Pedagogical Strategies to Promote Reflective Practices in Accelerated Learning Environments

1
Pedagogical Strategies to Promote Reflective
Practices in Accelerated Learning Environments

• Dr. Bob Deahl Dr. Kelly Ottman
• CAEL
• November 2007

2
Question?

• What is the role of reflection
• in a learning environment?
• How does this role change when the environment is
  accelerated?

3
Learning Objectives

• Explore the pedagogical and theoretical
  frameworks supporting reflective practices
• Highlight strategies to promote reflective
  practices

4
Cultivating the Formative Dimension of Education
(Sullivan)

• Cognitive/Intellectual Formal Knowledge
• Practice/Skill Acquisition Application
• Purpose and Identity Dispositions/Habits of the
  heart and mind
• Purpose and Identity How to BE in the world
• How to create meaning and value (Ethos)
• Integration through Reflection

5
Understanding Adult Learning in Light of Critical
Theory (Brookfield)

• Challenging Ideology
• Contesting Hegemony and the Political SQ
• Unmasking Power, Oppression
• Overcoming Alienation
• Learning Liberation
• Reclaiming Reason
• Learning Democracy
• Teaching and Learning Radical Reflection

6
Creating the Conditions for the Possibility of
Personal Transformation (Palmer, Schulman, Schon)

• Listening for the Voice of Vocation Becoming a
  Reflective Teacher (Palmer)
• Teaching Artistry through Reflection-in-Action
  (Schon)
• Principles of Professional Learning Praxis
  Integrating learning/experience via
  Reflection-in-Action
• Learning from Experience
• through Reflection

7
Learning Together in CommunityDialogue, Systems
and Collective Reflection (Isaacs, Senge,
Scharmer, et. al.)

• Dialogue through Listening
• Listening prior to Speaking
• Recognizing Place, Space within Systems
• Active Reflection in the Process of Learning
• Making Space for Thinking Together
• Shifting our Learning Cycles
• into the Present!

8
Slow Knowledge and The Wisdom of the Present
Moment (Orr)

• The fact is that the only knowledge weve ever
  been able to count on for consistently good
  effect over the long run is knowledge that has
  been acquired slowly through cultural maturation.
  Slow knowledge is knowledge shaped and calibrated
  to fit a particular ecological and cultural
  context. It does not imply lethargy, but rather
  thoroughness and patience. The aim of slow
  knowledge is resilience, harmony and the
  preservation of patterns that connect.
• Wisdom is the proper aim of all true learning!

9
Question?

• Can reflection occur in
• an accelerated format?
• What are the barriers?

10
Barriers?

• Time
• Format
• Noise
• Setting

• Culture
• National
• Societal
• Professional
• Institutional
• Practice/Comfort
• Self
• Self confidence

11
Theory to Practice

• Setting the Stage for Reflection
• Strategies to Promote Reflection
• Measure Effectiveness

12
Setting the Stage

• Establish Expectations
• Frame with a Model/Theory
• Set Norms
• Modeling

13
Setting the Stage

• Establish Expectations
• Pre letter
• Pre readings
• Pre work

14
Setting the StagePre Letter

• Dear UWM-EMBA Leadership Learner,
• Welcome to Leadership, 794. I am looking
  forward to meeting you and to our learning
  journey. Below is a course overview, to help you
  understand the intent of the course.
• Course Overview
• Leading people effectively is a tremendous
  challenge, a great opportunity, and a serious
  responsibility. There are many perspectives we
  can use to examine leadership and its
  development. A science of leadership has been
  proposed through the research of visible,
  expressed acts of leadership. An art of
  leadership has been explored through addressing
  the internal processes that influence leadership
  acts. These acts emerge from having a sense of
  self, clarity of purpose, and from being attuned
  to the needs of others. In this course, we will
  focus on understanding and applying the external
  and internal processes (the science and art) of
  effective leadership to help you improve your own
  ability to lead. Insights and strategies learned
  can be applied to organizations, community
  groups, and/or personal life.

