This interview features insights on the article entitled, “Reflecting on Others Before Reflecting on Self: Using Video Evidence to Guide Teacher Candidates’ Reflective Practices” by Dr. Sarah A. Nagro. The article was published in the September/October 2020 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.
Article Abstract: A convergent parallel mixed methods study investigated the potential of one teacher preparation approach for promoting candidate reflection. Thirteen candidates participated in clinical field experiences and four corresponding seminar classes with guided video analysis activities. Candidates were systematically guided through focusing on others before focusing on self and explicitly learned about a reflection continuum using an instructional framework to build prerequisite skills and ultimately improve reflective abilities. Results of paired-sample t tests indicated candidates demonstrated significantly higher reflective ability scores over time as measured by a reflection checklist. Qualitative analysis of structured interviews revealed candidates felt activities were (a) a systematic approach to authentic growth, (b) a challenging approach to necessary self-confrontation, and (c) allowed for connections between self and other. Methodological triangulation was used to validate the findings. Implications for teacher preparation research and practice are discussed.
Question 1: What motivated you to pursue this particular research topic?
As a teacher educator, I am regularly encouraging my teacher candidates to be reflective and attempt to model reflexivity in my own teaching. I discuss the importance of reflection and approaches to reflective practice, and my candidates are generally in agreement. However, when I ask them to engage in reflective practice, what I typically receive is a summary of events without evidence of critical thought. This is rather meaningless in terms of developing profession-ready teachers. In this line of research, I had tested the potential benefits of repeated exposure to reflection activities and as well as the provision of guiding prompts, but these supports were not resulting in a change in teacher candidate reflective practice. I was seeking an intervention that had the potential to help candidates engage in genuine self-confrontation as a means for improving instructional decision-making. Through analyzing hundreds of written reflections, I learned teacher candidates (similar to novice teachers) don’t actually know what to focus on when reflecting on their own instruction. Even when provided with video evidence of their instruction, it is difficult to review the lesson and pick out specific teaching choices. Instead, candidates focus on student behaviors (which are the outcome of their own teaching choices), superficial aspects of teaching such as their tone of voice or clothing choices, or outside factors such as scheduling or classroom setup. I want teachers to see themselves as the change agent in the classroom rather than pointing to external factors to explain their teaching decisions. This is where the premise for this study originated. I wanted to understand how candidates might approach reflective practice differently if they had the requisite skills to identify their own teaching choices, analyze why they made these choices, judge the success of their choices, and then apply these insights to plans for future teaching. Given the data I had collected from past work that indicated how apprehensive teacher candidates are to review their own teaching on video, I decided to start with video evidence of veteran teachers. The thought was that candidates might be successful in learning about aspects of critical reflection through video analysis if they were not required to simultaneously self-evaluate. The results were promising, and this study has informed my future work.
Question 2: What current areas of research are you pursuing?
I have begun linking reflective ability to teaching ability and further, to P-12 student outcomes. I think it is worthwhile to consider the ways in which preparation directly leads to improved teaching and as a result, improved student outcomes. Focusing on these connections can help to inform programmatic decisions when shaping essential elements of teacher education. I want to understand how to promote meaningful learning and cumulative impacts for teacher candidates in order to promote retention of high-quality teachers. It is worthwhile to investigate if reflective practices used during preparation generalize to in-service professional practices. Specifically, do candidates adopt reflective practices as part of their own professional practice, exemplifying a learner or meaning-making mindset, when teacher educators and school-based mentors are no longer supervising professional development efforts? Identifying elements of teacher preparation that can be ongoing supports for candidates transitioning to novice teachers, stand to contribute to teacher retention efforts. The most meaningful learning experiences will have a lasting impact.
Question 3: What advice would you give to new scholars in teacher education?
My advice to new scholars in teacher education is to identify the ultimate goal of your work. My goal is to contribute to the mission of attracting, preparing, and retaining profession-ready teachers who are successful at including students with a range of individual needs in their classroom. Once you identify your goal, engage in research that questions assumptions and considers multiple perspectives so as to investigate the field comprehensively. Being receptive to differing viewpoints about your work, and more broadly about the issues that drive your work, can help you to identify carefully-considered and potentially innovative solutions to chronic challenges facing the field.
Corresponding Author: Sarah A. Nagro, Division of Special Education and disAbility Research, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. Email: snagro@gmu.edu
Thank you for supporting the JTE Insider, the companion blog to the Journal of Teacher Education. Please subscribe to the blog and follow us on Twitter @JTEInsider for updates!