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The Teacher Educator

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The reflection integration

model: A process for
facilitating reflective learning
a a
Cynthia J. Hutchinson & Kay W. Allen
a
Educational Foundations , University of Central
Florida ,
Published online: 20 Jan 2010.

To cite this article: Cynthia J. Hutchinson & Kay W. Allen (1997) The reflection
integration model: A process for facilitating reflective learning, The Teacher
Educator, 32:4, 226-234, DOI: 10.1080/08878739709555149

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08878739709555149

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 THE REFLECTION INTEGRATION MODEL:
A PROCESS FOR FACILITATING
REFLECTIVE LEARNING

Cynthia J. Hutchinson and Kay W. Allen

Educational Foundations, University of Central Florida

Abstract
One of the goals of teacher education is to devebp each preservice teacher
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into a reflective educator. A reflective educator is a lifelong learner who

perceives every experience as an opportunity for growth, change, and
development of understanding. As a result of our teaching experiences in
the College of Education, we have developed a process that helps students
become reflective learners. In this article we discuss this process, the
Reflection Integration Model (RIM). Thefour components of the model
are (a) pre-experience, (b) experience, (c) reflection, and (d) integration.
While the model is germane to any experiential-based learning, in this
article it is applied to a field experience for preservice teachers.
A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old
dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Chris and Matthew are College of Education students doing
their field placement in the same classroom. As they drive home after
their last visit, they talk about the experience.

Chris: I am so glad this is our last visit. My heart just bleeds for
those poor children, and I get so angry just thinking about
what their parents aren't able to do for them. I think Ms.
Tash is wasting her time there.
Matthew: I'm not sure I agree with you, Chris. When I first went to
the school, I thought all these kids were the same. If you
are poor, then that means that your parents are lazy and
probably don't really care what happens to you. I had no
intention of ever teaching in this kind of school. But as I
have been reflecting on the experience and have opened
myself up to seeing these kids as individuals, I see that
they are much like kids everywhere else. They want the
same things, have the same needs. And the parents are

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 pretty much the same as other parents. Some of them are
involved and others aren't. We can't really blame people for
being poor. What it looks like to us is not necessarily how
it really is. We are seeing the whole thing from our past
experience; from our perspective. What I think we should
be doing is trying to understand the situation from their
perspective.
One of the frustrations a teacher faces is recognizing, even in the
same class, significant differences in the impact of experience on stu-
dents. Some students willingly take charge of their learning; they
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become involved, immerse themselves, seek new avenues, and grow by

embracing the experience. Others remain passive and basically
unchanged.
How does a teacher react to this difference? What causes one
person to experience a situation and remain virtually unchanged while
another person is able to use the experience to reconfigure her or his
belief system?
An experience happens to a person. What a person does with the
experience is the process that generates growth. By adding the process
of reflection and integration, the experience can become meaningful
and build understanding. Many leading educators (Barell, 1991;
Perkins, 1991, 1993-1994, 1994;Tishman, Perkins, and Jay, 1995)
are encouraging a paradigm shift from the transmission of knowledge
to a focus on teaching for understanding. According to Perkins (1993-
1994), " . . . education needs to accomplish far more than transmitting
a fund of knowledge. It must foster understanding" (p. 84).
A review of literature clearly documents an increased interest in
experiential learning (Froiland, 1994; Leith, 1988; Marsick, 1992;
Pun, 1990). Some of the outcomes from experiential learning that
have been identified are increased student reasoning and self-reliance
(Leith, 1988). Kozolanka (1991) found that experiential learning,
while creating connections to the community, developed decision-
making skills and group cooperation. However, it is important for
teachers who are just beginning to use the experiential approach to
learning to anticipate that some students may initially resist the
process (Pun, 1990).
Can teachers help students benefit from their experiences? Can
teachers guide students, like Chris in the example above, to move
toward becoming reflective learners?
As a result of our teaching experience, we have developed a
process that helps students become reflective learners. In this article

227
 we discuss this process—Reflection Integration Model (RIM). RIM
offers a way for students to become reflective learners. The
background for the model is an experiential learning theory that is
based on the following assumptions.
• People learn from their experience. The question here is not if, but
what they will learn.
• The learning outcomes of the experience depend on whether the
experience is processed (i.e., reflection).
• The personalizing of the learning is dependent on the integration
of the reflection (Allen and Hutchinson, 1992).
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Experience and reflection have been identified as principles that

facilitate adult learning (Perskill, 1989). For Chris, the field
experience represented meeting an obligation. On the other hand,
Matthew grew from the experience, developing new perspectives and
understanding.
RIM is a four-component model that can be the essential ingre-
dient for turning experience into meaningful learning. The four
components of the model are: (a) pre-experience, (b) experience,
(c) reflection, and (d) integration. Although the model can be
applied to any experience, in this article we will apply it to a field
experience for preservice teachers. Our goal is for each preservice
teacher to develop into a reflective educator. A reflective educator is
a lifelong learner who perceives every experience as an opportunity
for growth, change, and the development of understanding.