15
Setting the StagePre Work

• On the first day of class we will explore your
  image of leadership. Please take time to
  pre-think your image. There are no right or
  wrong answers. Your thoughts and your ability to
  support your thoughts are most important.
• Nahavandi writes, One way to clarify your
  assumptions about leadership is to use images to
  describe your ideal leader. Using such images,
  you can understand your view of the role of
  leaders and your expectation and image of
  leadership. These images are your personal
  theories of leadership. As a starting point for
  this class, each person is asked to bring an
  image of leadership. A picture, an object, a
  story, or music could all be used to describe
  your image of leadership. In class, you will be
  asked to share your image of leadership. (Please
  bring your image to class). Also in a journal
  (that you are asked to keep during this course),
  please review of your image and the specific
  implications (how you can put this image into
  action) this view has on your leadership style.
  Also note the shortcomings of this leadership
  image. You will be asked to share these points
  in class.

16
(No Transcript)
17
Setting the StageSetting the Framework

• Frame with a model/theory
• Frame the course
• Teach the model/theory
• Frame the assignments
• EI (Goleman)
• Personal Mastery (Senge)
• Creative tension

18
Setting the Stage

• Set Norms
• Classroom norms
• Discussion
• Trust
• Risk taking
• Culture
• No competition
• Interruptions
• Review and revise throughout the course

• Review roles
• Role of the instructor
• Role of the learner
• Role of the peers
• Modeling
• Instructor
• Highlighting the work
• Samples

19
Strategies

• Multiple Intelligences/Learning
  Styles/Personality
• Format
• Feedback Loops
• Resources
• Techniques

20
Strategies Multiple Intelligences/Learning
Styles/Personalities

• Teaching Strategies/Resources
• Assignments

21
Video and Audio Links

• Sample Covey audio with images

22

• Sample assignment

23
Strategies Format

• Learning Format
• Face to face
• Online
• Hybrid
• Time
• Pre work
• In class
• After class

• Reflective Format
• Individual
• Community
• Environment
• Space
• Arrangement
• Location/Setting
• Change

24

• 3 - Teach this? - Kelly Ottman ( Oct 8, 2007 559
  PM )
• Three years ago I attended an international
  conference on the scholarship of teaching and
  learning. The last speaker was the president of
  the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of
  teaching and learning - Lee Schulman. He is a
  well known author and respected leader in many
  areas of education. In his key note address he
  began by saying that there are three dimensions
  to teaching and learning - Knowledge (the head),
  skills (the hands) and integrity (the heart). He
  spoke at length about the development of the head
  and hands in his speech but never returned to the
  heart. During the open response/question period I
  asked him about the role of education in the
  development of the heart. I noted that I think
  different professions (clergy) focus on this and
  different schools (private religious schools)
  focus on this, but I see a lack of this in other
  aspects of education. His response was troubling
  to me and I would like your response to his
  views. He said that he thought that certain
  professions and private schools with a religious
  base could address this, but he thought that
  there is a slippery slope of discussing integrity
  and the "heart" to discussing and teaching
  religion. With the need for the separation of
  church and state he felt it was risky to include
  this in the education process. After, I shared
  privately with him that I thought religion and
  discussing integrity and even spirit does not
  mean one has to teach religion. He we very clear
  that he thought the slope was too slippery.
  After, many people approached me and to discuss.
  Others took differing stands on the issue. Since
  we have been discussing this, what are your
  views. Is the slope to slippery? Should these
  topics be a part of the educational process if we
  are in a state school? I have thought much about
  this (as I include this topic in the course and
  wonder if it is a worthy topic to include in this
  course) and I look forward to your views. Thanks.
  Kelly

25
3.2.2 - Re Teach this? - Kristine ( Oct 10, 2007
733 PM ) I find this discussion interesting and
looking at it from a human resources point of
view since this is my profession, I have to agree
that the topic must be discussed with a great
amount of care.  I just received an article from
our employer's association talking about the
increase in lawsuits in the workplace pertaining
to religion.  Even if the teacher or facilitator
is shaping the conversation and trying to create
a clear definition of spirituality outside of the
context of religion, they will not have full
control over the discussion that takes place
among the participants.  That is why I think many
feel it is a better decision not to approach the
topic at all.  In a work environment the company
and in some cases an individual manager is liable
for what others deem as harassing and when
approaching personal topics such as this
individuals are very sensitive.  From a legal
stand point these complaints more attention is
given to the perception of the situation rather
than the intention.  On the other hand how do you
communicate this and work toward changing this
perception when the topic is avoided all
together?  It really is a dilemma.
26

