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This article reports research evidence of the enhancement of student teachers' epistemology of reflective practice through their participation in a formative strategy developed in the context of the Bologna Process in Portugal. Building on Schön's conceptualisation of the education of the reflective practitioner, articulated with concepts such as pedagogical content knowledge, approximations to core teaching practices, epistemology of reflective practice, and assessment for and as learning, the strategy was designed to be a sheltered reflective practicum to learn about language and literacy education while still at the university, before moving into real class practicums. Data collected through individual reflective writing, developed at the beginning and revisited at the end of the practicum, were subjected to qualitative analysis. The results evidence students' awareness of their limited initial and rich final understandings as well as of critical features of the learning process, expressing positive feelings and acknowledging the relevance of their learning for future practice. The discussion argues for the relevance of offering a sheltered reflective practicum approach while still at university in the design of teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the practicum is the most valued element of a teacher education program, how good is each teacher candidate's learning and how well is it supported by the university supervisor? While most self-studies of teacher education practices focus on practices in the university classroom, this article reports an analysis of a supervisor's practices, with special attention to underlying assumptions of the supervisor. Data permitted identification of patterns in the supervisor's pedagogy and in teacher candidates' responses to that pedagogy. The supervisor's underlying assumptions and the contribution of conversations with a critical friend were identified. A table was constructed to contrast the assumptions in two stances toward supervision, one characterized as transmission and the other as interpretation. Conclusions emphasize the importance of listening to each candidate's voice and including a metacognitive element in a supervisory conversation after a lesson observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has two major goals. The first is to establish a distinction between the idea of critical reflection (as required today in many teacher education courses) and the concept of reflective practice (as set out by Schön in the context of active professional practice). The second is to present some of the important lessons a teacher educator has learned from reflective practice (not critical reflection) during 40 years of work with pre-service teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This self-study of activities as a practicum supervisor in several secondary schools focuses on the supervisor’s contribution to the quality of a teacher candidate’s professional learning in the context of a familiar tension between on-campus courses and in-school practicum experiences. Data from both formal and informal supervisory experiences are taken from notes recorded in classes with those supervised formally, records of notes taken in practicum observations, and email messages exchanged with teacher candidates about their supervision experiences. Analysis of formal supervision experiences generated a series of insights into candidates’ experiences of the practicum, a modest innovation in supervisory practice, and important reminders arising from a significant error in personal practice as a supervisor. Informal supervision experiences involved visits arising from invitations to observe extended by candidates in the author’s physics methods course. These experiences generated opportunities to test an alternative supervisory strategy focused on candidates’ perceptions of their learning from experience. Related literature includes the topics of learning from experience, reflective practice, and the potential significance of an epistemology of practice. In closing, attention is given to trustworthiness, the personal significance of the study and connections to the teacher education literature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reviews 65 studies presented at the 10th international self-study of teacher education practices conference in 2014 to determine whether emerging self-study research incorporates the five major characteristics of self-study: self-initiated inquiry that is situated and improvement-aimed; undertaken collaboratively; uses multiple research methods; and demonstrates trustworthiness. We present an analysis of 63 empirical studies with reference to the five major characteristics and several additional criteria. Our analysis indicates that most of the self-studies reported at the conference were conducted within the context of faculty teaching programs with case analysis as the predominant approach; also, most were carried out collaboratively. Multiple research methods were preferred over single methods and the most frequent analysis was presented in the form of themes and topics. This review corroborates that empirical studies generally meet the major characteristics of self-study research, although not every self-study reviewed was conducted with a defined collaborative theoretical framework. Collaboration, use of multiple research methods, and trustworthiness emerged as three characteristics that were not always addressed adequately or carefully. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction is presented in which the article discusses various reports within the issue on topics including education development, coaching of teachers, and political literature.

Analysis of our own experiences teaching in preservice teacher education programs leads us to a range of insights, issues, and questions associated with the potential of seeing teaching as a discipline. We begin with the reality that teaching and teacher education appear to students as easy activities, while those who actually do them see them as quite complex. The unexamined influence of every student's inadvertent apprenticeship of observation is explored as an obstacle to seeing teaching as a discipline. We also consider the influences of the history of schooling and the history of educational research. We close by considering the role of parody and paradox in making it difficult to see teaching as a discipline and by calling attention to the importance of interrogating our acts of teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by John Mason on teaching as disciplined enquiry, another by Fred Korthagen and Mieke Lunenberg on professionalism in teaching and another by Geert Kelchtermans on self-understanding and reflection in teaching.

