Prospective Special Educators’ Reflection on Experience and its Integration in Studies at the Higher Education Institution
Author(s):
Remigijus Bubnys (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2012
Format:
Poster

Session Information

ERG SES B 05, Interactive Poster Session

Parallel Poster Session

Time:
2012-09-17
11:00-12:30
Room:
FCEE - Aula 2.5
Chair:
Fiona Hallett

Contribution

Introduction

Science society paid a lot of attention to the training of specialists in higher education. At the end of the 20th century – the beginning of the 21st century a lot of attention has been paid to the creation of strategies for learning from personal experience and understanding the process of reflection as activating premise to life-long learning. Students’ learning at higher education school involves person’s thinking, feelings, perception and behaviour. In order to improve students’ learning, one of the aims should be the nurturance of the abilities to reflect own experience. The experience of students is a valuable and essential source of learning (Osterman & Kottkamp, 2004; Moon, 2004; Boud et al., 2005; Janssen et al., 2008; Kreber & Castleden, 2009; Bubnys, 2011, etc.). The analysis of experience is the main activity of learning process, which is analysed by applying reflection. Thinking over experience is considered as the process of conveyance of learning action.

When solving problems of higher education, the attention is paid so that learners are too less oriented to acquire such abilities, which would allow them to choose and to assess knowledge and abilities as well as to independently use these achievements. Teachers can change the understanding about students’ learning by paying enough attention, time and efforts; by trying to analyse and explore learning process, by adequately choosing innovative and reflective teaching/ learning methods. Learners should not only acquire appropriate knowledge; and an educator does not limit himself/herself by its rendering only. Both participants of this activity have to feel that what they do is important for them and is related to what it is important for them.

Special education teachers’ work is specific because the activity is based on inter-relationship of education process participants, there are a lot of problems, which are faced in the practice, namely: personal contradictions, inadequate attitudes, experience of contradictory feelings (Pavri, 2004, Brownell et al., 2005; Blake & Monakan, 2006; Kirch et al., 2007; Welch & James, 2007, etc.). The higher education institutions training prospective specialists when developing and elaborating the implementation of the reflection into teaching/ learning can correct their curriculum. In the dissertation the following research issuesare formulated for the solution of this scientific problem: What actions make the greatest influence upon self-reflection of special education teachers and reflection on their activity and studies?

Aim.To describe and justify the integrity aspects of reflection of prospective special education teachers' activities and learning at theoretical and practical studies.

 

Method

1. Survey-in-written (by applying a closed-type questionnaire). The questionnaire created by the author of the dissertation in order to identify peculiarities of the expression of the characteristics of reflective learning of the students who participated in the research (389 respondents) was applied. Characteristics of reflection on experience and learning activity, involvement into reflection as well as expression of the need for reflection, internecine interaction of participants of educational process as well as cooperation in teaching / learning process, association and integration of theoretical and practical knowledge when studying, projected features and abilities of a personality relevant for a prospective professional activity. 2. Statistical analysis: descriptive statistics, multidimensional statistical methods were applied: exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis.

Expected Outcomes

Having assessed the integration of reflection on experience at theoretical studies at university, the following aspects influencing reflective learning of students have been disclosed: a) personal ideas and experiences of students are evaluated less favourably than the ones, which are conveyed from textbooks; b) students substantiate the importance of reflection on action and its integration in theoretical studies, but they seldom have possibilities to profit from their experience during the studies by discussing previously acquired theoretical knowledge. The students reflect on themselves as the representative of the chosen profession by identifying themselves with a prospective professional role. The fear of teacher’s authority forces students to conform and to obey by declining their personal positions or their opinion when learning. The control of the study process causes problems in levelling individuals and by not inducing reflective learning. The compatibility of attitudes and values of a practitioner and a student determined parity interrelationship, which manifested in mutual collaboration, adequate appointment of assignments that corresponded student’s responsibility. Successful interaction of a student and a working specialist determined students’ motivation to learn at the practice place by thinking over and founding their choices as well as meaningfully reasoning their activity.

References

1. Blake, C., Monakan, E. (2006). Wishful thinking or a bag of tricks? Helping the beginning special educator. Support for Learning, 21 (1), 19–23. 2. Boud, D., Keogh, R., Walker, D. (2005). Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning. London and New York: RoutledgeFalmer. 3. Brownell, M., Ross, D., Colón, E., McCallum, C. (2005). Critical Features of Special Education Teacher Preparation: A Comparison with General Teacher Education. The Journal of Special Education, 38 (4), 242–252. 4. Bubnys, R. (2011). Reflective Learning in the Training of Prospective Specialists at a Higher Education Institution. Beyond Fragmentation: Didactics, Learning and Teaching in Europe / Brian Hudson, Meinert A. Meyer (eds.). Opladen & Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich Publishers, p. 139-153. 5. Janssen, F., Hullu, E., Tigelaar, D. (2008). Positive experiences as input for reflection by student teachers. Teachers and Teaching, 14 (2), 115–127. 6. Kirch, S., Bargerhuff, M., Cowan, H., Wheatly, M. (2007). Reflections of Educators in Pursuit of Inclusive Science Classrooms. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 18, 663–692. 7. Kreber, C., Castleden, H. (2009) Reflection on teaching and epistemological structure: reflective and critically reflective processes in ‘pure/soft’ and ‘pure/hard’ fields. Higher Education, 57, 509–531. 8. Moon, J. A. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning. Theory and Practice. London and New York. 9. Osterman, K.F., Kottkamp, R.B. (2004). Reflective Practice for Educators. Professional Development to Improve Student Learning. California: Corwin Press. 10. Pavri, S. (2004). General and Special Education Teachers' Preparation Needs in Providing Social Support: A Needs Assessment. Teacher Education and Special Education, 27, (4), 433–443. 11. Welch, M., James, R. (2007). An Investigation on the Impact of a Guided Reflection Technique in Service-Learning Courses to Prepare Special Educators. Teacher Education and Special Education, 30 (4), 276–285.

Author Information

Remigijus Bubnys (presenting / submitting)
Siauliai State College
The Faculty of Health Care
Siauliai

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