This article, the first column for this issue's Policy and Advocacy department, features a discussion about a recent experience in a graduate program in Medellín, Colombia introducing students to critical literacy. Graduate students used ideas from critical literacy to engage in an in-depth analysis of textbooks they had used in their practice.…

Most action researchers agree that action research consists of cycles of planning, acting, reflecting, and taking further action. However, in action research literature, there is something missing. The nature of reflection in the action research process, including its relationship with the tensions that arise while discussing purposes, processes,…

This study is on how one higher education institution included the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework, developed by the Higher Education Academy, as a strategic benchmark for teaching and learning. The article outlines the strategies used to engage all academic (and academic-related) staff in achieving relevant professional…

Increasingly, universities are embedding reflective activities into the curriculum. With the growth in online tertiary education, how effectively is reflection being promoted or used in online learning spaces? Based on the notion that teachers' beliefs will influence their approaches to teaching, this research sought to understand how a group of…

Teaching observation is widely promoted as a mechanism for developing teaching practice in higher education. Specifically, formative peer observation is considered by many to be a powerful tool for providing feedback to individual teachers, disseminating disciplinary good practice and fostering a local evaluative enhancement culture. Despite its…

This paper describes the multiple work integrated learning (WIL) schemes available to IT students at La Trobe University, Bendigo Campus. Having a number of different options for students to choose from maximizes the number of students who can have the opportunity for IT industry experience while completing an IT degree. This approach is important…

Peer observation of teaching (POT) is a reciprocal process where a peer observes another's teaching (classroom, virtual, on-line or even teaching resource such as unit outlines, assignments). Peers then provide constructive feedbacks that would enable teaching professional development through the mirror of critical reflection by both the observer…

Academia is generally not considered a place for expressing emotions, yet emotions are inevitably present in complex activities such as teaching. We investigated whether drawings could be used as a means of gaining access to emotions in university teaching and how. The data consisted of academics' drawings of themselves as university teachers…

Economics appears to be lagging behind other fields in the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom. Twitter is an online microblogging utility, permitting posts of up to 140 characters called tweets. The utility is rapidly making its way into secondary and post-secondary classrooms as a complement to traditional instruction and an active…

The content of social studies curricula make studying abroad during the summer months a win-win for social studies teachers. During these experiences, teachers have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of global history and other cultures and to see a bit of the world. That said, the most dangerous assumption one can make is that simply…

The integration of co-teaching across disciplines in higher education is an approach that enhances the learning experience for both students and faculty. The process of examining material from the perspective of two disciplines contributes to critical thinking skills beyond traditional pedagogical approaches. This article presents a model for…

This short-term longitudinal study involved the inclusion of personal self-efficacy and the 4 categories of reflective thinking practice within 1 conceptual framework. Using structural equation modeling, the author explored the temporally displaced effects of prior performance (Time 1) on self-efficacy (Time 2, Time 3) and the four categories of…

In this phenomenological study, we explored 52 group members' development in experiential groups. Specifically, participants completed 10 weekly journal reflections about their experiences as members and also reflected on the group's overall development. Four overall themes--exploration, transition, working, closure--as well as multiple subthemes…

Reflecting on the complementary pedagogical models on teaching courses related to religion and the environment presented in this issue of the journal by Kevin O'Brien ("Balancing Critique and Commitment") and Jennifer Ayres ("Learning on the Ground"), I suggest ways in which these essays form a conversation about teaching.…

In this autobiographical essay I discuss my role as an adult educator teaching in a teacher education program. I begin with an outline of my serendipitous pathway into the field of adult education, noting some moments in that journey that continue to inform my orientation to adult and lifelong learning. I then offer some reflections of my…