We explore the possibility of understanding teaching as a discipline in its own right, rather than as a domain that is ancillary to the many academic disciplines. While teaching looks easy and is widely regarded as easy, the image of teaching as transmission and the perspective of technical rationality mask the many ways in which challenging and engaging teaching represents a highly disciplined view. When extended to teacher education, the perspective of teaching as a discipline sheds powerful light on longstanding frustrations reported by those learning to teach. We argue for the conclusion that teaching is a discipline and that teacher education is the home of that discipline, with self-study as one of the central methodologies for making explicit the knowledge inherent in teaching seen as a discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a series of articles about self-study in the context of teacher education.

When the right hand washes the left, the right hand comes clean too. (Nigerian [Igbo] proverb) The notion of critical friendship is central to self-study. A critical friend acts as a sounding board, asks challenging questions, supports reframing of events, and joins in the professional learning experience. In this paper, we share our experiences of acting as critical friends for each other in two separate self-studies of practice. We discuss what we learnt about our practice from having and being a critical friend, as well as what we learnt about the role of the critical friend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional educators often advocate reflective practice; it is less clear that they model it and provide explicit instruction. Working with illustrations from initial teacher education, this paper describes the author’s own reflection-in-action that resulted in an explicit strategy for helping new professionals experience the potential benefits of reflective practice through their program of professional preparation. The author concludes that reflective practice can and should be taught. The results of explicit instruction seem far more productive than merely advocating reflective practice and assuming that individuals will understand how reflective practice differs profoundly from our everyday sense of reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superficially, reflection on one's teaching practices is an individual process that happens informally and leaves little or no trail. In unusual circumstances, reflection on practice can be very much more, and the impact on practice can be documented. This paper draws insights from the story of how a teacher and a student openly shared their reflections of teaching and learning during a Physics method course at Queen's University in the 1998-99 academic year. Our goal is to document how the reflective process contributed to significant professional learning. We are guided by the epistemological analyses of Schön (1983, 1987) and by the experiences of the Australian Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL). We conclude that previously established trust and reflective moves in our conversation enable us to reframe experiences in productive ways across the obvious gaps in our levels of professional experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the use of metaphor in the study of teachers' professional knowledge. Description of a research program initiated to examine the character and development of professional knowledge; Belief that looking for one's own metaphor is a necessary part of productive reflection in the teaching practice.

Argues that fundamental and longstanding problems of teacher education will not be resolved until new ideas for understanding the processes of learning to teach and the nature of professional knowledge of teaching is achieved. Suggestion that practical knowledge is held as ritual rather than on principle.

This paper reports data from a three‐year self‐study of teaching two types of students: science method students in theBEd program at Queen's University (Canada), and grade 12 physics students in a secondary school. By returning to the secondary school classroom after many years, I had the opportunity to revisit personally some of the challenges and dilemmas awaiting those beginning their careers as physics teachers. By listening closely to my students, I studied their experiences of learning as I experienced my own ‘re‐learning. One goal of my return to the secondary classroom was to explore ways in which I could model in my own teaching the processes of learning from experience that I wanted to convey to those learning to teach. From this self‐study has emerged the construct of'authority of experience’ (Munby and Russell, 1994) as a term that can inform reflective practice by suggesting to teachers that they give attention to their own voices and to those of their students, and generally consider the ways in which experience has authority in relation to other sources of authority about teaching and learning to teach. The paper provides data to illustrate this construct and its potential value to those learning to teach. It also considers ways in which this stance toward teacher education represents a reconstruction of educational theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Schon's [1983] account of “reflection‐in‐action” as a process of “refraining” experience as it proceeds has attracted considerable interest among teacher educators. But that interest has been accompanied by a great deal of confusion, perhaps because “reflection” is such a broad term with familiar meanings. Schon distinguishes the more familiar reflection‐on‐action from reflection‐in‐action that he sees occurring spontaneously within action. A challenge facing those who stress reflection as a central feature of professional education for teaching involves finding ways to recognize and record the process of reflection‐in‐action in classrooms. This paper promotes discussion of what it means to analyze teaching from the perspective of reflection‐in‐action. After outlining some problems associated with recognizing reflection‐in‐action, data are considered from studies of metaphors and personal accounts of learning to teach. One teacher illustrates the potential of inferring reflection‐in‐action from accounts of changes in teaching practices. Parallel documentation of observations of teaching and interviews about that teaching emerge as a promising approach to the documentation of reflection‐in‐action in classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the papers included in the November 2012 issue of "Studying Teacher Education" journal, including two papers about the issues of social justice in teacher education in the context of self-study and an article on self-studies by beginning teacher educators.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the challenges facing individuals who are new both to the world of an academic appointment and to the world of pre-service teacher education, a self-study of supervising teacher candidates during practicum placements, and mentoring of teacher candidates.

