Blogging: using online technology to promote reflective practice in student school counsellor’s practicum

M.Ed.One of the primary goals of the Educational Psychology honours programme at the University of Johannesburg is to support school counsellors to think critically and reflectively about their counselling practice in diverse educational contexts in order to continually improve that practice. During a six month school counsellors practicum students are encouraged to reflect on and analyse their experiences individually and in class. These reflections are an important part of students’ learning as through analysis and reflection they begin to connect theory and practice and learn how to critically examine the relationship between education and society. Therefore the purpose of reflective self-evaluation is to provide school counsellor’s in training with a mechanism for developing a deep understanding of the complex relationship between learning and practical experience (Abernathy, De Raad, Beck, Checho, Furno, et al., 2008, p.149). In 1987, Donald Schön introduced the concept of reflective practice as a critical process in refining one's skill in a specific discipline (Ferraro, 2000). Schön (1992) recommended reflective practice as a way for beginners in a discipline to recognise consonance between their own individual practices and those of successful practitioners. This research focuses on the student school counsellor and efforts to promote reflective practice through the use of blogging, an online technology. This research study examines the student school counsellors perception of blogging as a tool to promote reflective practice during their practicum experience. A class reflective blog was implemented for a four week trial period in order for the students to gain experience of reflective blogging. The researcher acted as the facilitator of reflection in the blog. The role of the facilitator was to respond to the blog posts by asking reflective questions. The students were encouraged to engage in reflective dialogue with the facilitator and the other students. Individual and focus groups interviews were structured to collect information on the students perceptions of blogging as a tool to promote reflective practice. The student school counsellors perceived blogging as a strategy that promotes reflective practice. They viewed the experience as beneficial and that blogging encouraged the development of reflection into deeper reflections. They valued the iii facilitators comments and engaged in reflective dialogue with her. The blog was also perceived as a tool that provided peer learning and support, however, lack of participation by all students compromised peer learning and support. Recommendations were made by the students in order to enhance the reflective blogging experience. Training institutions looking to elevate the reflective practice component of professional development should consider blogging as an option. Keywords: reflection, reflective practice, blogging