Research Information System
Self-Directed Learning and Advising in Language Education Conference. , Ankara, Turkey, 24 April 2021, pp.27
A questioning approach to teaching and learning stimulates “learning through and from
experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practice,” (Finlay, 2008); as such
reflective practice is critical in any learning or professional development context. The
term, derived primarily from the works of Dewey (1933) and Schön (1983), refers to
thinking about some practice or experience in an effort to make sense of it, forming links
among various elements contributing to it or resulting from it, drawing on theory,
evidence, observations, peer discussions, and devising new ideas to test in future
situations. Schön’s main contribution to the discussion on reflective thinking involves
his expansion of the concept to include two aspects as reflection-in-action (reflecting on
an ongoing situation) and reflection-on-action (reflecting on a past experience).
Contemporary texts on reflection though emphasizes the importance of adopting a
broader perspective to include personal reflection and social critique (Finlay, 2008). In
such approaches, reflective practice encompasses self-awareness, reflection, and critical
thinking (Eby, 2000). Building on this conceptualization, the participants in the current
study were asked to respond to two prompts: (1) Think of a critical job-related incident
or experience that has occurred while practicing your job and that has impacted the way
you do things now and answer some reflective questions; (2) Describe what reflective
thinking is with reference to its potential components, giving examples where necessary
or alternatively/additionally write an ending for this prompt (reflective thinking is
like…because…) using a metaphor to explain the concept. As the study is still in
progress, for the purposes of this poster presentation, the responses to the second prompt
were compiled and displayed in the form of reflection cards. Rich descriptions and
metaphors compiled are aimed to engage the travelers and encourage a meditative
reflective state. Enjoy the ride!