• 4 - Awareness, Respect and Reflection - Sara (
  Oct 8, 2007 951 PM )
• The Neal article offered that a spiritual path
  in the workplace was meant as an opportunity to
  grow personally and to contribute to society in a
  personal way.  Some employers offer structured
  courses or special volunteer efforts as a means
  to contribute to their spiritual or emotional
  needs.  But what about those associates who need
  a more personal or less organized outlet?  A
  company's role should be less about structure,
  and more about respecting the fact that there are
  other outlets available to nurture and
  acknowledge the spiritual needs of its
  associates. While reading these articles, I
  thought a lot about how often I am stressed out
  during the day.  The most reflection that I can
  generate is "if I continue at this pace, I'm
  going to burn out."  I do think that if given the
  opportunity, I could benefit greatly from slowing
  down and taking the time to process how and why I
  make certain decisions or choose particular
  leadership tactics.  When I cannot pause long
  enough to fully think about my actions, how can I
  reasonably pause long enough for my spirit to be
  nurtured?  Subsequently, how can leaders continue
  to demand performance and excellence from
  associates if they are also not given a chance to
  think about what they are doing?  I think that
  leaders have a responsibility to provide a forum
  for their followers to reflect on their actions
  and decisions, or at least to detach from the
  harrowing daily corporate life and find time to
  re-center themselves.While there are no doubt
  risks in rolling out any sort of program that is
  deemed spiritual, I think the most prevalent
  risks are miscommunication and assumption of
  motive.  One of the biggest barriers to a
  spiritual approach will be the lack of
  understanding about what this actually means not
  only for the associates, but also for levels of
  management that may not understand the long-term
  positive effects of reflection and meditation. 
  The beginning of a spiritual approach will have a
  learning curve, so it is important to relay that
  participation is optional and in no way
  mandated.  Additionally, it should be made clear
  that it is open-ended, meaning that the associate
  could elect to not participate as easily as they
  could elect to participate.  Knowing the
  culture of my office, I think that offering a
  spiritual outlet would be a tremendous relief and
  benefit to the organization, but also an
  interesting challenge that I would love to
  watch.  I'm tempted to set up an outlet for quiet
  reflection allowing our creative folks to take
  time and read a magazine, to provide a meditation
  opportunity, or to write in a journal.  One of
  the actions that calms me and helps me
  re-energize and re-focus is making lists.  Even
  30 minutes to sit down and empty my brain of all
  the things I'm thinking about and plan for the
  rest of the week, frees myself from obsessing or
  stressing about it later.  Since I work for a
  company that often rallies around associates'
  needs for an even work/life balance, I'm curious
  to find out how accepting senior management would
  be of spiritual balance during the work day.
• 4.1 - Re Awareness, Respect and Reflection -
  Anne ( Oct 11, 2007 1101 PM )
• Sara,Thank you for pointing out that our days
  are often too fast-paced and stressful to find
  time for spirituality. Judith Neal starts her
  article "Leadership and Spirituality in the
  Workplace" with the Latin origin of the word
  "spirit" - meaning "to breathe". Though the
  definition is larger than just the act of
  breathing, I find that some days I don't have
  time to really breathe deeply and reflect on my
  work and the role I am in.It is during those
  hectic days that I make the most mistakes which
  only makes the day more frustrating and hectic.
  Today was one of those days. I made the very
  modern mistake of forwarding an e-mail thread to
  someone who should not have received it. It not
  only hurt the person receiving it but also the
  people who had written things that they had hoped
  the receiver wouldn't see. This mistake made me
  realize that every action I take, and every
  comment I say and especially write, really needs
  to be thoughtful, authentic and careful. It also
  made me realize how fragile people are and how
  important it is to continually tell others,
  through words and actions, that we appreciate
  their work.

