RP or ‘RIP’: A critical perspective on reflective practice

Abstract

This paper provides a critical review of reflective practice (RP), drawing attention to particular problems with its representation, as well as proposing a more evidence-based and data-led approach to RP. Our central argument is that RP in the fields of applied linguistics, TESOL and education has achieved a status of orthodoxy without a corresponding data-led description of its value, processes and outcomes. Our concern is that RP is described in ways that are elusive, general, and vague and which may not be particularly helpful for practitioners. This is largely due to the lack of concrete, data-led and linguistic detail of RP in practice and to its institutional nature, lack of specificity, and reliance on written forms. It is also the case that, despite a small number of exceptions (e.g. Korthagen and Wubbels 1995; Walsh 2011), reflective practice is not operationalized in systematic ways.This paper argues that applied linguistics needs to champion a description of RP's processes and impact by drawing on data-led accounts of reflective practice across a range of contexts. Too many RP accounts rely on general summaries and so are neither critical, transparent, nor usable by other practitioners. A key aspect of developing a more critical approach is the need to move beyond rosy summaries of the outcomes of RP towards accounts of how RP gets done. Where possible we need to share examples of ‘reflection in action’ so that its nature and value can be better understood. We propose here that RP needs to be rebalanced, away from a reliance on written forms and taking more account of spoken, collaborative forms of reflection; in sum, we argue for a more dialogic, data-led and collaborative approach to reflective practice.

Reading Recovery: An Evaluation of the Four-Year i3 Scale-Up

“…More specifically, we find parallels with reflection in action-that particular kind of reflection that takes place in real time, as an individual makes sense of and quickly responds to a situation (SchÖn, 1987;Mann & Walsh, 2013;van Menen, 1991;Richert, 1992). This type of reflection occurs, Yanow and Tsoukas write, "in the midst of action, without interrupting what one is already doing, and reshaping it at the same time" (2009, p. 1340).…”

“…Despite the ubiquity of references to reflective practice in research on teaching, recent scholars note that the term is often applied too broadly to be practically useful (Mann & Walsh, 2013). Korthagen and Wubbels (1995) note that "reflection is a concept which is simply too big, too vague, and too general for everyday application" and point to a need for "coherent theories" that explicitly describe the relationship between good teaching and reflection (1995, p. 53).…”

“…Korthagen and Wubbels (1995) note that "reflection is a concept which is simply too big, too vague, and too general for everyday application" and point to a need for "coherent theories" that explicitly describe the relationship between good teaching and reflection (1995, p. 53). Mann and Walsh (2013), similarly, call for discussions of reflective practice that address its practical implications in concrete ways. The role of reflection as a concrete component of deliberate instruction offers one such theory.…”

A Corpus-based investigation of critical reflective practice and context in early career teacher settings

“…Since the 1980s, reflective practice has become an important trend in teacher education, playing a central role in the preparation and professional development of both new and experienced teachers worldwide (Schön 1983(Schön , 1987Calderhead 1987;Hoover 1994;Jay and Johnson 2002;Urzúa and Vásquez 2008;Bolton 2010;Riordan and Murray 2010;Farrell 2011;Farr and Riordan 2012;Mann and Walsh 2013). To date, reflective practice has been looked at in terms of content (Zeichner 1994); processes of reflection; or, as Jay and Johnson (2002, 73) highlight, how teachers think about their practice (Richert 1991), as well as programmatic features of reflection in the context of various programmes (Ross 1990).…”

“…Urzúa andVásquez (2008: 1936), for instance, have emphasised the importance of discourse in reflective practice, drawing on Osterman (1990: 138) who highlighted that reflection is observable in discourse since reflective practice demands not only 'a conscious awareness of the craft of practice but also an ability to articulate that knowledge' . Research from a discourse perspective (Riordan and Murray 2010;Farr and Riordan 2012;Mann and Walsh 2013) also illustrates the importance of investigating the language of reflective practice by using large bodies of (spoken and written) reflective data which facilitate data-led studies across different contexts, as opposed to the heavily theoretical accounts which have in the past been the norm (Farrell 2007).…”