In the beginning was . . . the word. Cycles of Influence: A historical analysis of some seminal influences on the evolutionary development of mediation principles, values and practice models

A historical analysis of seminal influences on the evolutionary development of mediation principles, values and practice models. This article will focus on the ideas of pioneering individuals who had a significant role and influence on contemporary mediation principles and practice. It will describe their professional field of practice; the particular principles and values that underpinned their practice; the theoretical models and styles of practice they developed and how those became transported into contemporary mediation practice. The relevance for mediation is to raise awareness of the centrality, significance, and importance of these key principles. Ideally, this will in turn impact on the quality of contemporary practice. Hopefully it will inform or remind reflective practitioners, trainers, and practice consultants of what constitutes the foundations of best practice.

Play in Three Acts

In some fields, written reflection is commonplace whereas in others it is uncommon. While athletic therapy education aims to produce reflective practitioners, written reflection is not a typical pedagogy employed. In 2014, the athletic therapy program at our institution began the implementation of a clinical presentation (CP) approach to facilitate competency-based curriculum requirements. This innovation to pedagogy required a reimagined approach to teaching, learning, and assessment. We describe one aspect of a larger SoTL study on this transformation, inquiring into the development of reflective practice through reflective writing. Students were asked to regularly reflect on their experiences in the clinic or field as part of their program. In this qualitative component of the study, we were able to gain insight into how students perceived the reflective process, how that evolved over their program, what were enablers and barriers to their reflection, and what was the role of feedback in their learning. The characteristics of student perceptions in each year, which followed a learning arc which we describe sequentially as “confused, conflicted, and convinced,” is explored, along with implications for pedagogy in assisting students to develope reflective professional practice.

Conceptualizing and Engaging in Reflective Practice: Experienced Evaluators’ Perspectives

The purpose of this study was to determine professional evaluators’ perceptions of reflective practice (RP) and the extent and manner in which they engage in RP behaviors. Nineteen evaluators with 10 or more years of experience in the evaluation field were interviewed to explore our understanding and practice of RP in evaluation. Findings suggest that RP is a process of self and contextual awareness, involving thinking and questioning, and individual and group meaning-making, focused on facilitating growth in the form of learning and improvement. The roles of individual and collaborative reflection as well as reflection in- and on-action are also discussed. Findings support a call for the further refinement of our understanding of RP in evaluation practice. Evaluators seeking to be better reflective practitioners should be competent in skills such as facilitation and interpersonal skills, as well as budget needed time for RP in evaluation accordingly.

A Reflective Entrepreneur: Ashok Vasudevan and the Journey of Tastybite

The literature on entrepreneurship acknowledges that entrepreneurs are both thinkers and doers. While scholars have previously explored entrepreneurs’ cognitions and actions, research on entrepreneurs’ reflective practices remains limited. To stimulate greater scholarly attention on exploring entrepreneurs as reflective practitioners, in this ‘Meet the Person’ article we build on two interviews with the celebrated entrepreneur Ashok Vasudevan. From buying the venture off Unilever and eventually selling it to Mars, Ashok’s journey reflects an entrepreneur’s struggles in growing a venture from an emerging economy (India of the 90s). Tearing down entrepreneurship literature’s stereotypical and mythological lore, Ashok’s journey with Tasty Bite is also a case of why “the” theory of entrepreneurship continues to remain elusive. Three key themes from Ashok’s journey (failure, sustainability, and exit) help highlight the rich possibilities that reflective practice offers to entrepreneurship literature. Implications for the advancement of reflective practice in entrepreneurship research, education, and practice are presented.

The Teacher Education Program’s Impact on Preservice Teachers’ Reflective Thinking in Pakistan

The importance of reflective thinking among teachers has long been recognized, and it remains a crucial indicator of learning and ensures teachers’ professional development. This study’s aim is to understand a teacher education program’s impact on the reflective thinking of preservice teachers in Pakistan. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, 400 teacher education candidates participated in the quantitative analysis, which involved a follow-up that included 10 semi-structured interviews by teacher education candidates. The results showed that teacher education in Pakistan is characterized by the production of more graduates but lacks the focus to develop and generate reflective practitioners in the field. This research contributes to our understanding about the importance of reflective thinking in terms of how it can improve preservice teachers’ thinking patterns and nurture teacher education. Furthermore, this study suggests that teacher-training institutions should focus on improving the quality of the trainings for students.

