Reflective learning: programme

The course is structured around four main learning activities, each taking about a week.

Week 1

The work of the first week is focused on the issues around definition and vocabulary of reflective learning. There will be activities for, and discussions among participants. The aim is not to impose a particular definition, but to encourage you to create your own language around this topic that can enable you to discuss it with learners. This week you will also begin to write a learning journal that relates to the course, though, it can, of course, be broader.

Week 2

In the second week the focus will be on the role of reflection in the process of educational learning and learning from experience and the manner in which emotion plays its many parts in learning and reflection. We will look at the ways in which reflection is or can explicitly be used in educational contexts and will address the issue of assessment.

Week 3

The focus this week is on how to help learners to start with reflection and then to deepen it and thereby improve its quality and the learning that can come about as a result of it. There is a substantial exercise in this section, which will involve considerable discussion, interaction and joint working among participants (working in smaller groups now). Materials will be provided that can be used directly with learners.

Week 4

In this week there will be a rounding up of ideas and participants will be encouraged to focus on the development their work with their own learners. The intention is that there will be a sharing of ideas. There will be several exercises that can structure and deepen reflective learning (for use by teachers or their students) and a sharing of the outcomes of these.