Connecting reflective practice, dialogic protocols, and professional learning

Abstract

In recent years, elements of reflective practice have been popularized in state school professional development. As reflective practice has moved into the mainstream, dialogic protocols have been developed by numerous organizations to structure discourse for deep understanding, enhance professional practice and advance organizational learning. This case study reports on the use of a dialogic protocol as a tool to advance educator reflective practice. It finds that the protocol significantly alters prevailing discussion patterns to promote the construction of new knowledge. It recommends further exploration of dialogic protocols by practitioners and researchers as a potentially powerful tool to enhance professional learning.