The reflective practioner in Psychology teaching

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The reflective practioner in Psychology teaching

• Lin Norton
• Liverpool Hope University College
• Associate specialist co-ordinator for Pedagogical
  research
• HEA Psychology Network

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Outline of presentation

• Reflective practice
• Scholarship of learning and teaching
• Action research

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Reflective Practice Some background

• Two philosophies John Dewey (1930s) and Jurgen
  Habermas (1970s)
• Schon

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Deweys conception of reflection

• Concerned with reflective thinking being caused
  by some difficulty, uncertainlty or doubt
• Reflective activity should include some form of
  testing out ideas derived form reflective thinking

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Summary of Dewey's concept of reflective thinking
Active, persistent and careful consideration of
any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the
light of the grounds that support it and further
conclusions to which it leadsit includes a
conscious and voluntary effort to establish
belief upon a firm basis of evidence and
rationality Dewey,1933, cited in Moon (1999),
p.12, my emphasis
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Habermas conception of reflection

• Habermas more concerned with processes involved
  in devloping knowledge
• Of particular interest to us as Psychologists
  because he challenges empirical analytical
  enquiry

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Summary of Habermas concept of reflection
interpretations in social sciences are
themselves derived from form subjectively
influenced research and therefore a continuous
evaluation of the manners in which the knowledge
has been generated is required. While the basic
method of the social sciences can be
interpretive, critical or evalautive processes of
enquiry are necessary to create a critique that
can foster self-understanding and a questioning
of the processes by which interpretative enquiry
can be subject to distortion. (Moon, 1999, p.14)
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Development of philosphies applied to Education

• Work of Donald SchÖn (1983) The reflective
  practioner
• SchÖns thinking developed from earlier work with
  Argyris on the distinction between
• Espoused theories and Theories in use
• Argyris, C SchÖn, D. (1974) Theory into
  practice. San Francisco Jossey Bass

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Espoused theories and theories in use in HE
context
Espoused theories are supposed to characterise
the profession Q What are the espoused theories
of teaching degree level psychology in your HEI?
(What are your beliefs about teaching Psychology
at university? Where have they come
from?) Theories in use are what characterises
day to day work of the professional Q What are
your theories in use? Do they differ from your
espoused theories and if so, why?
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Practical suggestions for being a reflective
practitioner through pedagogical research

• Challenge your own assumptions and values by
  engaging with SOTL literature
• Engage in CPD
• Carry out your own research into teaching and
  learning
• Place of action research

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Pedagogical action research

• Subject research
• Pedagogical research
• Theoretical
• Applied
• Action research
• Pedagogical Action Research

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The Government Agenda on widening participation

• Continue to increase participation of 18-30yr
  olds to 50
• Meet economy's need for higher level skills
• Raise participation for students from
  non-traditional backgrounds and lower income
  families
• Establish stronger links with business and
  economy
• (DfES, 2003).   

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Why is it important for Psychology teachers to be
reflective practitioners?

• The government agenda (widening participation and
  the professionalisation of university teachers)
• The demands of the Psychology profession (BPS
  requirements for Continuing Professional
  Development and the goals of the Division for
  Teachers and Researchers in Psychology)
• Personal satisfaction

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The Student Experience

• Since the diversity of students has so
  dramatically increased, our previous assumptions
  about them may be very wide of the mark (Gibbs
  Simpson, 2003)
• Sophistication of knowledge background
• Study skills
• Conceptions of learning (Saljo,1979 Marton,
  DallAlba Beatty,1993)
• Conception of knowledge (Perry, 1970)
• Expectations of higher education (Sander et al,
  2000)

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First year Psychology students

• Do not read readily
• Are not as numerate or as computerate as we
  assume
• Do not find it easy to write (essays, lab
  reports, exam answers)
• Dislike group work and team working and
  presentations
• Have a conception of learning that is passive and
  incremental rather than active and
  transformational
• Believe that knowledge is certain and stable
• Are strategic in their approaches to studying
  (they see the assessment as defining the
  curriculum)
• Expect that they will be taught rather than
  having to be autonomous learners
• Distrust self and peer assessment
• Are scared of problem-based learning approaches

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Aims of the BPS Division for Teachers and
Researchers in Psychology

• To promote the highest standards of excellence in
  both teaching and research
• To ensure that the essential mutual relationship
  between teaching and research, which is so
  special in psychological science, is sustained
  wherever psychologists are engaged in teaching
• To promote the application of psychological
  knowledge in the teaching of psychology

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Some questions to promote reflective practice in
teaching psychology (Brown, 1999)

• What kinds of things do we want our students to
  learn?
• What learning opportunities do we provide?
• What feedback do we provide?
• What assessment tasks do we set?
• What methods of assessment do we use?
• What do the students learn?
• HOW DO WE KNOW?.

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How do we know???

• Through assessment? strategic students,
  declarative rather than functioning knowledge
  (Biggs 2002)
• Through course evaluation? influenced by
  student characteristics and lecture charisma
• Through pedagogical research generic
  (scholarship of teaching and learning) and
  subject specific (R2P)
• Through carrying out our own action research
  where the aim is to modify practice

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A prime resource for Psychology teachers
Applying Psychology disciplinary knowledge to
Psychology Teaching and Learning Lucy
Zinkewicz, Nick Hammond Annie Trapp
Report from the R2P project Integrating
pedagogical research into teaching practice in
Psychology
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Action Research
The primary aim of action research is to solve a
problem within the process of the research. In
the context of teaching psychology, it
contributes both to pedagogical knowledge and to
the subsequent modification of our teaching
practice. It is a cyclical process of planning,
action, and investigating the state of affairs
after action has occurred Lindsay, Breen
Jenkins (2002)
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Recent examples of action research issues in
Psychology

• Should a research methods course be teacher led
  or student-orientated? (Shortt, 2002 Mason,
  2002)
• Can we use more detailed assessment criteria to
  increase marking reliability and give better
  feedback to students? (Elander, 2002)
• How can we deal with students dislike of
  presentations? (Sander, Sanders Stevenson,
  2002)
• How can we respond to students need for more
  tutor support and contact into a work-based
  module? (Wrennall Forbes, 2002)

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So what does it mean for us and our teaching
Psychology?

• Being actively involved in developing our own
  practice is one of the most satisfying aspects of
  our teaching work.
• The processes involved in researching our own
  teaching is an effective way of developing
  ourselves as reflective practitioners .
• The changing nature of higher education makes it
  necessary to know which changes work and which do
  not.

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So what does it mean for us and our teaching
Psychology cont?..

• Pedagogical publications will help
  professionalise the role of the Psychology
  teacher in higher education.
• The knowledge that we get from researching our
  own teaching can be put to immediate practical
  use, unlike some more theoretical or abstract
  research.
• Researching our own teaching encourages us to
  learn from the wider pedagogical research
  literature.
• Pedagogical research is increasingly being
  recognised as RAE research output.

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So what does it mean for us and our teaching
Psychology cont?..
Last, but not least, researching our teaching
practice and our students learning plugs us into
a fellowship of psychology university teachers
who have similar interests, concerns and
commitments. This leads to research
collaborations and the opportunity to bid for
funding to further develop our learning and
teaching initiatives. HEA Psychology network is
the very best source of support for this
fellowship . Please also consider the benefits
of joining the BPS Division for Teachers and
Researchers in Psychology and contributing
articles to Psychology Teaching Review