in this process may be available from the college  Employability and Placement Advisor.   It is not expected that experiences will take place in the formal school setting. You are encouraged to think about the variety of settings where education might occur and to consider experiences which will challenge your existing assumptions, perspectives and skill sets.

There are no pre-requisites to this module. You may require Disclosure and Barring Service clearance in order to participate in certain physical educational experiences, which will incur a cost. Please see information on DBS here: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/dbs/request/.

Module aims - intentions of the module

• To support and develop your skills as a critically reflective and professional observer
• To provide experience as a means of supporting the development of knowledge and skills in practice
• To critically explore and problematise the issues and challenges professionals face in real-life education settings
• To enrich your existing experience of professional settings and your understanding of the places where education might take place
• To develop your understanding of experiential learning and what it means to learn through reflection
• To develop employment related skills which will prepare you for future work in the field

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Gather relevant practical data and critically analyse it for purposes of reflection;
• 2. Demonstrate ethical professional practices;
• 3. Critically reflect on your experience and observations and develop a comprehensive and sophisticated argument about what you learnt in relation to theory and policy;
• 4. Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of: key themes in education practice; areas of interest to you; and their enactment.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Construct organised, structured, critically reflective and analytic writing;
• 6. Critically engage with relevant sources of literature and current debates in education;
• 7. Reflect on and problematise theory, practice and/or policy with regards to experiences of educational practices.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. Demonstrate independent learning, self-management and organisation;
• 9. Critically reflect on your experiences of educational practices and discuss the implications for future practice;
• 10. Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, and communicate information and ideas clearly and critically.

Syllabus plan

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, and depending on your particular specialism focus, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following key areas:

• Models of reflection
• Personal development planning
• Learning from experience
• The key principles of reflective practice
• Values and professionalism in the workplace
• Key themes in education practice
• Ethics in the workplace
• Linking theory to practice

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Assessment

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Bassot, B. (2015) The Reflective Practice Guide. Routledge.

Bolton, G. (2018). Reflective practice: writing and professional development. Sage.

Brookfield, S. (1994) Tales from the dark side: a phenomenology of adult critical reflection, International Journal of Lifelong Education, 13 (3) pp.203-216. 

Crebert, G., Bates, M., Bell, B., Patrick, C.J. and Cragnolini, V., (2004). Developing generic skills at university, during work placement and in employment: Graduates' perceptions. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(2), pp.147-165.

Hébert, C. (2015) Knowing and/or experiencing: A critical examination of the reflective models of John Dewey and Donald Schön, Reflective Practice, 16 (3), pp. 361-371.

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as a Source of Learning and Development., Pearson. .

Larrivee, B. (2000). Transforming Teaching Practice: Becoming the critically reflective teacher, Reflective Practice, 1 (3), pp. 293-307.

Moon, J., (2006). Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development. Routledge. 

Owen, S.M. and Stupans, I., (2009). Experiential placements and scaffolding for reflection. Learning in Health and Social Care, 8 (4), pp.272-281.

Schon, D.A. (1991). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action, Ashgate.

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

Experience, practical, work, employment, employability, work place, reflection, professional