Improving Faculty Reflective Practice: Teaching a Blended Course as a "Blended Family"

• In Event: 46.086 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 46.086-1 - Reflection in Teaching and Learning: Stimuli, Content, Processes, and Outcomes

Abstract

This narrative self-study examined the practice of four teacher educators who collaborated to design and teach a pre-service education course in a blended format. The research questions were:
• In what ways are we like a family?
• How does using the metaphor of colleagues as family enrich our understanding of effective collaboration?
• What are the challenges and benefits of creating professional families?
Data sources included the syllabi from multiple semesters, personal journals, meeting notes, conference call recordings, and student work samples.
Conceptualizing this collaborative faculty workgroup as a family highlighted the benefits of supportive relationships that socialize new instructors, nurture professional confidence, improve access to resources, and encourage reflective practice that improves instruction.

Authors

• Donna J. Reid, University of Houston

• Gayle A. Curtis, University of Houston

• Velvette Laurence, University of Houston

• Heidi Powell, University of Houston