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LEARNING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: AN INNOVATIVEREFLECTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

By

Dr.K.ChellamaniReader

School of EducationPondicherry University

Puducherrychella_mn@yahoo.comPhone No.09444131680

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LEARNING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: AN INNOVATIVEREFLECTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Though cognitive revolution brought forth reflective

practice more than fifty years ago, it is not followed by

many in general. Reflection is one of the essential

principles underlying meaningful learning and effective

teaching. This paper reflects on the experience of a teacher

and students in a Research Methodology course structured on

reflective practice. It describes the practical ways in

which students reflections were generated and the challenges

and success observed ultimately. The reflective experience

of the students reveals how the Fellow Learners stimulated,

sensitized and constructed metacognitive behavior towards

understanding Research Methodology.

Key words: Think-Aloud, cognitive processing, reflective

practice

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In 1995s, the cognitive revolution initiated a new era

of thinking about thinking by addressing vital questions

about the human mind and designing ways and means to pursue

the answers to those questions. Psychologists probed into

the inaccessible domains of cognitive processing and started

venturing on verbal reports produced by subjects and

analyzed their thought processes. They identified ‘Think-

aloud’ as an important tool of inquiry into cognitive

processing. As reading comprehension is the fundamental

skill for any learner, educational scientists started

applying the careful introspection of actual reading to gain

insight into the processing of readers. Henderson (1903)

suggested that remembering involved reshaping information,

not merely retrieving it. The importance of reflecting on

what an individual is doing is part of the learning process.

In the process of thinking, self-reflection on thinking

enables one to proceed and reflect on one’s own thinking

process. This reflectivity is centered on a function.

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Reflection on thinking process enables one to complete a

function by the application and reorganization of knowledge

and skills to perform a function. These reflectivity and

functionality would be possible only in the context of

application of learning strategies and self-regulation

skills. While applying in the context, the individual would

be able to progress, if not, he has to self-regulate for

progress by revising his own learning process. On the basis

of self-regulation he would be able to strike a balance

between the quality and quantity of the activity. This

entire process would enable one to cultivate deeper

cognitive process.

Even after fifty years, the development of reflective

practice is not existent everywhere in classrooms. Therefore

tuning up the students to reflect on their learning takes a

little time. This is a research paper reflecting on the

findings elicited from Research Methodology course offered

to students in the Masters programme at School of Education,

Pondicherry University. This approach was adopted for two

reasons:

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1. Students of M.Ed course become teachers of tomorrow.

Preparation of future teachers requires focus on

professional development strategies. It delineates process

learning and one of the key components is reflection. Hence

the researcher built in reflective activities into the

research methodology course which is handled by her.

2. As Research Methodology is new to the participants, it is

essential for the learners to think-aloud, share the

understanding, monitor and regulate their comprehension of

the new concepts. Moreover they will be taking up a

dissertation work in the following semester which expects

mastery over the theory.

In this article, the researcher describes the practical

ways in which students' reflections were generated during

the course. The findings emerged from the reflective

activities state the accomplishments and challenges

confronted in this reflective practice. At the outset, the

researcher identified some issues that would need to be

considered for future reflective teachers.

The Settings:

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The Masters in Education programme offered at Pondicherry

University is a one-year course in which the Fellow Learners

(FLs) take up 42 credits encompassing theory, internship and

Data collection in connection with the Dissertation work,

and Community based activities. The candidates enter through

Entrance Test with the related Under-graduation certificate.

As Pondicherry University is a Central University that too

in a Union territory the FLs are from various states in

India, i.e. from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. This heterogeneous

group would have had different learning atmosphere before

entering into this University and tuning them to one stream

towards Reflective practice takes up a little time both for

the teacher and the students. Despite aims at enhancing the

participants’ pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge,

the programme also aims at creating an attitudinal shift

among the FLs in the way they view the entire teaching

enterprise. Henceforth, the researcher used reflective

practice as a vehicle to enable the FLs reconceptualise

their understanding of the functions, processes and outcomes

of teaching.

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Reflective practice also provides them opportunity to

come across issues on learning and content and teaching

strategies they encounter daily in classrooms with a view to

determine their practicality and application in classrooms.

Their participation in Thinking-aloud, brain-storming, group

discussion and seminar presentation lead them to pedagogical

platform thinking of how this can be done is a valuable step

in their adoption of the future practice. Engaging the

students continuously in reflection is intended to get them

into the habit of reflecting which will become a part of

their practice thereby reflective teachers in life.

“Reflective practice involves thoughtfully considering your

own experiences as you make the connection between knowledge

and practice, under the guidance of an experienced

professional within your discipline” (Schon, 1987). The FLs

in Research Methodology classroom enact reflective practice

through maintaining reflective journals, participating in

reflective discussions, engaging in practicum, doing

assignments and presenting topics in Seminars.

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Modes of Reflection

Other than the initial hiccups, to cope with the

individual differences, the researcher sketched out

varieties in reflection. This paved a room for the FLs to

find out a mode for ease journey. The comfort helped them to

appreciate the value of reflection as a meaningful way of

approaching learning about teaching.

