Improving Learner Reflection for TESOL

Pedagogical Strategies to Support Reflective Learning

Li-Shih Huang

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000403237
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Teaching Languages

Presenting comprehensive research conducted with learners and educators in a range of settings, this volume showcases self-reflection as a powerful tool to enhance student learning. The text builds on empirical insights to illustrate how language professionals can foster critical self-reflection amongst learners of English as an additional language.

This text uses ecologically sensitive practitioner research that addresses issues of both practical and pedagogical significance in the fields of TESOL, language teaching and learning, and teacher education. By synthesizing interdisciplinary research and theory, chapters show how various types of self-reflection—including guided and non-guided; group and individual forms; and written, oral, and technology-mediated reflection—can promote autonomous, self-regulated learning amongst students at various levels. Whilst offering readers a strong grounding in the theoretical and empirical knowledge that supports self-reflection, the volume gives constant attention is given to praxis, with a focus on effective pedagogical strategies and tools needed to implement, encourage, and evaluate critical learner reflection in readers' own teaching or research.

This volume will be a critical resource for language-teaching professionals interested in critical learner reflection, including in-service, pre-service, and teacher educators in the field of TESOL. Scholars and researchers in the fields of applied linguistics and language education more broadly will find this volume valuable.

1 Introduction

The unmatched influence of giants and major thinkers like John Dewey—who gave us one of education's most often-cited quotations: “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience” (Dewey, 1933, p. 78)—his student Donald Schön, and the many prominent scholars who have followed over the past three decades and made significant theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions to the field of teacher reflection or reflection practice is far-reaching. That influence transcends fields and disciplines. Yet while the adaptation of reflective learning has been gaining a stronger foothold over these last several years, it is safe to say that Brockbank and McGill's (2007) statement that “this approach to learning is more recognized in rhetoric than reality” (p. x) remains valid. Within the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) itself, the adaptation of reflective learning, while widespread, remains peripheral in implementation in the spheres of research and practice.

As I reflect on my own lived experiences, I find that my value positions align with those of Brockbank and McGill (2007), who said that “people are abundant in the resources of their experience which they bring to situations that are intentionally about creating learning in learners” (p. 4). My enthusiasm for the area of learner reflection began with my own practice, which I started in 1996, and my research, since 2004; more recently I have also supervised the design and implementation of more than a dozen recent original master's and doctoral research projects that have integrated components of reflection. I have also interacted with an active network of practitioners interested in learner reflection through formal, semi-formal, and informal gatherings and communications, such as conferences, workshops, and social media. Invitations I have received in recent years to speak to practitioners at conferences and professional organizations—such as, “The topics you present on and area of your specialization … resonate with needs of our community survey. We are especially zealous about learner reflection issues …” and “I’d love to put together a workshop on Learner Reflection, as it's a popular topic in our survey results”—speak to the need and enthusiasm for a book such as this.

During the past few years, the growing interest in this area among practitioners has been reflected in my invited keynote address (“Field-tested Tips on Implementing Critical Learner Reflection”) delivered to TESL (Teachers of English as a Second Language) Nova Scotia; my article (“Three Ideas for Implementing Learner Reflection”), ranked as one of the top ten most popular articles of 2017; an invited training session (“Teachers’ research toolkit for implementing critical learner reflection”) delivered to instructors of the Sooke Teachers’ Association; and an invited webinar (“Evidenced-based strategies for implementing critical learner reflection”) hosted by the University of Texas at Austin. The demand to understand something that we do regularly is evident; yet, most instructors continue to be left to their own intuitions and trial-and-error practice, often experiencing great uncertainty or even doubt over whether their efforts justify the gains. At my institution, by 2024, “100% of all graduating undergraduate students will have the opportunity to complete at least one significant experiential learning opportunity as designated by an experiential learning notation on their transcript or a validated co-curricular record”; the way that experiential learning is defined includes “students [learning] through doing, trial and error … ‘hands-on’ activities; … ongoing reflection on their learning, using the learning experience to continuously develop their knowledge and abilities” (Academic Program Review, November 9, 2020).

