Abstract
This was a conversation between two new teachers as they engaged in a peer conference about their own portfolios under construction. Anyone listening in to this conversation would probably agree that these teachers were involved in reflective thinking. Faced with a moment of uncertainty, they searched for answers that would settle their doubt. Chloe’s analogy about reflection to novels points to one of the desired outcomes of reflection—that it leads to transformation or change. But if the target of our reflection is our teaching practice, not a novel, does reflection always lead to transformative outcomes?
Jessie (an assistant teacher): I am not sure if this is what we are supposed to do to reflect on our work.
Chloe (a second grade teacher): Let’s see, what do we do when we reflect on a novel? We can’t just retell what happened in the novel. We can’t just comment on the character’s action. None of these is reflection.
Jessie: That was pretty much what I did. I just added blurbs to explain what each item is in my portfolio. At times I made comments on why a particular item made me proud. I am not sure what else to say.
Chloe: When we reflect on a novel, don’t we reveal how the novel has changed us, or what thoughts or feelings we have gained as we finish the novel?
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© 2010 Deborah Ann Jensen, Jennifer A. Tuten, Yang Hu, and Deborah B. Eldridge
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Jensen, D.A., Tuten, J.A., Hu, Y., Eldridge, D.B. (2010). Cultivating a Reflective Stance. In: Teaching and Learning in the (dis)Comfort Zone. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230102361_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230102361_3
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