The styles of reflection the FLs involve are,

Entering learning experiences in Journal writing

Affixing their comprehension of the concepts learned in

everyday class

Making note of the areas of doubt along with the

proposed strategy for solving the problem

Sharing reflections on the attempted assignment

The submission of reflections is on weekly basis to the

researcher to have a follow up on their comprehension. This

helped the researcher to identify the gaps in teaching and

help students immediately on their difficulty components.

Moreover it enables the FLs to think deeply on issues

raised/course content/teaching strategies/activities

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advocated or used and thereby develop a deeper understanding

and appreciation of them.

FLs’ response to the reflective practice

Initially, the researcher asked the FLs to reflect on

their classroom learning experiences. It was like a diary

entry. In spite of the orientation on writing, they appeared

to have problems gathering their thoughts together in

expression. Consistent guidelines and shown models of the

previous batch brought confidence in them to get into the

designed set up. Sharing their journals with their peers

enhanced reflection. The progress in the reflection can be

felt from the statements below.

It was not that much effective at the time of introducing in the class. I

didn’t find any continuity.

I discussed with my fellow participants, and slowly I started making

meaning. Now I find this Journey as informative and effective.

It was boring to write as it was very different from my previous experience.

We were experienced in writing only the mugged up answers. But once I got into

the stream, I gained a lot of information from others’ presentation. The way of

expressing ones thinking is better than before. It removes fear over the content

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and language. It gives me more confidence than what I had earlier.

Levels of reflection

The goal of a transformative model of teacher

professional development is to make the inner lives of

teachers transparent (Palmer, 2007). Palmer states: ‘good

teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able

to weave a complex web of connections among themselves,

their subjects and their students so that students can learn

to weave a world for themselves’ (2007). This is a way of

saying that the use of reflective practice helps teachers

develop a systematic method of looking at their teaching and

learning processes in their college studies while at the

same time transferring that understanding to the decisions

they make in the k-12 classroom (Karen Weller Swanson,

2008).

Once the FLs picked up the ability to reflect, the

researcher started analyzing their reflections on two

dimensions.

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Participatory accountability: is there evidence of FLs’

learning on the concepts dealt in the class? Is he able

to make meaning out of his listening? Is he honest in

his efforts on clarifying his doubts by sharing with

his peers or by referring relevant resources?

Interpretative adequacy: does the reflection cover the

areas taught in the class?

The analysis of FLs levels of reflection was based on Bax

and Cullen’s (2003) table on stages of learning during a

teacher’s adoption of reflective practice.

(Insert Table1 & Table 2 below)

This level of reflection was not uniform among all FLs.

Those who have fluency in English had their starting point

from Level 2 and they showed confidence in their writings.

Those who have inhibitions in second language, English had

spent comparatively longer time in level 1. Yet the sharing

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and forwarded support from the peers pulled them to get

along with others. The shift was made possible with

continuous interactions between the teacher and the peers.

It is reflected in the entry given below.

I understand that student initiative is vital in this practice. The moral

support you provided become an encouragement for me to shed of my initial

fears. I started thinking-aloud and contribute my previous knowledge to the

present situation. It enabled me to bring different ideas from different sides on

the same topic.

Though I was reluctant to participate in the beginning, I took this platform

to present my thoughts. It improves my communication skill. Moreover I become

more attentive in the class.

Bringing every candidate to the common reflective

stream demanded the researcher’s continuous observation,

encourage them in person those who have shyness to come

forward, and track them up on their comprehension. In order

to make the sharing process effective, the researcher

grouped the candidates based on their ability in terms of

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communication skill, reference skill, and the speed in which

they grasp matters. A balanced mix of the above abilities

helps them to understand the content as well. As the course

paper is research methodology, a new area for the FLs to

understand the practical issues, the think-aloud and

reflective activity widens up their application skill.

Reflections on reflective activities:

The reflective classroom had activities such as

Reciprocal teaching sessions (Think-Aloud), Seminar

presentations, Discussion sessions and peer reflections.

Other than the lectures of the teacher/researcher students

were asked to come with questions to think-aloud in the

class. The quizzing session had group wise interaction. It

built up social cognition and self-confidence. It is evident

in the following entry:

We enjoyed framing questions and interact with others in groups. It gave

me awareness on intricacies of research implementation.

It gives a good platform to present our thoughts. It is very effective to

share our thoughts and opinions.

It makes us to kindle our thoughts and you are always motivating us. It

makes me to go deep into the subject.

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Each candidate was given a topic for Seminar

presentation in front of others in classroom. It ignited

them on preparation, organisation and delivery. Other than

presentation topics, certain educational issues were given

for group discussions. They were able to relate the issues

with the trend. Along with the titles of the assignments,

they were made aware of the standards and criteria to be

followed. The submission of assignments was evaluated by the

individuals, peers and the teachers. The FLs decided

strategies for further improvement considering the

reflective assessments. Some of the glimpses from their

reflections:

Reflective assessment encourages every student’s involvement and

their perception.

