Decolonizing the Online Space: Teachers’ Engagement in Dialogue Groups to Foster Critical Reflection

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing Teacher Education Through Reflections (Table 10)

Abstract

Fostering critical reflection through dialogue requires opportunities for communion with others. While asynchronous discussion boards can offer advantages of processing time and the ability to return to view one’s thoughts later, discussion boards lack the possibility for real-time back-and-forth communication. Writing in a public space also lends itself creating a surveillance state that can limit one’s reflective risk. In this study, we explored the outcomes of reformatting opportunities for student dialogue in asynchronous online courses in a graduate program for in-service teachers. This paper reports on teachers’ experiences shared via their weekly and concluding written reflective narratives and a survey. Findings indicated that the reformatted structure re-centered students and offered them multiple reflective opportunities.

Authors

• Stephanie L. Dodman, George Mason University

• Jessica N. Hiltabidel, George Mason University

• Nancy M. Holincheck, George Mason University