Transformative learning research (Mezirow, 2000) inspired the development of the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (GSTEP) at the University of North Texas. This program provides a context for many novice educators to learn teaching skills and pedagogy, examine personal assumptions, and critically reflect about teaching experiences. The program also establishes a community of diverse learners who are genuinely interested in teaching and supporting their peers. Increasing skills competency and self-efficacy are the two program goals.

In this presentation, we will share the learning processes of individuals engaged in the GSTEP.  We have collected critical reflection essays and Critical Incident Questionnaires (CIQ’s) from GSTEP participants and will describe the results of our analysis of these reflections using themes based upon the work of Mezirow (2000) and Kember (1999). 

We will also facilitate an interactive session with session participants to examine teaching assumptions and reflect on the impact of these assumptions on teaching practices. Using a process similar to that we introduce to our GSTEP participants, we will engage in exploration of the question, “What makes someone a ‘good’ teacher? We will work in small groups to find common themes and critically examine the assumptions that have led us to our conclusions.

In this presentation, we will share the learning processes of individuals engaged in the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (GSTEP) at the University of North Texas.  We have collected critical reflection essays and Critical Incident Questionnaires (CIQ’s) from GSTEP participants that have demonstrated levels of transformative learning. We will include our analysis of these reflections using themes based upon the work of Mezirow (2000) and Kember (1999). 

In this session, we will also facilitate an interactive session with session participants to examine teaching assumptions and reflect on the impact of these assumptions on teaching practices. Using a process similar to that we introduce to our GSTEP participants, we will engage in exploration of the question, “What makes someone a ‘good’ teacher?" We will work in small groups to find common themes and critically examine the assumptions that have led us to our conclusions.  

Transformative learning (Mezirow, 2000) inspired the development of GSTEP. This program provides a context for many novice educators to learn new teaching skills and pedagogical theory, examine personal assumptions about teaching, and critically reflect about teaching experiences. The program also establishes a community of diverse learners who are genuinely interested in teaching and supporting their peers.  In this community, participants use the Wenger-Trayner social learning model (2015).  A central component of GSTEP is critical reflection, influenced by the work of scholars such as Mezirow (2000) and Brookfield (2015).  Critical reflection is embedded in many of the activities participants experience throughout the GSTEP. 

GSTEP has two major goals: (1) developing competency with teaching skills and (2) increasing self-efficacy related to teaching.  Participants engage in peer seminars, explore pedagogical literature, prepare and implement a micro-teaching lesson reviewed by their peers, and teach in a class in their discipline.  They explore their assumptions about teaching through critical reflection.  The overall experience assists them to engage learners, design active learning lessons based on achievable outcomes, facilitate student interaction, and link new learning to knowledge and experiences relevant to students’ lives. Self-efficacy development in GSTEP is based upon the work of Bandura (1977). Participants work with mentors and faculty to gain competency, engage in modeling experiences, receive encouragement and coaching, and gain support with their emotional responses to teaching.  

Opportunities to experience disorienting dilemmas (Mezirow, 2000) are part of the GSTEP program and critical reflection process. From the beginning, program mentors guide participants to discover and recognize the influence of their teaching assumptions. In classrooms they experience student learning experiences very different from their own and explore the effectiveness of multiple teaching strategies. They learn about students with varying needs and past experiences. Throughout the program, individuals complete critical incident questionnaires (CIQ) and critical reflection essays that document the transformative learning process. They leave the program with comments such as: “Teaching is harder than I thought it would be."

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.  Psychological Review. 84(2), 191-215.

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The skillful teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Kember, D. (1999). Determining the level of reflective thinking from students’ written journals using a coding scheme based on the work of Mezirow. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 18(1), 18-30.

Mezirow, J. & Associates. (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wenger-Trayner, E & B. (2015). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Retrieved from http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice

50-Minute Interactive Session

Critically Reflecting in Transformative Learning