It improves cooperation and unity in class.

It improves my communication ability, listening skill and spirit of

co-operation.

The experience was multi-diagonal.

This is the first time, I searched resources for learning. It helps me

to stand on my own.

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It enriched my vocabulary and erased out stage-fear.

It helped me to attend exams with no stress.

Accomplishments:

FLs’ journal entries, discussions and reflective

assessments suggest that the FLs had developed a visible

reflective stance. This was very evident during their

seminar presentations. They beheld reflective practice as a

tool of assessing their practice. As one of them stated, “I

perceive reflections as a looking glass to know about my

strength and weaknesses”. They also accept that it makes

them to be active learners and it is a different learning

experience rather than a conventional one.

In a short span of time, the nature of classroom

discussions changed radiating positive attitude towards

knowing and reflecting. Even the FLs with language

difficulty, very soon started interacting with others and

share the materials collected. As there was no pretension or

put on atmosphere, there was an atmosphere of openness and

honesty existed. A sense of “I want to know more”, “I want

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to make it corrected”, “I wish, my teacher takes my view for

discussion” developed and there was regularity in their

attendance. The FLs had their Internship in Teacher

Education Colleges where they teach and they observe under-

graduates’ teaching. Their teaching performance and their

observation records exhibited maturity in delivery. They had

shown fluency in their writing. The content clarity is

proven evidence that they would carry out their dissertation

meaningfully in the following course period.

Challenges:

In spite of the continuous observation, the researcher

was not able to make everybody regular and effective in

their reflections. Since the course period goes only for six

months, the individual factors have to be taken into account

and planned to make special measures in the following course

period. Sometimes the corrections of their weekly

submissions become a load and attending every entry was not

possible. If it is shared by faculty in a department, it

could be successful.

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Implications for future teacher Education:

UNESCO world Education Report noted that the new

technologies challenge the traditional conception of both

teaching and learning and by reconfiguring how teachers and

learners gain access to knowledge, have the potential to

transform teaching and learning process. National

curriculum framework on teacher education (2009)

necessitated the professional roles of teacher educators to

concentrate on process based teacher education with special

focus on reflective learning in the socio cultural setting

of the learner with ample scope for their collaborative

learning to be reflected through portfolios, journal

writings etc.

Proposed process-based teacher education:

Understanding the social, cultural and political

contexts in which learners grow and develop

Engagement with learners in real life situations along

with theoretical enquiry

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Conceptual knowledge generated, based on experience,

observations and theoretical engagement

Knowledge generated in the shared context of teaching,

learning, personal and social experiences through

critical enquiry

Teacher educators evoke responses from students to

engage them with deeper discussions and reflection.

Students are to be encouraged identifying and

articulating issues for self-study and critical

enquiry. Students maintain reflective journals on their

observations, reflections, including conflicts.

Sustained engagement of long duration professional

education integrated with education in liberal

sciences, arts and humanities.

Students work individually on assignments, Students

encouraged to work in teams’ in-house tests, field work

and practice undertaking classroom and learners’

observations, interaction and projects across diverse

courses. Group presentations encouraged.

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Learning “spaces” provided to examine students’ own

position in society and their assumptions as part of

classroom discourse.

Structured “space” provided to revisit, examine and

challenge (mis)conceptions of knowledge.

School Internship – students teach within flexible

formats, larger frames of units of study, concept web-

charts and maintain a reflective journal.

The need for reflective practice has been sensitized very

seriously by educational scientists and they have framed the

curriculum and the syllabus incorporating reflective

practice. But hardly, teachers take up reflective practice

in their classroom transaction. Most of the issues are due

to attitudinal problem. Reflective approach is the smooth

vehicle which chisels mental process and brings a big change

in a person’s life.

Conclusion:

Comparing the west, we are far behind in implementing

the needed strategy. May be it is due to the fear over the

complex nature of reflective practice. It does not have any

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structured pattern. According to the level of students, it

could be designed for everybody’s participation. The design

must be on process-based learning. At curriculum planning

level, it is outlined on reflective practice. Since we hold

product-based assessment of individual’s success, it is yet

to modify the classroom practice. If a change is made at

Teacher Education institutions, asking students on what they

are learning in relation to the functions, it will be

possible to bring the needed change in the educational

scenario.

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Chellamani, K. Accelerating Reflective Learning: a

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Table One: FL’s Levels of Reflections

Level of reflection Reflection model4.Construction Displaying metacognitive behaviour,

shown attempts to analyse and

establishes restructured learning3.Sensation Reflecting the purpose, associating

theories and debating over issues2.Stimulation Able to relate meaning and express the

understanding in a descriptive way1.Sensory detection Abrupt entry of events with no

coherence

*Note: Insert this table in Page No.8

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Table Two: Distribution of FLs’ reflection

Level of reflection FLs status in the

beginning (%)

FLs status at the

end (%)Sensory detection 82 7Stimulation 18 5

Sensation - 66

Construction - 22

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*Note: Insert this table in Page No.8