Reflective practice for primary education students in science

Abstract

Reflection is an essential part of learning and teaching practice, yet it is not often formally included in assessments of students of education. Evidence shows that education students are generally not aware of this deficit and do not attempt it themselves, (Schön, 1987), (Biggs & Tang, 2011), (Canning, 1991). This paper describes the motivation for and results of including a direct reflection activity in an assessment for a group of students undertaking a third year Science subject in a Bachelor of Primary Education degree. The activity was designed by the students, which gave the unexpected added benefit of bonding the tutorial group together, giving them much greater engagement with the activity and a deep sense of the purpose of the activity, to the point where they would suggest augmentations to the assessment. This was a valuable result in itself, along with the success of the reflective component.

Keywords

teacher education, primary education students, reflective practice

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