Using Stimulated Recall and Reflection on Action with Music Studio Teachers in Higher Education

Abstract

This article focuses on the issue of reflection for music studio teachers in higher education. Although stimulated recall and reflection on action are well-developed research fields in classroom education settings, the application of these methods to studio teaching is rare, a form of pedagogy which is heavily influenced by the master–apprentice tradition, with many teachers engaging in this practice without any formal training. The article presents the findings associated with three different studio pedagogues reflecting on video recordings of their lessons via cooperative analysis. Each of the three pedagogues took part in a live session with the researchers where their practice and methods were considered and discussed in significant detail, applying the principles of stimulated recall and shared reflections. Findings reveal that in addition to the need for inexperienced teachers to be courageous in reviewing their own work, stimulated recall and reflection on action offer benefits for teachers by assisting them in identifying areas of their practice to revise and re-examine. The findings therefore propose that the process of stimulated recall may be a useful component of professional development for teachers in the higher education sector