Modelling the Process of Reflection with Pre-Service Student Teachers

The article traces the role of reflection in teacher education and explores the issue of the necessity of creating a system of developing student teachers reflective skills in the process of their university studies. The importance of reflection in linking theoretical knowledge with teaching and learning practices is emphasized. The model of guided reflection employed at the Department of Foreign Philology at H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University is described in detail and examined through different research methods, including qualitative and quantitative analysis of various documents (questionnaires, observation charts, reflective essays etc.) and interviews with participant focus groups. The article presents samples of activities used in pedagogy and methodology classes, and observations of student teachers’ behaviours while performing them. Some information about students’ perception of the model steps is also provided. The collected data prove that student teachers manage to get accustomed to continuous reflection and, thanks to gradual transition from communal reflective activities to pair work and individual assignments as well as constant and sufficient scaffolding, interaction with the ‘knowledgeable other’ feel more confident, are getting aware of the benefits of reflection, and are developing skills of reflective practitioners, which are crucial for their further professional and personal growth.

The Light and Shadow Brought to Teacher Education by Digitizing the Educational Environment: The Case of Japan

In this paper, the trends and issues of teacher education research and practices in Japan are clarified from the viewpoint of the digitization of the educational environment. This will be achieved through a review of the literature and policy documents on recent educational practices and teacher education. Firstly, Japanese teacher education and the ICT environment in schools are summarized. In addition, the Japanese concept of “teachers who continue to learn” and its multidimensional character is explained. Secondly, a model of the above idea that consists of five dimensions is introduced: (1) social navigators, (2) technical experts, (3) inquiry practitioners, (4) critical practitioners, and (5) members of professional learning communities. Thirdly, through the review, it is pointed out that all of them are affected by the digitization of the educational environment, which has been accelerated as a countermeasure to COVID-19. In conclusion, it is stated that the digitization of the educational environment and its accelerated progress casts both light and shadow on the role of Japanese teachers as reflective practitioners. Additionally, it is referenced that there are many differences among schools and regions on the ratio of light and shadow in Japan, even though it is geographically small.

Use of ePortfolio Assessment for Developing Reflective Practitioners

The purpose of the newly implemented ePortfolio assessment program was to help students develop self-directed learning and reflection skills in clinical education and professional values including ethics, professionalism and conscientiousness. Development of higher-level cognitive skills through a student-centered learning modality could ultimately promote reflective learners who will continue to learn throughout their profession. Student self-assessment skills and self-learning plans were captured during the initial patient care exposure in the second year of clinical education using an ePortfolio platform in Canvas (Salt Lake City, UT) learning management system. This new learning methodology can be useful in measuring non-traditional competencies, such as ethics, professionalism and conscientiousness and provide an opportunity for students to become reflective learners. Leveraging this new tool could contribute toward creating reflective practitioners who are competent in ethics and professionalism and self-assessment skills.

Adaptation of Student Support Services Considering Covid‑19: Adjustments, Impact, and Future Implications

The global pandemic caused by Covid‑19 has impacted every facet of our lives and challenged service delivery to students within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) at Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa, is situated within the Division of Student Affairs (DSAf) and the centre’s reflective practitioners had to respond to the challenge of altering services to ensure continuous support to the SU community. The CSCD aims to provide the SU community with psychological, developmental and support services, with the focus on critical engagement, advocacy, personal growth, and optimising graduate potential. The CSCD has been functioning virtually since mid-March 2020. Each of the Centre’s five units had to respond to both the challenges and opportunities to adhere to social distancing and to accommodate students who did not have access to online devices. All support sessions – whether it be academic, social justice, career, social work, psychotherapy, crisis management, with individuals or with groups – had to be done virtually or via telephone. This depended on a student’s choice and practical reality in terms of space, privacy, and connectivity. This article aims to firstly share the risks and opportunities of rapidly shifting to an online supportive environment, as well as how each unit within the centre had to adjust its functioning to ensure minimum impact on student relationships and interactions. It secondly aims to portray the implications the rapid shift had on the centre’s practitioners and the lessons learned during the process. Sharing these lessons might empower other HEIs in Africa too. Lastly, considering the imperative shift to online functioning caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic, this article concludes with a discussion on the implications for the future functioning of the CSCD.