About the Book
Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is the definitive textbook for reflective teachers in higher education. Informed by the latest research in this area, the book offers extensive support for those at the start of an academic career and career-long professionalism for those teaching in higher education.
Written by an international collaborative author team of higher education experts led by Paul Ashwin, Reflective Teaching in Higher Education offers two levels of support:
- practical guidance for day-to-day teaching, covering key issues such as strategies for improving learning, teaching and assessment, curriculum design, relationships, communication, and inclusion; and
- evidence-informed ‘principles’ to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform teaching practices, offering ways to develop a deeper understanding of teaching and learning in higher education.
Case studies, activities, research briefings and annotated key readings are provided throughout.
The author team: Paul Ashwin (Lancaster University, UK) | David Boud (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia) | Kelly Coate (King’s Learning Institute, King’s College London, UK) | Fiona Hallett (Edge Hill University, UK) | Elaine Keane (National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland) | Kerri-Lee Krause (Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia) | Brenda Leibowitz (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) | Iain MacLaren (National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland) | Jan McArthur (Lancaster University, UK) | Velda McCune (University of Edinburgh, UK) | Michelle Tooher National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland)
This book forms part of the Reflective Teaching series, edited by Andrew Pollard and Amy Pollard, offering support for reflective practice in early, primary, secondary, further, vocational, university and adult sectors of education. Reflective Teaching in Higher Education and its website, www.reflectiveteaching.co.uk, promote the expertise of teaching within higher education.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Introduction
Part I: Becoming Reflective
1. Identity. Who are we, and who are our students?
2. Learning. How do students develop their understanding?
3. Reflection. How can we develop the quality of our teaching?
4. Principles. What are the foundations of effective teaching and learning?
Part II: Creating Conditions for Learning
5. Contexts. How do they shape us and how do we shape them?
6. Relationships. How are we getting on together?
7. Engagement. How does our engagement with teaching influence student learning?
8. Spaces. How are we creating environments for learning?
Part III: Teaching for Learning
9. Curriculum. What is to be taught and learned?
10. Planning. How are we implementing curricula?
11. Teaching. How can we develop strategies focused on student understanding?
12. Communication. How can we support learning through dialogue?
13. Assessment. How does it make a contribution to learning?
Part IV: Reflecting on Consequences
14. Quality. How are we monitoring and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning?
15. Inclusion. How are we enabling opportunities?
Part V: Deepening Understanding
16. Expertise. How do we develop a career-long fascination with teaching?
17. Professionalism. How does reflective teaching contribute to society?
Reflective activities
List of case studies, figures and research briefings
Bibliography
Index
About the Author :
Paul Ashwin is Professor of Higher Education at Lancaster University, UK.
Review :
If I were to describe this book in a sentence, I would say that it gives people outstanding advice on how to teach well, within highly complex organisations known as universities ... This collection is a real tour de force.
A tremendously comprehensive overview of the main issues confronting teachers in the university system. All 11 authors are frontline experts in their particular subfields of higher education studies and their cumulative knowledge, as put on paper in this text, is quite impressive. Few books give such a broad yet detailed overview of the various complex functions involved in being an effective university professor. ... For teachers with a strong desire to incorporate reflective practice into their teaching, this text might be the best on the market.
On the back cover of this book one of the reviewers describes it as ‘substantial’ – he is not wrong … What is especially noteworthy is how even the book is in terms of editing, with chapters linking and reference clearly to others, giving the material a considered and coherent feel.
In Reflective Teaching in Higher Education, Paul Ashwin and his colleagues have developed a convincing and holistic account of reflective practice in teaching – an account that is grounded in the latest research about effective learning, teaching and assessment. Ultimately directed towards us – the teachers – the book impresses with the multiplicity of thinking tools it offers: reflective activities, case studies with real experiences of teachers, research briefings and a most helpful selection of key readings. This is a must-read for all who care about their teaching and wish to continue to learn as teachers, as well as for all who care how we think about and understand teaching.
This substantial and timely, multi-authored book is self-conscious about making sense of a profession. Despite propaganda to the contrary, most people working in higher education see their chief responsibility as to teach, or to support those who do. They will also tell you that doing this well is their primary source of satisfaction, and, occasionally, of joy. Reflective Teaching in Higher Education will help all of those people: to confirm their commitment; to achieve that satisfaction more regularly; and even to light upon those moments of joy. It will prove very effective for all who choose to use it.
A rare book that manages to present the research and scholarship on teaching in higher education in an accessible manner, provide compelling case studies that bring the scholarship alive, and entice the reader into meaningful reflective learning moments. The authors bring together the writings and reflections of some of the world's most outstanding scholars and the result is a resource book which explores every aspect of learning and teaching through a wide range of lenses. It is a book which could truly expedite our endeavours to provide a higher education learning experience that is fit for purpose in the 21st century. Most of all it is a book which takes us on a journey of reflection of our own attitudes, approaches and values as teachers in higher education.
Reflective Teaching in Higher Education engages academics in a scholarly approach to reflective practice that will enable us to develop – and demonstrate – our teaching expertise. The authors skilfully guide readers in an inquiry process that integrates reflection on personal beliefs, research evidence and multiple dimensions of teaching practice to transform both learning and teaching experiences in higher education.
Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is playing in a space where a lot of books are clamouring for the attention of the lecturer who wants to improve their teaching (and who might or might not be doing a formal qualification to that end). This one stands out – with a distinctive style, largely, it seems, due to the rather unique writing process which has had a team of experts working collaboratively through the chapters, some initiating and others building on this. It comes together as a carefully crafted whole that has a fresh take on a field that is now quite well established. It is comprehensive and up-to-date and has a very contemporary feel in terms of the contexts and concerns in which it places itself. The use of quotes and case studies will draw the reader in, offering connections to people who face the real challenges of the contemporary university lecturer who has to work to meet the needs of a diverse group of students, often with limited training and resources. Although the book is rooted in very practical concerns, it takes its readership as a serious intellectual audience, and allows access to a field that recognises the complexity of what lecturers face.
Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is a must-read for all who are engaged in teaching in higher education. Drawing on scholarly knowledge and experiences from a broad range of relevant issues, this timely book it supports and challenges both experienced and new teachers. It is a significant contribution to reflective teaching, as an individual as well as collective endeavour.
This book covers most of what anyone involved in teaching & learning activities within HE would ever need. Theory and practice are effectively linked in this compendium of information from education research on how to enhance the teaching and learning educational process through active reflection for the benefit of students and teachers alike.
Very nice clear format; I especially like how the topics are laid out in the table of contents and beginnings of chapters. Excellent selection of topics; I especially appreciate the sections addressing identity, emotions, and relationships, topics which deeply affect the classroom but which are not always addressed in teaching textbooks. The exercises are helpful and provocative.
