Critical reflection as a tool to develop expertise in teaching in higher education

Africano, L. (2022) Critical reflection as a tool to develop expertise in teaching in higher education. In: King, H. (ed.) Developing Expertise for Teaching in Higher Education: Practical Ideas for Professional Learning and Development. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 9781003198772

Abstract

Critical reflection is a threshold concept used in the professional formation of educators, posited here as an underpinning skill to characterise expertise in teaching in higher education. Drawing on the theory and practice of initial teacher education, critical reflection is conceptualised as having a twofold purpose: as a practical activity, it helps with the analyses and evaluations of our practice to inform our future; and from a normative perspective, it invites an interrogation of our morals and values as a community of practice. The first section explores the types of knowledge and skills outlined in professional standards for educators, which, from an expertise point of view, expect educators to demonstrate strong pedagogical content knowledge. Critical reflection is posited here as a key strategy to develop this. Two examples are presented to exemplify: individual and collective reflection as part of experiential learning, and reflective dialogues established between trainee teachers and teacher educators to make sense of their experience and inform their future practice. The second section highlights the significance of critical reflection to deal with the complexity and dilemmatic nature of educational practice. The overall argument is that expertise is complex and does not follow novice-to-expert trajectories.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Africano, Leo
• Authors: Africano, L.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Developing expertise in teaching in higher education
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISBN: 9781003198772