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ERIC Number: EJ774184
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 20
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-7069
EISSN: N/A
Foreign Language Teacher Preparation and Asynchronous CMC: Promoting Reflective Teaching
Lord, Gillian; Lomicka, Lara
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v15 n4 p513-532 2007
Reflection is a commonly accepted practice and considered advantageous in teacher education programs. Teachers are encouraged to think critically about their beliefs and teaching styles with the intended goal of fostering greater professional and personal development. Nonetheless, researchers have noted the challenges inherent in encouraging deeper reflection than a simple description of actions and consequently, teacher trainers must seek better techniques for promoting effective reflection. One such method is to consider reflection as a social (as well as individual) process, allowing students to share their reactions and provide feedback for each other based on common experiences. Computer-mediated communication technologies (e-mail and virtual discussion forums) facilitate a transformation from traditional journaling to journaling as a social phenomenon, which can then become a highly social endeavor and eminently feasible for students to accomplish within or beyond the classroom. This article reports on a collaborative cross-institutional project in which students formed communities of foreign language teachers-in-training to share, reflect, and learn, while at the same time becoming experts in technological tools. Results suggest that social reflection is beneficial in promoting increased and deeper reflection, and that technology use among teachers-in-training provides them with valuable tools for their future teaching endeavors. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 1545, Chesapeake, VA 23327-1545. Tel: 757-366-5606; Fax: 703-997-8760; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A