“There is no need to reinvent the wheel” – a cliché, often told when you want to come up with something new that in someway can be connected to something that already exist. This study shows the opposite – that inventions emanate from what is given. It can be a detail, a problem in a thing - a wheel - or a situation that catches the inventor’s attention. It is something that seeks a solution or something that generates an idea, a hint or a clue of something new and useful. The art of invention emerges from the ability and skill to broaden the seeing and put thinking, substance and tradition into motion. An old radio dial generates a new ergonomic steering wheel. The connection of memories between a chestnut, a cello and an early morning at a water pump creates three works of art. The epistemology of this study is based on a dialogue between voices from different times and traditions. Some voices are normative examples, drawn from a dialogue between Swedish inventors. The others are those of philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment, fetched from their original writings. Through that dialogue, perspectives and ideas of inventors and classical philosophers meet and are compared. A deeper understanding thus emerges that shows the essence of invention and in fact the essence of all creative work: i) Freedom – in thought and in action ii) Dialogue - to test and try new ideas and things in the ever changing circumstances. iii) Doubt - not taking established fact and assumptions for granted iv) Action – testing and breaking established praxis and rules. The study also illustrates the need for an alternative scientific form and expression concerning studies in the fields of invention, innovation and other practical work. Invention can not be captured or shaped by exact measurements, concepts, definitions or abstract models. It takes place in the borderland between fact and fiction, where technique, aesthetics and philosophy are one working entity. The strive for knowledge is endless and without limits and it is nurtured by wondering, searching and ambiguity. With inspiration from the dialogue seminar method used within KTH Advanced Programme in Reflective Practice – this study point out the actuality and vitality in using the classical philosophical writings, dialogue and analogical thinking as a scientific method within higher education. / QC 20100826

This dissertation describes a qualitative case study that investigated novice teachers’ video-aided reflection on their own teaching. To date, most studies that have investigated novice teachers’ video-aided reflective practice have focused on examining novice teachers’ levels of reflective writing rather than the cognitive processes involved during their reflection. Few studies have probed how novice teachers schematize and theorize their newly acquired and/or existing knowledge during video-aided reflection. The purpose of this study was to explore novice teachers’ cognitive processes, particularly video-aided schematization and theorization (VAST), which is a set of cognitive processes that help novice teachers construct, restructure and reconstruct their professional knowledge and pedagogical thinking while reflecting on videos of their own teaching. The researcher measured novice teachers’ VAST by examining their schema construction and automation in terms of schema accretion, schema tuning and schema restructuring. The study attempted to answer the following questions: a) What is the focus of novice teachers’ video-aided reflection? and b) How do novice teachers connect the focus of their reflections to their prior knowledge and future actions? The findings indicate that video-aided reflection could help novice teachers (1) notice what was needed to improve in their teaching practice, (2) realize how various elements in teaching were interrelated, and (3) construct, restructure, or reconstruct their professional knowledge – in other words, develop their schemata about teaching and learning through VAST. With a more developed and mature schemata, novice teachers could be able to better understand the various elements involved in teaching and learning, and handle the situations they encounter in their teaching. This may be because people’s schemata can provide the link between concepts and patterns of what they do (Rumelhart, 1980). This research has provided a new way to look at novice teachers’ video-aided reflection: how the cognitive processes they experience during their reflection can help them develop the knowledge about teaching and learning, and how their cognitive development can help them grow toward becoming teaching experts. The research findings add to the knowledge base about the use of video technology in teachers’ self-reflection and professional development in teacher education.

This narrative inquiry explores therapeutic relationships in the practice of recreation therapy. Narratives were generated in Recreation Therapy’s self-reflective case review process at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre—a process developed to support team engagement in reflections on their therapeutic relationships. In total, three self-reflective case reviews were explored, and for each case review, four layers of analysis occurred. The first two layers used narrative analysis to restory reflections of the case review leader (layer one) and then reflections within the recreation therapy team (layer two). The third and fourth layers used analysis of narrative to explore theoretical ideas from person-centred care emerging inductively in the text (layer three), and then to restory the previous narratives using a relational theory lens (layer four). Exploration revealed the self-reflective case review process also strengthens therapeutic relationships within the recreation therapy team. In the recreation therapists’ narratives we hear relational notions of connection, disconnection, reconnection, mutuality, mutual empathy, authenticity, vulnerability, and support. This study engaged recreation therapists in an act of critical pedagogy as they engaged in critical self-reflection by exploring across layers of narrative that story their therapeutic relationships. The self-reflective case review process creates opportunity for the recreation therapy team to recognize, identify and name their experiences within therapeutic relationships, and to find their voices in the medical context of a hospital setting. When engaging in self-reflective processes, recreation therapy moves further away from treating individuals as objects, shifting practice toward connection and mutuality in therapeutic relationships.