The Reflection Integration Model

Although each component of the process is necessary, the stages
are not necessarily discrete. That is, students may engage in reflection
in anticipation of the experience and also during involvement in the
experience.

The Pre-Experience
Preparing students for the experience is vital. Students need to
know the purpose of the experience—what is to be observed, what
skills are to be learned. Meaningful learning requires understanding
the "why" of the experience. It is the responsibility of the teacher to
articulate the reasons for the experience. Also, the teacher should be
familiar with the setting of the proposed experience.
Before students go out for their experience, it is helpful to estab-
lish some structure for their observations and interactions. One type

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 of structure is to give students some specific activities to be
completed and questions to be answered. These activities and
questions may be developed collaborativcly with the students or
they may be assigned by the teacher.
During this pre-experience phase, the focus is on preparing the
students to view the upcoming experience with a specific "set of
glasses." In essence, the students are told the purpose of the
experience, and a connection is made between the purpose and the
activities that they will be completing.
An outline (see Appendix) is given to students in an introductory
education class to prepare them for the initial field experience. The
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activities and questions to be addressed are discussed in depth with

the students and are clearly related to the objectives for the field
experience.

The Experience
The second component of RIM is the experience. Whereas expe-
rience is the foundation of learning, not all experiences produce
meaningful and lasting learning. When we have our students engage
in a specific experience, it is because we have planned reflectively for
that experience to have an impact on the student in a specific and sig-
nificant way. If the student has been prepared, given guidance or
structure, and is aware of the purpose of the experience, it is much
more likely that the goal of the experience will be achieved.
The goal of the experience should determine the setting. For
example, one primary goal we have established for our students is
that they be prepared to teach a diverse student population. There-
fore, we have designed specific field experiences to accomplish this
goal. We have identified schools with diverse student populations,
visited the schools, and established relationships with the teachers
and administrators of the schools. When we ask our students to go
out into the schools, we prepare them for the experience, make them
aware of the goal, and establish a specific structure for the experience.
One typical assignment they may be asked to carry out would be
to identify the different learning styles of the students in the field
experience classroom. Before they went into the school, they would
explore learning styles in depth in the university classroom. They
might complete some inventories to determine their own learning
styles, review profiles of students with various learning styles, and
discuss some instructional approaches to use with various learning
styles. Then, when they go into the classroom, their observations and

229
 interactions are directed toward accomplishing the specific goal for
the experience.

Reflection
Reflection is the key to making experience meaningful. By
thinking reflectively about an experience, students can reconfigure
their thought systems and find a connection between theory and
practice. Reflection helps determine the attainment of goals, organize
learning, and record insights and new learning (Cooper, 1994).
The students' experiences may be re-examined through various
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techniques. Suggested techniques include reading, writing, speaking,

and listening. The reflection method or combination of methods to
be used is determined by the outcome desired. The four basic modes
of reflection are detailed below.
Reading. One option is to have students read material related to
the experience. The advantage of this approach is that it gives
students another perspective. The selection of readings should relate
in some way to the overall purpose of the experience.
Writing. Reflective writing experiences can include keeping jour-
nals and responding to open-ended questions. The writing may then
be processed in a group format if this is appropriate.
Oral Group. Talking about an experience and hearing another's
commentary can be a valuable activity. The teacher is responsible for
teaching effective communication strategies. One important aspect of
communication is valuing another's contributions.
Observations. Responding to photographs and drawings by the
students from either the field experience or the college classroom is a
possible stimulus for provoking reflective thought.
Within each of these modes of reflection, the teacher may allow a
free form of expression or provide for a highly structured experience.
The decision depends on the developmental level of the students and
their readiness to engage in the reflective process.

Integration
The final component in this model, integration, is often omitted.
When this happens, students may or may not be able to accomplish
integration on their own. One way to encourage successful
integration is to guide students through personal introspection using
a three-level approach described by Cooper (1994)—the mirror, the
microscope, and the binoculars.

230
 The first level, the mirror, encourages the students to examine
themselves.
• What have I learned about myself through this experience?
• Do I have more or less understanding or empathy than I did before
the experience?
• In what ways have I changed as a result of this experience (e.g., my
values, self-esteem, philosophy)?
• Have any stereotypes or prejudices been challenged as a result of
this experience?
The second level, the microscope, helps the student enlarge the
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experience.
• Describe your experience.
• What would I change about the situation if I were in charge?
• Describe a moment of failure, success, indecision, doubt, humor,
frustration, happiness, sadness.
• Do I feel my actions had any impact?
• Does this experience complement or contrast with what I am
learning in class?
The third level, the binoculars, encourages the student to
examine what appears distant in a closer perspective.
• Am I able to identify from my experience any issues that influence
education?
• Do I see changes that need to be made?
• If so, what could be done to change the situation?
• Are there any social issues that have different meanings for me since
my experience?
• How will the experience alter my future behavior or attitude?
The teacher should be cautious about the degree to which
students are required to engage in this process. Suggested outlines
and lists of questions presented in this article are offered as a catalog
of possibilities and are not intended to be used in their entirety. All
reflections should be related to the purpose of the experience and not
used to overwhelm the students or make the experience redundant.

