Reflective Collaborative Practices: What Is the Teachers’ Thinking? A Ghana Case
- 1 Psychology and Education Department, University of Education, Winneba. Ghan
Abstract
With advances in using the teachers’ classroom as the foreground for teacher improvement, reflective and collaborative activities provide teachers with a positive attitude towards questioning their teaching in a variety of professional development contexts. This study therefore explores how teachers within one school develop their thinking about their practices, if given an opportunity to engage in a planned series of critical dialogues relating to their own classroom teachings. Using a case study approach, four mathematics teachers purposely and through theoretical sampling techniques were selected in a school in Ghana for the study. The field research included interviews and reflective dialogue. Key issues identified include the opportunities to systematically and rigorously diagnose their practices leading to the development of different reflective scales when reflecting. The process was found to be a tool for supporting teachers to critically think which is underpinned by social, political and cultural issues as a process to analyze competing claims and viewpoints. Recommendations for policy and potential areas for further research were also made.
- Akyeampong, K., Pryor, J. & Ghartey, A. J. (2006). A vision of successful schooling: Ghanaian teachers’ understanding of learning, teaching and assessment. Comparative Education, 42, 155-176. doi:10.1080/03050060600627936
- Amoah, S. A. (2011). The reflective and collaborative practices of teachers in Ghanaian basic schools: A case study. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Nottingham: University of Nottingham.
- Argyris, C. & Schon, D. A. (1996). Organisational learning II: Theory, methods, and practice. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
- Bereiter, C. (2002). Education and mind in the knowledge society. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods (3nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Comer, J. C. (1980). The influence of mood on student evaluations of teaching. Journal of Educational Research, 73, 229-232.
- Coyle, D. (2002). The case for reflective model of teacher education in fundamental principles module. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.
- Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Day, C. (1999). Professional development and reflective practice: Purposes, processes and partnership. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 7, 2.
- Feldman, A. (2007). Validity and quality in action research. Educational Action Research, 15, 21-32. doi:10.1080/09650790601150766
- Fielding, M., Brag, S., Craig, J., Cunningham, I., Eraut, M., Gillinson, S., Horne, M., Robinson, C., & Thorp, J. (2005). Factors influencing the transfer of good practice. Research Report, Falmer: University of Sussex & Demos.
- Fook, J. & Gardner, F. (2007). Practicing critical reflection: A resource handbook. Berkshire: Open University Press.
- Gallimore, R. & Stigler, J. (2003). Closing the teaching gap: Assisting teachers to adapt to change. In Richardson (Ed.), Whither Assessment (pp. 25-36), London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
- Hatton, N. & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in teacher education: Towards a definition and implementation. Teaching & Teacher Education, 11, 33-49. doi:10.1016/0742-051X(94)00012-U
- Heath, C., Crow, T., & Wiles, A. (2004). Analysing interaction: Video, ethnography and situated conduct. In T. May (Ed.), Qualitative research in action. London: Sage.