Analyzing Reflective Writing

Research Question: What happens in a Secondary Education undergraduate and graduate course(s) when we use a reflective writing rubric that addresses both cognitive and affective capacities/skills in order to demonstrate the proficiency necessary to meet standards for certification? Method: After examining relevant literature, we defined reflection to be “a careful examination and evaluation of experience, beliefs, and knowledge.” We found that a careful examination and evaluation of an experience, when compared to one’s beliefs and prior knowledge, was considered by most to be the deepest form of reflection. Using a model based on Bain et al. (1999), we found that the most moving reflections were written in an integrated fashion – that is, these reflections combined the cognitive (thinking) and affective (feeling) domains. At this point, we developed our rubric to measure the ability of our teacher candidates to express their integration of theoretical concepts from our class textbook with feelings as they related to a teaching experience in the field. The highest form of reflection, according to our rubric, will measure a teacher candidate’s written reflection as it addresses significant contexts, multiple perspectives, and new questions, all in an integrated fashion

Sharing is Healing: A Holocaust Survivor\u27s Story

Noémi Ban’s story of the loss of her mother, grandmother, thirteen year-old sister and 6 month-old baby brother and of the suffering she survived while in Auschwitz-Birkenau is tragic; however, the message of this award-winning teacher’s book is one of tolerance hope and love of life. Several themes pervade each chapter: the importance of perseverance, determination, friendship, responsibility and freedom; the dangers of bigotry, hatred and teasing; and as the title implies, the value of family, friends, trust and sharing in healing from a great loss. The final two chapters include narrative and photos from Mrs. Ban’s return to Auschwitz in 1995 and 1997, as well as suggestions to readers as to lessons that may be learned from this period of history. Noémi Ban passed away in Bellingham, Washington on Friday June 7, 2019. “My Hope - I am a survivor and a witness. I love life. I have learned that healing can be found in listening, believing, and remembering with love. You may have a horrific memory. You may have a haunting feeling. Then again, you might not. Either way, I hope that if you are asked to listen to someone, you will do this with love. Love and respect can be given freely. When we do this, together, we make the strength to go on. Then there is hope. That is why sharing is healing.” (Sharing is Healing, pp 73) If you are interested in purchasing a hard copy of this book please visit The Sharing is Healing website for the order form. http://www.sharingishealing.com/https://cedar.wwu.edu/cedarbooks/1011/thumbnail.jp

A Co-Inquiry into What Matters Most in Written Reflections:A Co-Inquiry into What Matters Most in Written Reflections: Helping Students Integrate Cognition and Affect

Twenty-first century teacher education places increased emphasis on collaborate evaluation of student work. This study provides the voices of a graduate student in teacher education, the professor teaching a literacy methods course, and a university writing instruction support director as they endeavored to develop a rubric to help pre-service secondary teachers improve their reflective writing. Discussion and short essays, guided by that same rubric, provide conclusions on the part of the co-inquirers about the importance of considering both thoughts and feelings in assessing reflective writing and conducting co-inquiry

Confronting Evil: Why Holocaust and Genocide Studies Matter Today - Poster

Poster for a lecture by Professor James Waller at Western Washington University “Confronting Evil: Why Holocaust and Genocide Studies Matter Today” October 17, 2019https://cedar.wwu.edu/libraries_storage/1000/thumbnail.jp