Johan Luttenberg

Teacher reflection: the development of a typology

In this article, a contribution is made to the discussion of reflection on the part of teachers. The discussion to date has shown that reflection must be broad and deep. However, just what constitutes broad and deep reflection and the relations between the two remain unclear. After consideration of the characteristics of broad and deep reflection, three domains of broad reflection are distinguished (i.e. the pragmatic, ethical and moral domains). Closed versus open approaches to deep reflection are also then distinguished which produces a typology of six reflection possibilities. Empirical support for this typology was gathered via interviews with 11 experienced secondary school teachers. The content of the interviews addressed actual difficult decision situations which the teachers had experienced, and application of the constant comparative method showed the teachers to indeed use the six reflection possibilities when they reflected upon the difficult decision situations. A clear preference for closed types of pragmatic and ethical reflection over open or moral reflection was shown. The conclusion is that the proposed typology can be used to map teacher reflection. The results further suggest that the breadth and depth of teacher reflection are in need of development and that the relations between teacher reflection and their professional behaviour should be examined in greater detail.

Looking for cohesion: the role of search for meaning in the interaction between teacher and reform

Teachers’ reactions to reforms are often perceived in terms of agreement or resistance. In this article, an alternative is explored. More specifically, the interaction between teachers and reforms within the school are explored in order to gain greater insight into the manner in which teachers make sense of the reforms confronting them: How do teachers relate their own frames of reference to the perceived frames of reference of the reforms. Based upon the relevant literature, four forms of search for meaning are distinguished: assimilation, accommodation, toleration and distantiation. The reform stories of four teachers are analysed in particular to show how different forms of search for meaning are employed and the role that this can play in the implementation of the reform. The results indeed show teachers to use different forms of search for meaning to construct a workable relationship between their own frame of reference and the perceived frames of reference of the reforms. The role of such search for meaning is to maintain a balance between continuity and change in the work of the teacher and a balance between pressure to reform and professional autonomy.

Reform as ongoing positioning process: the positioning of a teacher in the context of reform

In this study, the reciprocity between educational reforms and the role of teachers is examined. A social-discursive approach to sense-making provides a theoretical framework for understanding how teachers position themselves within the context of a reform. To illustrate the utility of such an approach, the specific case of a teacher involved in reforms is presented. The results show an ongoing positioning process and this process to constitute both the input and output for the interaction between teacher and reforms. The development of sensitivity to this positioning process appears to be a necessary prerequisite for successful reforms.

Pragmatic, ethical and moral: towards a refinement of the discourse approach

In this article we will address the issue of obtaining insight into the way in which teachers deal with the normative side of their profession. We outline the problem that forms the context of our question (the difference in the meaning of good teaching in the process–product model and in ethical models) and we discuss Osers discourse approach as a solution for that problem. His discourse approach appears to be a step forward, but at the same time leaves questions unanswered. As a contribution we introduce the concepts of pragmatic, ethical and moral. We show in what sense this conceptual framework provides a refinement of the discourse approach.

Understanding the complexity of teacher reflection in action research

Abstract Reflection in action research is a complex matter, as is action research itself. In recent years, complexity science has regularly been called upon in order to more thoroughly understand the complexity of action research. The present article investigates the benefits that complexity science may yield for reflection in action research. This article begins by explicating the sense in which the complexity of reflection in action research involves the role of values and existential knowledge in education. The gap between theory and practice is also explored. On the basis of a number of common features of complex systems (heterogeneous, open, dynamic, non-linear, adaptive, and co-adaptive), the sense in which reflection can be regarded as a complex system is discussed. To this end, the features of complex systems are translated into features of reflection in action research, which, in turn, are illustrated with examples from recent publications on reflection in action research. The aim of this analysis is to make reflection in action research more understandable and manageable. In line with this, it is argued that room for insecurity and unpredictability, combined with an explicit consideration of reflection as a complex system, contributes to the use of complexity as a stimulus for new learning.

Exploring scientific, artistic, moral and technical reflection in teacher action research

Abstract Reflection in action research is a complicated matter because of the many domains of reflection and most significantly, the lack of understanding of these domains of reflection in action research and how these are supported. In this paper, we propose a framework based on four domains of reflection, namely, scientific, artistic, moral and technical reflection. We describe an initial attempt to use this framework in relation to the actual practice of teacher reflection in action research and show that the framework allowed us to map the various domains of reflection that teachers use in relation to their action research. This helped us to gain insight into the differences and the course of reflection in action research. We discuss how the framework – through orientation, differentiation and deepening – might provide support for reflection in action research.

Harmony and disharmony in an educational reform concert towards a Parsons’ inspired dynamic model of tuning

In large-scale educational reforms, many actors play their roles. The diversity of contributions and lack of harmonization prove to be frequently found to cause educational reform failures. Many explanations for these failures focus on differences between the actors and on differences in their contributions to the reform process. In this article, we examine the effects of these differences and emphasize on the need to harmonize these contributions to the reform process. Contributions by several actors to a large-scale curriculum reform undertaken in the Netherlands in the 1990s are mapped for this purpose. This curriculum reform is part of a larger educational reform aimed to introduce a constructivist approach. Education is conceptualised as a social system, and educational reform as the manner in which this social system adapts to immanent and emmanent changes. The actors in the education system are distributed across functional subsystems. In the present analyses, teacher acting within a particular subsystem stands central. The results show adequate exchange and harmonization of the contributions from the different subsystems to be a necessary condition for successful educational reform. To achieve a good exchange and harmonization, the use of an Educational Impact Assessment is recommended.