27
Strategies Resources

• Readings
• Online sources
• Audio
• Video
• Self Assessments

• Journals
• Written
• Audio
• Video
• Guests
• Testimonials

28
Effectiveness

• Feedback Loops
• Assignments
• Rubrics
• Link theory and self
• Examples
• Follow up

29

• Final thoughts - Final Thoughts Please add your
  thoughts about the course and your learning in
  this discussion section. What were your take
  aways? How will you apply?
• 1 - Key Take Aways - Dale ( Oct 31, 2007 927 PM
  ) 
• One key take away from this class is that
  leaders are extremely multi-dimensional. It's not
  enough to be academically intelligent, an expert
  in your field, and to have many years of
  experience, but you need to have emotional
  intelligence as well. Daniel Goldman describes EI
  as "Emotional intelligence is a phrase for a
  different way of being smart.  It's not the usual
  way of thinking about it -- academic smarts -- IQ
  -- it's how you do in life, how you manage
  yourself, your feelings, how you get along with
  other people, whether you're empathic, how well
  motivated you are." This is one of the key take
  aways for me, that leaders must first understand
  themselves before they can lead others. I think I
  always had a feeling that people skills are as
  important as any other trait of a leader, but
  this class cemented for me how important it
  really is.Another important point I take away
  from this class is that leadership is a journey,
  not a destination. It's a process of learning
  yourself first, and then learning how to apply
  experience and emotional intelligence to the
  situations around you. This class helped me to
  better understand myself and what I need to work
  on to become a better leader. The MBTI assessment
  was an enlightening experience because it told me
  some things about myself that I had always known,
  but it put some context around it. For example, I
  always knew that I got more energy from being
  alone, and that large groups for long periods of
  time could be draining for me. I know now that I
  am introverted, but the key thing for me to
  understand is that this is not necessarily good
  or bad, it simply helps me to understand myself
  better. I know that I get my energy from going
  out for a long run by myselfwhich helps me to be
  more productive in my day to day responsibilities
  in dealing with people at work all day long. It
  will help me to be a better leader in the future
  because I know myself first.Another insight I
  am taking away from this course is that
  leadership is very complicated and it comes with
  a cost. It is clear that there are no easy
  answers when it comes to being a good leader. It
  takes many years of hard work and sacrifice to
  become a good leader who is respected by others.
  We covered many different theories in this course
  and it is clear that there is no one right way of
  being a leader. It is most important to be myself
  and to be authentic.This class was effective
  for me because of the combination of interactive
  online discussion, face to face discussion in
  class, and studying leaders in readings. They all
  contributed to my knowledge and helped me learn
  more about leadership. I like the multiple
  methods of learning, and the wealth of knowledge
  that was shared in the class from Dr. Ottman, the
  readings, film, and the class. Thanks!Dale

30
Discussion Questions

• What strategies have you used to promote
  reflection?
• How do you remove the barriers to a reflective
  process in an accelerated learning environment?
• How do you know reflection is occurring?

31
Texts Referenced

• Stephen D. Brookfield The Power of Critical
  Theory Liberating Adult Learning and Teaching,
  Jossey-Bass, 2005
•  
• William Isaacs Dialogue and the Art of Thinking
  Together, Currency Doubleday, 1999
•  
• David W. Orr The Nature of Design Ecology,
  Culture and Human Intention, Oxford University
  Press, 2002
•  
• Parker J. Palmer The Courage to Teach
  Exploring the Inner Landscape of A Teachers
  Life, Jossey-Bass, 1998
•  
• Donald A. Schon Educating the Reflective
  Practitioner, Jossey-Bass, 1987
•  
• Lee S. Shulman Teaching as Community Property
  Essays on Higher Education, Jossey-Bass, 2004
•  
• Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski,
  Betty Sue Flowers, Presence Human Purpose and
  the Field of the Future, Doubleday, 2004
•  
• Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joesph Jaworski,
  Betty Sue Flowers, Presence An Exploration of
  Profound Change in People, Organizations, and
  Society, Doubleday, 2005
•  
• William M. Sullivan, Work and Integrity The
  Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America,
  Jossey-Bass, 2005

32
Contact Information

• C. Kelly Ottman, PhD
• kottman_at_uwm.edu
• As of January 1 ottman_at_msoe.edu
• 414-303-9339
• Robert Deahl, PhD
• Robert.deahl_at_marquette.edu
• 414-288-3156