Seminars

Used With Permission from Daphne Oliveros http://www.flickr.com/photos/daphnerakstar/


Aral Pinoy conducts RI Seminar for FREE

 
Reflective Inquiry (RI) on Learner-Centered (LC) Teaching Beliefs and Practices is an initiative undertaken to inquire on how LC the participants are in terms of their teaching beliefs and practices and eventually recommend specific course of actions based on the results and findings of the said inquiry.
 
 

What is a Reflective Inquiry?

Inquiry as a method encourages and enhances thinking. Critical Thinking as a process constructs meaning and confirms understanding. Reflective Inquiry is where critical thinking integrates the reflective and shared activities of a community of inquiry. Thus, inquiry and reflective thought are conjoined (Garrison, 2004).

An inquiry learning experience (1) is problem or question driven, (2) typically has a small-group feature, (3) includes critical discourse, (4) requires self-direction, (5) is frequently multi-disciplinary, and (6) incorporates research methods such as information gathering and synthesis of ideas” (Institutional Learning Plan, 2003 as cited in Garrison, 2004).

Garrison (2004) describes Critical Thinking as, "(1) the means to personal meaning, (2) (re)construction of knowledge, and (3) an educated person. The addition of the adjective – critical – reflects the essential element of questioning and skepticism. To think critically is to make sense of things through questioning, debate, and confirming understanding collaboratively."

In terms of its educational implication, Garrison (2004) claims that, "thinking does not occur in a vacuum; it is thinking about something." Thinking is best taught as (1) an integral aspect of a course of studies and (2) acquiring a deep understanding of specific content. Reflective inquiry is seriously compromised by an excessive emphasis on content (Donald, 2002 as cited in Garrison, 2004). That is, teaching of thinking must occur in concert with the teaching of content (Garrison, 2004).
 

What are the results and findings of the Inquiry?

The wealth of data drawn from the participants through their surveys, reflections, discussions and recommendations will be collected in a systematic manner so that results and findings of the said activity can be strongly validated and supported through and by other sources or data from other areas/departments within or outside a school.

Painter & Rigsby (2005) provide below these two phases of the said activity, namely (1) data gathering through Reflective Inquiry and (2) the course of actions or the products produced based on the results and findings of the inquiry.


Reflective Inquiry:

  • Teacher thinks about why he/she "does something in a certain manner" and talks about how to improve.
  • Has a central question that is being explored; Q. remains static throughout project.
  • Teacher uses journal to write reflectively and collects some data systematically.
  • Teacher has gotten feedback from others to refine his/her inquiry. But. generally, does not systematically consult to get other perspectives
  • The subjectivity of the view is checked by only a few types of data
  • Researcher begins to show how research is tied to others' research
Course of Actions/Product Produced:

  • Improved classroom practice/new teaching techniques
  • Reflective writing may be sculpted into a short essay with some back-up evidence.
  • Contains findings that can be backed up by some evidence.
  • Presentation story: Tells a personal story that is backed up by some specific pieces of evidence about how to improve teaching practice.
Top
< Prev   Next >