This research proposes that design and visual thinking in combination with narrative theory contribute to enhance knowledge of innovation processes and support managers in their work. In particular, the focus is on the use of Storyboarding to support a better definition of a project’s brief. Innovation studies have shown that the initial phases of innovation processes (typically called the “front end of innovation”) are crucial for success. A proper definition of a brief, that occurs at the front of the front end, is therefore one of the most relevant events in innovation. This study investigates the early phases of innovation by developing and evaluating a new method for developing a brief. First, an explorative approach has been used in order to develop knowledge of challenges in the front end of innovation and how design thinking, visual thinking and narratives can bring new insights in teamwork. In this explorative search the use of case studies has been employed. Then, the explorative search has focused onthe use of Storyboarding as a tool for reflection, and in particular for igniting dynamics of framing and reframing of innovation problems. Finally, in order to create a deeper knowledge in the use of storyboarding three hypotheses has been evaluated, four experiments has been conducted with the involvement of more than 60 people defining innovation briefs. In these experiments, storyboarding (visual and narrative) has been used to support “thinking” that leads to the brief. In other words, storyboarding has been seen as a process to enable innovation teams to think differently or more precisely, rather than just a tool to represent or to communicate the brief. The experiments show that using storyboarding has effects that can support innovation management. First, storyboarding is useful if management wants to “stimulate” a reflection on meaning when developing a brief, i.e. when they want an innovation team to consider both utilitarian and emotional/symbolic factors in an innovation process. Second, Storyboarding brings a narrower focus, compared to traditional written briefs, within the “area of interest” brought up by management, which sometimes may be asked for when the organization is in search for reframing the direction of innovation. / Denna avhandling föreslår att design och visuellt tänkande i kombination med narrativ teori kan bidra till en bättre förståelse och ledning av innovationsprocesser. Framför allt med fokus på användningen av storyboarding för att stödja en bättre definition av ett projekts uppdragsbeskrivning, eller som det kallas en ”brief”. Tidigare innovationsforskning har visat att de inledande faserna av innovationsprocesser (vanligen kallad “the front end of innovation”) är av avgörande betydelse för att innovationer skall nå framgång. En ordentligt utformad ”brief”, formulerad tidigt, i de inledande faserna av innovationsprocessen är således en av de mest relevanta händelserna för framgångsrikt innovationsarbete. Denna forskning bidrar till kunskap i de tidiga faserna av innovationsprocessen genom att utveckla och utvärdera en ny metod för att utveckla en ”brief”, storyboarding. Först så har en explorativ metodik använts för att skapa förståelse för de tidiga faserna av innovation och hur metoder och teorier från design, visuellt tänkande och narrativ kan ge nya insikter i teamarbete. I denna explorativa del så har fallstudier använts som forskningsstrategi. Därefter så har mitt sökande efter förståelse fokuserats på användningen av storyboarding som ett verktyg för reflektion, och i synnerhet att formulera och omformulera inramningen av möjligheter för innovation. Slutligen, för att skapa en djupare förståelse av storyboarding, så har tre hypoteser utvärderats med hjälp av ett antal experiment med mer än 60 personers deltagande där team utvecklar en ”brief”. I dessa experiment så har Storyboarding använts för att stödja teamens “tänkande” för att utveckla en ”brief”. Med andra ord så har Storyboarding setts som en process för att möjliggöra för team att tänka annorlunda eller mer exakt, snarare än bara ett verktyg för att representera eller för att kommunicera en ”brief”. Experimenten visar att användningen av Storyboarding har ett antal effekter som kan stödja ledning av innovation. För det första kan vi se att Storyboarding kan vara användbart om man vill “stimulera” reflektion kopplat till innebörd (meaning) när man utvecklar en ”brief”, dvs. när man vill att ett team ska överväga både funktionella så väl som känslomässiga/symboliska faktorer i en innovationsprocess. För det andra så skapar storyboarding en ”smalare” definition, jämfört med traditionella skriftliga ”briefs”, inom det av ledningen valda fokusområde. Detta kan vara önskvärt när ledningen söker efter nya möjligheter för innovation.

