Mentors and reflective frameworks: Internationalizing the local provision of professional development in e-Learning: A New Zealand case study

The concept of reflection as a tool to improve professional practice has been widely debated in educational circles for a number of decades. Advocates of reflective practice assert deep learning occurs as individuals make meaning from their experiences through the process of reflection. To engage participants in the reflective process, to aid them in making connections between their previous experiences and accepted international standards, self-reflective frameworks have been developed. Reflective frameworks enable professionals to identify both their key strengths and focus areas for improvement. As individuals compare their current performance against accepted best-practice they are able to take ownership of their professional development and generate personal learning plans (PLPs) to meet their identified needs. However, an inherent risk in this self-reflective approach is the existing cognitive ability of the individual to undertake the complex tasks of reflection and the subsequent creation of a PLP. One way to mitigate this inherent risk is through the appointment of a mentor. This case study will explore the design, development and deployment of a self-reflective framework, The Competency Assessment Tool (The CAT), and describe how mentor-learner roles and responsibilities are defined. The study will conclude that through this process of on-going refection, mentoring, feedback and follow-through a local environment, encouraging greater autonomy, personal transformation and deeper self-reflection is created on the foundation blocks of international best-practice