The article discusses various papers published within the issue including one about self-study and another about how school integrated teacher education influences identity and teacher knowledge in student teachers.

This section introduces a series of articles related to teacher education, including one on the transition from classroom teacher to teacher educator by Jason Ritter.

This article discusses various reports within the issue, including one which offers insights into the experiences of beginning teacher educators, and one which examines specific teacher education practices associated with the notion of listening.

Introduces a series of articles which deals with self study of teacher education practices.

An introduction is presented in which the authors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the teaching of physical education, the education of teacher educators, and the professional development.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including studies on the beliefs and practices of pre-service teacher supervision, self-studies of teacher educators engage in program renewal, and efforts to re-design teacher education program.

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the iterative process of learning about self and becoming leaders, developing a faculty learning community to improve writing-to-learn practices, and professional development.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the guest editors features topics related to the professional development of teachers.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics concerning self-studies of teacher education practices.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discussed topics such as the genre of perzines or personal magazines, the distinctions between preparing educators to use culturally responsive pedagogy, and the self-study of teacher education practices.

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including non-formal education, deaf education and language teacher education.

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the self-study, mentoring and professional identity of teacher educators.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editors discuss various reports published within the issue, including "Putting Philosophy to Work in the Classroom: Using Rhizomatics to Deterritorialize Neoliberal Thought and Practice," "Latina Professor Revitalizing Historical Memory: Resistance Politics and Transformation Within Teacher Education," and "Welcome to the Real World: Navigating the Gap Between Best Teaching Practices and Current Reality."

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses reports within the issue on topics including a feminist principle in teacher education, learning to teach foreign language through open journals, and situated learning methodology in teacher education.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Nathan Brubaker on the enactment of a democratic approach within his teacher education classes, Tim Fletcher and Shawn Bullock about literacy and Cheryl Rosaen and Marjorie Terpstra on the concept of literacy and its implications for teaching.

The article discusses various papers within the issue on topics including an account of the affective challenges one has experienced during his teacher education practice at Duquesne University and the experiences of individuals beginning their careers as teacher educators and researchers.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Ran Hu and Judith Smith on how their cultural backgrounds were expressed in the teaching experiences of their first year as assistant professors, another by Young Ah Lee on the supervision of teacher candidates from a social justice perspective by an individual working in a culture other than her own, as well as a reports by Ilana Margolin and Edith Tabak on the culture of organizational change and conflict in a teacher education context.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Judy Williams and Kerith Power on the use of the core reflection model in assessing a teacher educator's practice, another by Dennis Conrad, Deborah Conrad and John Youngblood on the influence of identity on their pedagogical approaches, as well as a report by Pernilla Nilsson on the lessons she learned from working as a teacher educator advising six engineering professors.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Arlene L. Grierson on her experience of the transition from teacher to teacher educator and another by Alexander Cuenca on his sink-or-swim entry into teacher education.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one about teacher education practices and another about self-study in student teachers.

The article discusses various reports on this issue including one about knowledge of teacher educators and self-study.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Todd Dinkelman, Karl Sikkenga and Jason Margolis on the transition of two classroom teachers to the role of teacher educator and another by Lisa Scherff and Jeff Kaplan on the phenomenon of culture shock.