The central goal of this book is thus to take a focused look at a pedagogical tool that most instructors have been asked to use—either when they themselves were learners or in their own teaching—by applying the current state of knowledge beyond purposes of professional self-development, and instead placing the learners themselves at the centre of the reflective prism, and in doing so transferring to them the control of learning and ownership of the reflective process. Any instructor who has ever attempted to transfer ownership of learning to learners knows that it is rarely an easy transition. So let us simply address the elephant in the room right up front. From the perspectives of both learners and instructors, tasks related to reflective learning—an inductive way of learning that encourages observation, hypothesis-testing, and experimentation—are often met with groans or resistance because they are not considered integral to learning. This is so despite the extensive theoretical and empirical support for an instructional approach that is key to transforming learning beyond the classroom. Such learning is not part of the perceived “formal” or “academic” content of a course or program that learners will use in their academic or professional work. It is also challenging for learners to see the immediate relevance or value of such work in an age that demands instant results and gratification, even though learning how to learn is key to self-regulated learning.

Although there is no shortage of instructors who declare that their instructional approach is “student-centred” or that it follows the “student-development” paradigm (vs. the “subject development” paradigm; Bourner et al., 2003), the teacher-in-front, lecture-style transmission method remains the dominant approach, even if instructors self-report otherwise (Blackstone, 2019). It is also easy for instructors to find themselves going one step forward and seemingly ten steps backward, when experimenting with a more inductive approach to learning—one that is harder in the short term and often is not in line with a learner's initially preferred way of learning. It is equally challenging to sustain the drive to experiment when learners’ initial reactions deter instructors from proceeding. The process of learning to reflect mirrors what Andersen (2016) stated in her article “Learning to learn,” published by the Harvard Business Review:

I’m not talking about relaxed armchair or even structured classroom learning. I’m talking about resisting the bias against doing new things, scanning the horizon for growth opportunities, and pushing yourself to acquire radically different capabilities—while still performing your job. That requires a willingness to experiment and become a novice again and again: an extremely discomforting notion for most of us. (pp. 98–101)

I recall that, at one of my plenary sessions, the majority of attendees indicated that they indeed included a reflection component in their courses; most, however, did not seem clear about how they defined “reflection” or about whether their learners understood what it entails. The definitions generated in our warm-up ranged as widely as one might imagine. At the end of the plenary, however, one attendee came up to me and said that the reflective component had been built into his entire training in theatre and was thus an integral part of who he was as a teaching professional—so deeply ingrained, in fact, that he confessed that he really did not know how not to be reflective. Integration is therefore one of the keys to keep in mind as you embark on this journey. With practice and insights gained from your learners’ and your own experience, you too will notice that learners are capable of engaging in minimally guided or non-guided reflection, and that they have an increased sense of personal agency, which relies on self-efficacy (“the belief in one's own capabilities to successfully carry out a course of action, [which] influences individual effort expenditure, activity choice, and persistence in the face of barriers or failure”) and self-regulation (which “involves goal-setting, planning, self-monitoring, and self-rewarding”; Olson & McAuley, 2015, p. 887).

This book thus aims to help instructors support language learning by creating conditions that promote “transformative” learning, a concept, as we will explore later, often accredited to Mezirow's influential work in the early 1990s. This approach, which contrasts with surface learning, encourages “deep engagement with and reflection on our taken-for-granted ways of viewing the world, resulting in fundamental shifts in how we see and understand ourselves and our relationship with the world” (Journal of Transformative Education, 2020, n.p.). Drawing on theory, research, and practice, this volume explores the thorny issues pertaining to implementing and assessing reflection, which is subjective in nature with no right or wrong answers. For each theory, model, framework, scheme, procedure, or strategy, readers will be challenged to explore, starting from where they are, how these models and theories relate to their own journeys. This is how we would like our own learners to approach their own reflective learning journey until they find those conditions and connections that will enable them to embrace their vulnerability, to question what does not work, to spark their own aspirations by building on the positive, to ignite the curiosity that children naturally exhibit, and to enhance a sense of self-awareness as they continue on their journey.

Path Through the Book

The content of this book progresses logically through four major sections: “What is critical reflective learning?”, “What does the research say?”, “What can we do?”, and “How do we assess reflective learning outcomes?” as follows:

