Examining and Facilitating Reflection to Improve Professional Practice

"This book is timely, extremely powerful, and perfectly complements standards-based teacher education programs. Undergraduate education students are frequently asked to reflect on their reading, learning, and planning, but they do not fully know how to do so. Examining and Facilitating Reflection to Improve Professional Practice will help these students to more fully understand and experience the transformative power of reflection in their education, careers, and lives."-Terrell A. Young, Washington State University

"This text will guide its readers to more and more complex reflective activities that can be used throughout the many stages of educational careers. The informational content will contribute to teacher professional development by building upon learned skills that prepare educators to consider the impact of reflection on their practice and professional lives. Approaching reflection as a holistic developmental process is the strength of the text.-Donna L. Wiseman, University of Maryland

"This book is a much-needed resource in helping professionals understand the value and practicality of reflection to improve performance. By making the steps of reflection explicit teachers will be better able to model the process for their students, apply their newly discovered insights to instruction, and more fully address related standards.-Kathy Brashears, Tennessee Technological University

Examining and Facilitating Reflection to Improve Professional Practice is specifically designed and organized to be used throughout a teacher-education program from an introductory foundations course, continuing through content-specific methods classes to graduate-level theory seminars, and, ultimately to professional development workshops. The authors provide a method for directly instructing students on the practice of reflection- -that reflection is simply more than keeping a journal or summarizing the days' activities and the understanding and identification of developmental phases of reflection. Closely aligned with the reflections standards set by INTASC, NCATE, and NBPST, this book is essential as universities and colleges seek to have reflection as a standard skill set for classroom teachers and educational administrators.

Ann Shelby Harris is professor of education at Austin Peay State University. She is a reading specialist and has taught methods classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Benita Bruster is assistant professor at Austin Peay State University, College of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning. She teaches courses in literacy, curriculum and instruction, and assessment and evaluation at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Barbara Peterson is assistant professor of education at Austin Peay State University. She is coordinator of clinical teaching and teaches classes in Educational Psychology at the graduate level.
Tammy Shutt is associate professor in Educational Leadership Studies at Austin Peay State University. She currently teaches courses in educational leadership, educational research, and statistics at the graduate levels.