This study evaluates the impact reflective writing has on high school students’ understanding of scientific concepts and their attitudes and opinions toward learning science. Reflective writing is a part of the writing-to-learn movement (Connolly, 1989), the aim of which is to incorporate informal writing into all disciplines. Reflective writing is a hermeneutic process during which a student writes, metacognitively on a paper, his or her ideas about a specific scientific topic, in an informal manner. The research done on the use and impact of Reflective Writing involved post-secondary students. This study aims to shed light on how reflective writing affects high school students’ understanding of science. Participants in this study are high school students, from a Montreal school, who were asked to complete reflective writing tasks as a part of their science course work. Their writings are analyzed and compared to their attitudes and opinions toward the subject as probed by interviews conducted towards the end of the course.

This book represents the emerging efforts of a growing international network of researchers and practitioners to promote the development and uptake of evidence-based pedagogies in higher education, at something a level approaching large-scale impact. By offering a communication venue that attracts and enhances much needed partnerships among practitioners and researchers in pedagogical innovation, we aim to change the conversation and focus on how we work and learn together – i.e. extending the implementation and knowledge of co–design methods. In this first edition of our Research Topic on Active Learning, we highlight two (of the three) types of publications we wish to promote. First are studies aimed at understanding the pedagogical designs developed by practitioners in their own practices by bringing to bear the theoretical lenses developed and tested in the education research community. These types of studies constitute the "practice pull" that we see as a necessary counterbalance to "knowledge push" in a more productive pedagogical innovation ecosystem based on research-practitioner partnerships. Second are studies empirically examining the implementations of evidence-based designs in naturalistic settings and under naturalistic conditions. Interestingly, the teams conducting these studies are already exemplars of partnerships between researchers and practitioners who are uniquely positioned as “in-betweens” straddling the two worlds. As a result, these publications represent both the rigours of research and the pragmatism of reflective practice. In forthcoming editions, we will add to this collection a third type of publication -- design profiles. These will present practitioner-developed pedagogical designs at varying levels of abstraction to be held to scrutiny amongst practitioners, instructional designers and researchers alike. We hope by bringing these types of studies together in an open access format that we may contribute to the development of new forms of practitioner-researcher interactions that promote co-design in pedagogical innovation.

The development of science literacy has the potential to have an enormous impact on real world outcomes. Specifically, developing science literacy may persuade individuals to act. We hope that this book will influence scientists, science journalists, sociologists, anthropologists, communication specialists, political leaders, media outlets, educational institutions, and individual science content consumers. The chapters in this book describe a definition of science literacy that draws on the emotional, cognitive, and social. The authors strive to help prepare individuals to read, write, and speak science in a continuously evolving information landscape. In order to meet these objectives, the chapters examine both qualitative and quantitative research. It is within these frameworks that we can begin to address science literacy in the 21st century.

Decades of research show that introductory physics students struggle to learn Newtonian concepts of force and motion. Conventional lecture method of instruction has been unable to improve students' ideas and attitudes. This study examined the impact of combining Labatorials and Reflective Writing on high school students' knowledge of Newtonian dynamics. Participants are 210 secondary 5 (grade 11) students, from three private schools in Montreal, who took a physics course during 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. Their ideas and opinions about forces and learning physics were investigated, prior to and following the study, with: (a) the Discipline-focused Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire; (b) the Force Concept Inventory (FCI); (c) a concept map focused on the relations between force and motion. Pre- and post- semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants. The post interview required students to analyse a hands-on experiment about the two-way motion of a fan cart. Data was also collected from participants' teachers throughout the duration of the study. Results from the FCI indicate a medium gain as calculated by Hake (1998) which is similar to those obtained when Interactive Engagement practices are used in teaching physics (Hake, 1998). The interviews with students as well as feedback from teachers showed that students preferred the combination of Labatorials with Reflective Writing to traditional labs. Preliminary analysis of concept maps completed in the post-test to those in the pretest indicate that students better connected concepts related to forces and motion. The gathered data and interviews indicate that the process of combining Labatorials with Reflective Writing improves students' knowledge of the subject as well as their attitudes towards learning it.

The intent of this book is to describe how a professor can provide a learning environment that assists students in coming to grips with the nature of science and engineering, to understand science and engineering concepts, and to solve problems in science and engineering courses. The book is based upon articles published in Science Educational Research and which are grounded in educational research (both quantitative and qualitative) performed by the author over many years.

The Reflective Practice Guide offers an accessible introduction to engaging effectively in critical reflection, supporting all students in their development of the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their professional practice. This second edition has been thoroughly updated with new chapters emphasising the importance of personal growth, processing emotions, building resilience, and issues of diversity, intersectionality and positionality. Throughout the book Barbara Bassot illustrates the process of critical reflection using examples and case studies drawn from a range of professional contexts, offering an interdisciplinary model of practice that may be applied to many settings. Drawing on literature from a range of disciplines, chapters explore the key aspects of reflection, including: Developing self-awareness The role of writing in reflection Reflecting with others The importance of emotions and processing feelings Managing change Learning from experiences Self-care and avoiding burnout The book is extended and enhanced through Instructor and Student Resources that include additional content including case studies, reflective activities, diagrams and videos. These can be found at www.routledge.com/cw/bassot. This essential text offers support, guidance and inspiration for all students in the helping professions including education, health, social care and counselling, who want to gain greater self-awareness, challenge assumptions and think about practice on a deeper level.

A proven program for enhancing students' thinking and comprehension abilities Visible Thinking is a research-based approach to teaching thinking, begun at Harvard's Project Zero, that develops students' thinking dispositions, while at the same time deepening their understanding of the topics they study. Rather than a set of fixed lessons, Visible Thinking is a varied collection of practices, including thinking routines?small sets of questions or a short sequence of steps?as well as the documentation of student thinking. Using this process thinking becomes visible as the students' different viewpoints are expressed, documented, discussed and reflected upon. Helps direct student thinking and structure classroom discussion Can be applied with students at all grade levels and in all content areas Includes easy-to-implement classroom strategies The book also comes with a DVD of video clips featuring Visible Thinking in practice in different classrooms.