Summary
We believe that all students can move toward becoming reflective
learners. If it is the goal of teacher education programs to develop
preservice teachers into reflective educators, teachers must find ways
to help students turn experience into meaningful learning. In this

231
 article we proposed the Reflection Integration Model (RIM), a four-
component model that gives teachers and students a strategy for
developing a more reflective approach to processing experiences.

References
Allen, K., & Hutchinson, C. (1992). Issues of diversity and conflict resolution. New
York: Columbia University, ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 368 823)
Barell, J. (1991). Teachingfor thoughtfulness. New York: Longman.
Cooper, M. (1994) The big dummy's guide to building a not-so-bad volunteer center.
Unpublished manuscript, Florida International University, The FIU Volunteer Action
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Center, Miami.
Froiland, P. (1994). Taming real problems in real time. Training, 31(1), 27-32,34.
Kozolanka, K. (1991). Adventure carpentry: Bridging out of the mainstream.
Journal of Experiential Education, 14(2), 26-30.
Leith, D. M. (1988). Active learning in an adult basic math class. Journal of
Experiential Education, 11(2), 28-31.
Marsick, V. J. (1992). Action-reflection learning. Training and Development, 46(8),
63-66.
Perkins, D. (1991). Educating for insight. Educational Leadership, 49(2), 4-8.
Perkins, D. (1993-1994). Thinking-centered learning. Educational Leadership,
51(4), 84-85.
Perkins, D. (1994). Putting understanding up front. Educational Leadership, 51(5),
4-7.
Perskill, H. (1989, October). Adult learning and the teaching of evaluation: A study
of an experiential learning project. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the
American Evaluation Association, San Francisco, CA.
Pun, A. (1990). Action learning for trainers' development: A design for
postgraduate studies. Journal of European Industrial Training, 14(9), 17-23.
Tishman, S., Perkins, D., & Jay, E. (1995). The thinking classroom: Learning and
teaching in a culture of thinking. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Watson, N., & Fullan, M. (1992). Beyond school district-university partnerships.
In M. Fullan and A. Hargreaves (Eds.), Teacher development and educational change (pp.
213-242). Washington, DC: Falmer.
Winitzky, N., Stoddart, T., & O'Keefe, P. (1992). Great expectations: Emergent
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 Appendix

Outline of Questions for Initial Field Experience

Learning about the school you are observing

1. Obtain, read, and critique the Mission Statement.
2. Obtain, read, and critique a copy of the discipline procedures.
3. Obtain, read, and critique the Student Handbook.
4. Attend a faculty meeting.
a. What is the purpose of the meeting?
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b. Who was in attendance?

c. Who was in charge?
d. Attitude and behavior of those in charge and those
attending
5. Attend a PTA (or equivalent) meeting.
a. Agenda of the meeting
b. Number attending
c. Demographics on those attending (gender, race, age, etc.)
d. Who was in charge?
e. Attitude and behavior of those in charge and those
attending
6. Interview the principal or assistant principal.
a. Educational background
b. Previous teaching and administrative experience
c. Present position and responsibilities
d. Philosophy of education
e. Greatest strengths and principle weaknesses
f. Comparison of students today with those 10 years ago
g. Major problems confronting students today
h. Biggest challenge of your job
i. Characteristics you look for when hiring a new teacher
Learning about teaching
1. Interview the teacher.
a. Educational background
b. Previous teaching experience
c. Present position and responsibilities
d. Philosophy of education
e. Greatest strengths and principle weaknesses
f. Most enjoyable aspect of teaching
g. Most challenging aspect of teaching
h. Approach to classroom management

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 i. Freedom in deciding what to teach and how to teach
j . Most important changes you have seen in teaching
k. Advice you would give someone aspiring to become a
teacher
1. Best way to evaluate students' learning
2. Give your personal reactions to the responses
a. How would your answers differ from the teachers?
b. What did you learn?
c. Did anything surprise you?
d. Do answers given in the interview seem congruent with
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behavior in the classroom?

3. Classroom Geography
a. Construct a seating chart.
b. Record teacher/student interactions.
c. Reflect on the physical arrangements of the room as they
impact on the student/student and teacher/student interac-
tions.
Learning about students
1. On at least one occasion, observe students in the following
settings:
a. Outside the classroom engaged in informal interactions
b. In the cafeteria
Note the following:
Dress
How they group themselves (gender, race, SES, etc.)
The "Ins" and "Outs"
Language and choice of topics
Conflicts
2. Student Interview
a. Age and gender
b. Advice for a new student coming to this school
c. Favorite subject
d. Favorite activity
e. Best friend and why
f. Parents' (or guardians') opinions of the school
g. What makes students popular at this school?
h. What would you most like to change about the school?
i. What do you like most about the school?

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