1. What is critical reflective learning? Part I (Chapters 2–4) provides a review of the literature on learner self-reflection in developing metacognition in language learning. In reviewing important theoretical concepts and models related to reflection and reflective learning, Chapter 2 covers how key terms are defined in the literature, and how our understanding is enriched by viewing such reflection through interdisciplinary lenses. Demystified for readers are the relevant key terms, concepts, principles, and theoretical perspectives associated with critical learner reflection, which then provide the backdrop to the remainder of the book. They are also integral to understanding the summary of research on learners’ reflective learning and strategic behaviours as featured in Part II. Chapter 3 considers the term reflection and its relevant key terms, principles, and frameworks that have been described or on which research has been conducted. It lays the groundwork for the study and practice of reflection by looking through the literature across disciplines to provide a historical context for its examination. Taking stock of what was established in the previous chapter, Chapter 3 then cuts through the different terminologies and relates the role of reflection to the learning process specifically, moving from a broad view of learning and learning theories to principles and theoretical perspectives associated with learner reflection. Chapter 4 zooms in on learner reflection in the specific context of learning English as an additional language within the fields of TESOL. It provides the important theoretical foundation integral to understanding the practitioner research presented in Chapters 5 to 8 on learners’ learning of reflection and their strategic behaviours.
2. What does the research say? After providing an overview of the empirical evidence across disciplines particularly relevant to language teaching professionals, Part II (Chapters 5–8) focuses on reflective learning through different modalities (e.g., traditional written reflection, individual oral reflection, technology-/app-mediated reflection, and video-stimulated reflection). Each chapter further presents a case of practitioner research, described in non-technical language, with two main goals in mind: (i) Helping readers understand the research and key findings in each study, and (ii) enabling them to adapt their own understanding of aspects of each study in conducting their own research projects, to be covered in Part IV.
3. What can we do? Part III (Chapters 9–12) aims to provide theoretically grounded practices (from Part I) and those informed by evidence (from Part II) for incorporating learner reflection into the classroom so that teachers may promote autonomous, self-regulated learning as mediated by different types and modalities of reflection. The main goal of this section is to provide teacher-educators and aspiring or current teaching professionals with concrete guidance that includes tools, procedures, and strategies, as well as caveats and options, for real-world applications.
4. How do we assess reflective learning outcomes? Finally, Part IV (Chapters 13 and 14) falls in line with the directions for research inquiry identified by the current TESOL International Association Research Agenda, specifically: “What evidence can I examine about how learners’ language develops?” and “What traits for describing my effectiveness emerge from student reflections?” (Coombe et al., 2014). In particular, it aims to solidify readers’ understanding of the research examples and strategies in Parts II and III by providing concrete strategies, along with caveats and options, for assessment for researchers and educators who work with trainee teachers or who collaborate with language teaching professionals. Looking at common challenges arising from research and the empirical studies from Part II, Chapter 13 offers strategies derived from the studies in Parts II and III for anticipating and solving issues that may develop when learner reflection and learning outcomes are assessed by researchers conducting practitioner research. Chapter 14 is designed to dispel trepidation in engaging in research by familiarizing readers with the whys, whats, and hows of implementing research involving learner reflection, before guiding them in problem-solving challenges commonly encountered when undertaking such research.

References

• Andersen, E. (2016). Learning to learn. Harvard Business Review, March, 98–101. Retrieved from https:/​/​hbr.org/​2016/​03/​learning-to-learn
• Blackstone, P. (2019). An investigation of pedagogical approaches and methods used in a French University French-as-a-foreign-language program: Teacher and student perspective. [Unpublished master's thesis.] University of Victoria.
• Bourner, T., France, L., & Atkinson, A. (2003). Preparing and developing university teachers: An empirical study. Higher Education Review, 35(3), 23–41.
• Brockbank, A., & McGill, I. (2007). Facilitating reflective learning in higher education. Open University Press.
• Coombe, C., Reynolds, D., Anderson, N. J., Bailey, K., Garton, S., & Liu, J. (2014). TESOL International Association Research Agenda 2014. Retrieved from https:/​/​www.tesol.org/​docs/​default-source/​pdf/​2014_tesol-research-agenda.pdf?sfvrsn=2
• Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Henry Regnery Co.
• Journal of Transformative Education (2020). Retrieved from https:/​/​journals.sagepub.com/​description/​jtd
• Mezirow, J. (1990). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. Jossey-Bass.
• Olson, E. A., & McAuley, E. (2015). Impact of a brief intervention on self-regulation, self-efficacy and physical activity in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38, 886–898.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction
• PART I What is Critical Reflective Learning? A Review of Theoretical Perspectives
• PART II What Does the Research Say? Taking Stock of the Research on Reflective Learning Across Disciplines
• PART III What Can We Do? Research-Informed Strategies, Caveats, and Options
• PART IV How Do We Assess Reflective Learning Outcomes? Implementing Assessments of Learner Reflection
• Appendices
• Index