This qualitative study used a narrative inquiry approach to conduct in-depth interviews of eight distributed learning educators who designed and offered online English courses in British Columbia during the 2011/12 school year. There were three research questions: (1) How do teachers describe their professional experiences of teaching in a full time online environment? (2) What are the enablers and inhibitors for online teacher development? (3) Do teachers feel their teaching practice has changed over their career as online educators? Findings were examined through the lens of Korthagen’s (2004) Onion Model. Six themes that comprised this model, provided a framework for data analysis and insight into the process by which teachers made sense of their lived experience. The findings revealed that online educators valued their online experience because it removed the constraints of a regular classroom. They expressed frustration with some aspects of the current model of online education in BC because it prevented them from engaging in synchronous, highly connective learning projects with their students. Recognition of the fact that online educators work in a different milieu with a different set of environmental pressures is necessary to ensure the success of distributed learning in BC.

This narrative inquiry explores therapeutic relationships in the practice of recreation therapy. Narratives were generated in Recreation Therapy’s self-reflective case review process at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre—a process developed to support team engagement in reflections on their therapeutic relationships. In total, three self-reflective case reviews were explored, and for each case review, four layers of analysis occurred. The first two layers used narrative analysis to restory reflections of the case review leader (layer one) and then reflections within the recreation therapy team (layer two). The third and fourth layers used analysis of narrative to explore theoretical ideas from person-centred care emerging inductively in the text (layer three), and then to restory the previous narratives using a relational theory lens (layer four). Exploration revealed the self-reflective case review process also strengthens therapeutic relationships within the recreation therapy team. In the recreation therapists’ narratives we hear relational notions of connection, disconnection, reconnection, mutuality, mutual empathy, authenticity, vulnerability, and support. This study engaged recreation therapists in an act of critical pedagogy as they engaged in critical self-reflection by exploring across layers of narrative that story their therapeutic relationships. The self-reflective case review process creates opportunity for the recreation therapy team to recognize, identify and name their experiences within therapeutic relationships, and to find their voices in the medical context of a hospital setting. When engaging in self-reflective processes, recreation therapy moves further away from treating individuals as objects, shifting practice toward connection and mutuality in therapeutic relationships.

This study is a first of its kind for New Zealand journalism education, following 20 students at two different schools throughout a year-long training programme. It used two methods to gain a deeper understanding: a discourse analysis of their news stories written at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the year, and retrospective protocol analysis, to provide insight into their thinking processes, through their taped reflections. The research found that journalism education controlled by the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation still resembles that of 20 years ago, despite increasing numbers of students learning journalism as part of degree programmes. Students are trained for the media industry through learning by doing. They receive basic instruction and then are expected to perfect their skills by practising their writing and to learn the conventions and routines of the media industry through socialisation and work experience. In the first half of the year, the students developed some skills in writing the traditional inverted-pyramid news stories. However, by the end of the year, their news writing showed technical signs of regression. Firstly, they were not writing in a succinct, clear fashion, emphasising news values. Secondly, they had been inadequately trained to write outside of the inverted-pyramid news story or to use popular “soft” lead sentences, so that their writing tended towards being promotional. Thirdly, journalism institutions strongly favour subediting by tutors and this detracted from the students gaining understanding of their own writing and being able to self-monitor and evaluate it. Lastly, they failed to show the critical thinking skills and independence necessary for a professional journalist so that they could research thoroughly, reflect deeply and write entertaining, informative and important news stories with flair. Their reflections confirmed these findings, suggesting some stress and disillusionment. The students could “declare” what they knew about writing a news story but could not put it into practice. They blamed their failure to write high quality news stories on the pressures of the course, the deadlines and high volumes of stories. The gaps in their journalism education were also revealed through what was not mentioned in their taped reflections: in particular, they failed to mention the importance of news values in making their stories more appealing. The major influence at first was the students’ tutors, followed by work experience and the “real world” of the media industry. The concentration on job skills and gaining a job coupled with a lack of knowledge and discussion provided the students with an incomplete understanding of the pressures of the media industry they were entering. The study recommends more debate about journalism education and more research, as well as a change away from “learning by doing” to a more critical, reflective approach.

