All Is Burning: Buddhist Mindfulness as Radical Reflection

This paper consists of two parts. In the first part (Section 1, part of Section 2), I put forward a critique of what I refer to as the ‘received’ or ‘standard’ view of mindfulness in the Western cultural milieu. According to the received view, mindfulness is the acontextual ‘core’ of Buddhism whose determining characteristic is bare (present-oriented, non-judgmental) attention to the flow and content of experience. As noted by many researchers, this conception is in stark contrast to the traditional Buddhist understanding, where mindfulness is not only embedded in a broader context that provides it with a specific philosophico-existential orientation (normative aspect) but is also construed as a reflective activity (noetic aspect). In the second part (part of Sections 2–4), I argue that one of the main issues with the standard view is that it frames experience in terms of what Maurice Merleau-Ponty calls ‘objective thought’ (using objectivity, or ‘thinghood’, as an onto-epistemological standard of reality), which makes the two aspects of the traditional conception (normative and noetic) unintelligible. I then provide an alternative view based on the phenomenological work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty that attempts to integrate the two aspects into a broader conception of experience. By drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s notions of ‘phenomenal field’ and ‘radical reflection’, I argue that mindfulness needs to be understood as a reflective attitude that allows one to discern not only the content but also, and primarily, the context of each experience, and that this also includes seeing itself—the act of reflection—as an act that stems from, and returns back into, the pre-reflective current of existence.

What We Learned When We Compared Discussion Posts from One MOOC Hosted on Two Platforms

We compared discussion posts from a data science ethics MOOC that was hosted on two platforms. We characterized one platform as “open” because learners can respond to discussion prompts while viewing and responding to others. We characterized the other platform as “locked” because learners must respond to a discussion prompt before they can view and respond to others. Our objective is to determine whether these platform differences are consequential and have the potential to impact learning. We analyzed direct responses to two discussion prompts from two modules located in modules two and six of an eight module course. We used conventional content analysis to derive codes directly from the data. Posts on the “open” platform were characterized by failure to completely address the prompt and showed evidence of persuasion tactics and reflective activity. Posts on the “locked” platform were characterized by an apparent intent to complete the task and an assertive tone. Posts on the “locked” platform also showed a diversity of ideas through the corpus of responses. Our findings show that MOOC platform interfaces can lead to qualitative differences in discussion posts in ways that have the potential to impact learning. Our study provides insight into how “open” and “locked” platform designs have the potential to shape ways that learners respond to discussion prompts in MOOCs. Our study offers guidance for instructors making decisions on MOOC platform choice and activities situated within a learning experience.We used conventional content analysis to derive codes directly from the data. Posts on the “open” platform were characterized by failure to completely address the prompt and showed evidence of persuasion tactics and reflective activity. Posts on the “locked” platform were characterized by an apparent intent to complete the task and an assertive tone. Posts on the “locked” platform also showed a diversity of ideas through the corpus of responses. Our findings show that MOOC platform interfaces can lead to qualitative differences in discussion posts in ways that have the potential to impact learning. Our study provides insight into how “open” and “locked” platform designs have the potential to shape ways that learners respond to discussion prompts in MOOCs. Our study offers guidance for instructors making decisions on MOOC platform choice and activities situated within a learning experience.

ORGANIZATION OF STUDENTS REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY AT THE MICROBIOLOGY, VIRUSOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

At present the development of critical thinking is crucial for individuals who are eager to get involved into productive interaction with the outside world, who are able to assess their own achievements objectively throughout the learning process, to analyze ways resulting in successes or fails, set purposes for self-improvement and self-development. There is a growing literature in medical education suggesting that reflection improves learning and performance in essential competencies to a growing literature in medical education suggesting that reflection improves learning and performance in essential competencies. Therefore fostering students’ reflective thinking is an important component of the educational process. The purpose of this study is to provide the grounds for organizing reflective activities for the future healthcare professionals in the context of their professional training. The experiment included 90 second-year students of Dentistry Faculty divided into two groups: test group involved 50 respondents and control group comprised 40 students. The method of studying reflexive abilities was based on applying teachers’ assessment and students’ self-assessment of students’ educational and cognitive activities including the following structural components: awareness of the learning outcomes and whether the outcomes are consisted with intended goals, self-analysis and self-assessment of individual activities and activities during team working. Each component was evaluated by five-score scale. Teachers also used the method of reflexive polylogue. The probability of the difference between the groups was determined by Student's t test. Designing of effective reflection requires time, effort and willingness; such activity should not feel like busy work or an add-on activity. The article elucidates the ways and principles of organization of reflective activity for future doctors. We offered some types of exercises aimed at developing the reflective skills for further professional work. We also detailed methodological recommendations and technoques on the organization of reflective activity for the dental students. The study has demonstrated that the highest level of reflexive skills in students corresponded to 3.4±0.7 scores that are quit sufficient for productive learning. It is through reflection the methods and results of own learning outomes are analyzed and assessed. Reflection is a skill, which requires development and can be applied broadly in medical education.

