Reflection as a Means of Developing Expertise

Abstract

The preparation of school administrators requires strategies that develop the capacity of school leaders to make sense of unclear and unique situations or problems and to understand the complexities of schooling. This exploratory study focuses on a reflection process, in a graduate program in educational leadership, for developing administrators' thinking and decision making in building expertise. The rationale for the process is based on research in cognitive psychology. Analysis, both qualitative and quantitative, of student journal entries around critical incidents during the yearlong set of experiences revealed that change occurred in the level of reflection and complexity of thinking.

A Regression Model of Predictor Variables on Critical Reflection in the Classroom: Integration of the Critical Incident Questionnaire and the Framework for Reflective Thinking

“…As a method to analyze student journaling activities, this model holds promise for assessing critical reflection in quantifiable terms and has been validated in the research literature. As an example, Short and Rinehart 29 have also applied the SparksLanger framework in the classroom setting, supporting previous studies while showing the impact critical reflection has on student learning and the improvement of problem solving. Incorporating the Sparks-Langer scale to validate and measure significant findings of critically reflective thinking, Short and Rinehart charted transformative periods, indicating perspective changes within students' reactions to problems.…”

Using the internet to extend training in team problem solving

“…We were surprised that the participants rated computermediated self-reflections as being the least important training modality, because prior research (e.g., Short & Rinehart, 1993) has found that self-reflection is related to enhanced expertise. It is possible that the rudimentary electronic mail system used in the study did not make the recording of self-reflections an attractive task.…”

“…Each trainee was able to send Internet messages to and receive these messages from three individuals: (1) the linchpin expert, (2) his/her team members, and (3) him-self/herself (i.e., a self-reflection sent to the person's own Internet account). Self-reflections were included as an electronic mail option because research has indicated they can lead to enhanced expertise (e.g., Short & Rinehart, 1993). The Internet server was programmed so that all the trainers were able to read the electronic messages from the trainees, as well as those between the linchpin expert and the trainees.…”

“…Through CMC, ongoing training could be provided to workers who wanted to further develop and use their expertise in the natural work environmentFor instance, to promote the type of activities that have been found to be useful in enhancing expertise, a trainer could use electronic mail to provide the trainee with specific feedback about work-related activities (Ericsson et al, 1993) or to suggest how the trainee can use his/her mail account to compose and store self-reflections (Short & Rinehart, 1993). As a result of these considerations, we have developed and investigated a hybrid approach, composed ofgroup FTF training and CMC on the Internet, as a means of providing the sustained and individualized training needed to promote expertise in team problem solving.…”

Developing Ethical Knowledge in the Spirit of Judaism

“…Cultivating critical thinking by learning from Bible stories will help teachers develop more complex interconnections and the reflective thought characteristic of expert thinkers that, with appropriate practice, renders teachers more autonomous in their dealing with ethical dilemmas (Barnett 1995). In addition, teachers with critical thinking may become the catalyst for developing expertise in reflective thinking among their students (Short and Rinehart 1993).…”