abstract: This study examines the possibility of using social and historical contexts, image analysis, and personal themes to engage adolescent photography students in the craft of photography. This new curriculum was designed around large themes that correspond to the developmental stage of adolescence. Issues such as self-identity, teenage stereotypes, school, family, and community were explored through examining historical documents and photographs, comparing popular culture perspectives, and learning basic semiotics. The students then worked within these ideas by creating their own photographs and reflecting upon their art making choices. The new approach was implemented in an analog film class in which basic 35mm camera and film techniques are taught. It is argued that meaning making motivates the adolescent photographer rather than the achievement of strong technical skills. This qualitative study was conducted using an action research approach, in which the author was both the classroom teacher and the researcher. The study incorporates data collected from student-created photographs, student written responses, interviews of students, interviews of photography teachers, and the researcher's field notes. Major themes were discovered over time by applying a grounded theory approach to understanding the data. The curriculum brought a new level of student engagement, both in participation in the course and in the complexity of their image making. By incorporating the chosen topics, students' images were rich with personal meaning. Students retained concepts of historical and social uses for photography and demonstrated a base understanding of semiotic theory. Furthermore, the data points to a stronger sense of community and teacher-student relationships within the classroom. The researcher argues that this deeper rapport is due to the concentration on personal themes within the practice of photography. Setbacks within the study included censorship by the school of mature subjects, a limited amount of equipment, and a limited amount of time with the students. This study demonstrates the need for art curriculum to provide connections between visual art, interdisciplinary associations, students' level of development, and students' personal interests. The research provides a possible approach to redesigning curriculum for photography courses for the twenty-first century student. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Art 2011

Although it is not a professional requirement, research shows that some Trainee Clinical Psychologists (CPs) access PT (PT) whilst training (Nel, Pezzolesi & Stott, 2012). CPs' practice is moving towards the Reflective-Scientist-Practitioner Model, therefore identifying ways that CPs may develop reflective skills is required. Most other therapeutic trainings have PT as a requirement (Malikiosi-Loizos 2013), which is suggested as a method of developing reflective skills (Lavender, 2003; Wigg Cushway & Neal, 2011). Little research has investigated the use of PT by Trainee CPs. The current study explored processes by which 12 Trainee CPs experienced their own (PT), and how these processes related to their development whilst training. Participants were interviewed using single, semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014). Two models were constructed, these described participants' decision to access PT mediated by anticipating or experiencing distress and learning about the self through PT. Participants seemed to develop and learn about themselves in three domains; 1) Learning about me: Personally; 2) Learning about me: Professionally; and 3) Learning about me: Being a client. I understand this development occurred through the continuous process of participants taking a dilemma to PT, reflecting upon the dilemma, and thereby acquiring a different understanding of themselves. These experiences apparently permit participants to integrate personal attributes into their professional identities and to model positive experiences from their own therapy in their practice. The results support PT as a method of developing competencies required within the Reflective Practitioner Model, implying that the use of PT for Trainee CPs should be considered within professional training. Furthermore, participants described emotional struggles during training which they perceived, according to professional discourses, to be unacceptable. This implies that evaluating formal and informal support systems for Trainee CPs is essential.

Magister Educationis - Med / This is a reflective study of the factors that influenced the performance of learners in Physical Sciences National Senior Certificate examinations in four secondary schools in a district in Eastern Cape. The study considered factors that influenced the matric results for a period of five years in a district in the Eastern Cape (from 2010 to 2015) National Senior Certificate results. The study was conducted to identify the indicators that could positively influence physical sciences results after many years of underperformance in the subject. This study was underpinned by the theory of reflective practice. As part of an intervention strategy, learners completed an intensive programme of teaching during school hours, extra classes, practical work and assessment. The four school principals were purposively selected for interviews. Four Physical Sciences educators from the four senior secondary schools and 12 post-grade 12 learners from each senior secondary school were all interviewed. Post-grade 12 learners were randomly selected for interviews. The researcher used a reflective journal as a method of examining the reflections by the respondents. Teachers reflected on their teachings to improve their practices that make science learning more meaningful to both learners and teachers The findings indicate that extra classes provided sufficient time to complete the syllabus, to conduct experiments and to administer practical tests. Regular assessment in theory and practical work showed the improvement in attainment of good physical sciences results in all the four participating schools. Instructional supervision from the managers also assisted in developing teacher skills. It was recommended that the DoE should use experts in teacher training and professional development activities. School management systems should play an active role in teacher support and the supervision of instructional work.