Using People Styles for Interpersonal Competence: Encouraging Purposeful Reflection on Communication Behaviors

The purpose of this article is to revitalize the idea of soft skills as an important part of evaluator training through reflecting on the use of the People Styles Assessment Inventory (Bolton & Bolton, 2009) as a reflective exercise in a course with masters and Ph. D. level evaluation and measurement students. This paper provides an overview of the recent conversation in the literature surrounding interpersonal competency in evaluation, highlighting the need for and lack of emphasis on interpersonal skills in evaluation training, then describes the teaching practice context for engaging in the People Styles assessment and reflective activity. The People Styles model is described in detail along with key reflections on the use of the model for training future evaluation practitioners.

Teaching creativity in entrepreneurship: Embolden or discourage?

Entrepreneurship is taught in diverse settings addressed to various audiences. The role of creativity is generally thought to be beneficial for innovation; however, certain concerns may emerge depending on the context in which entrepreneurship is taught. For example, critical questions may arise in classrooms where entrepreneurship is encountered in business curricula. This article addresses a reflective activity regarding creative individuals and their role in business venturing. The instructional methodology is provided along with empirical results. Responding to the need for critical approaches in entrepreneurial teaching and reflection empowerment as effective mechanisms for entrepreneurial learning, the article offers an account of reflective practice for educators to consider and use further.

Ensinar gramática Percursos que se criam, caminhos que se trilham

This article has as framework the inductive approach to grammar teaching, in which the students are expected to discover and to recognize grammar rules through data observation, detection of regularities and generalization. It is based on Ana Maria Brito’s works in which grammar learning is viewed as “discovery learning”. In the first part, the author’s body of work on this subject is revisited, in order to create an unified suggestion of grammar teaching. In a second part, a teaching sequence plan is presented: based on grammar teaching as reflective activity, it shows a consistent and articulated development of learner’s syntactic knowledge from early ages, namely from the 1st cycle of basic education

REFLEXIVE-VALUE SUPPORT OF VOCATIONAL CREATIVE TRAINING OF EDUCATION STUDENTS: THE CONCEPT STRUCTURE

The article presents the structure of the concept of reflexive-value support of vocational creative training of students of pedagogical universities. The said concept is considered as a system whose structure is a logically determined interconnection of three components (values-goal orientations, theoretical content and the normative model for the concept implementation), which sequentially reveal its three aspects (socio-cultural, epistemological and practical). The goal of the concept was determined, and the decomposition of the general goal was presented. The place of the concept in the structure of modern theories of pedagogy and axiology was determined. The factors that outline the boundaries of applicability of the concept were established: objects of reflexive-value support of vocational creative training of students of pedagogical universities; features of the population of the process of reflexive-value support of vocational creative training of students of pedagogical universities; the level of scientific knowledge in the field of methodology, theory, and technique of reflexive-value support of vocational creative training of students of pedagogical universities based on the provisions of system-synergetic, axiological, culturological and reflective-activity methodological approaches.

Embedding Reflection on Graduate Attributes in the Psychology Curriculum: The Impact on Self-Efficacy and the Perceived Value of Graduate Attributes

Psychology graduates face a volatile job market: promotion of their skills is increasingly important, yet they often lack awareness of and engagement with their Graduate Attributes (GAs); the employability skills developed throughout university in order to prepare them for the world of work. To address this, we designed, implemented and evaluated a GA reflective activity in a UK university. Undergraduate psychology students completed a measure of their self-efficacy in GAs (GASE) before and after taking part in a GA reflective activity. Students were asked to provide qualitative feedback on the value of the activity. GASE was higher after the activity but this effect was relatively small. A thematic analysis indicated that the activity was valued, but students wanted clearer guidance on the development and application of GAs. In summary, the GA activity had a marginal impact on GA self-efficacy and appeared to raise awareness of GAs and career goals. This reflective activity can be embedded in the curriculum as a stand-alone workshop or as part of personal development planning. Further work is needed to support students in identifying opportunities for skill development.