The Academic Commons

This episode features Barry J. Burton, D.O., and a discussion about Critical Self-Reflection in teaching, including how to get started, how it can improve your practice, and how it can support your learners.

Guest: Barry J. Burton, D.O.

• Role: Assistant Professor in the Institute of Emerging Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University
• Expertise: Emergency medicine, disaster management, and promoting resilience through education

Quote from the Episode:

Getting Started:

• Start small with reflective practices, like journaling or peer feedback.
• Build reflection into course design through assignments and discussions.
• Regularly seek student feedback to gauge the effectiveness of teaching methods.
• Explore professional development opportunities like workshops or conferences.
• Join faculty discussion groups or book clubs to share insights and strategies.
• Contact us to get started with reflective practices.

Terms to Know:

The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we provided brief definitions of terms you will hear.

• Critical Reflection: The process of analyzing and evaluating personal assumptions, teaching practices, and learning outcomes.
• Critical Social Theory: An approach to teaching that examines power structures and challenges inequalities in society. It encourages students to think critically about social issues and consider their role in creating a fairer world.
• Community of Inquiry: A collaborative environment where learners and educators share perspectives to deepen understanding.
• Intellectual Humility: Recognizing the limits of one's knowledge and being open to new ideas.
• Metacognition: Thinking about one's own thinking processes to improve learning strategies.
• Desirable Difficulties: Challenges in learning that enhance retention and comprehension, the opposite of undesirable difficulties, which are barriers to learning outside of a student's control.
• OODA Loop: A decision-making framework emphasizing observation, orientation, decision, and action, often used to refine teaching approaches based on iterative feedback.

Selected Resources:

The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.

1. Brown, P. C. (2014). Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning (Pilot project. eBook available to selected US libraries only). Harvard University Press.
2. Designing Learning that Endures: The Science of Learning in Practice Asynchronous Module
3. Jefferson Libraries Homepage
4. Talking Teaching with Chris Pastore - email to join the announcement list
5. Faculty Support for Teaching and Learning Canvas Page
6. Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events