Beyond Reflection: Refraction and International Experiential Education

Authors

  • Monica Pagano
  • Laura Roselle

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v18i1.263

Keywords:

Reflection, Experiential learning, Study abroad, Education abroad, International education, International experience education

Abstract

Students today are becoming more interested in international opportunities for study and are drawn to alternative programs such as international service-learning and international internships. These programs, however, must be carefully designed. This article proposes utilizing tools that go beyond the traditional understanding of reflection, in order to deepen the academic linkages to experience through reflection that leads to refraction. The authors introduce “refraction” as the transformative learning process that helps students understand and identify the intermediate processes of learning that aid the development of critical thinking skills. Refraction centers learning by integrating and elaborating the experience, the academic subject matter, and the context by examining assumptions and biases. 

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Author Biographies

Monica Pagano

Monica Pagano is Director of Study Abroad at Loyola Marymount University (California). She was formerly Assistant Dean of International Programs at Elon University, Coordinator for the Central America States and Scholarships Program at Hocking College (Ohio) and Assistant to the Directors of the Institute for International Studies in Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Monica is active in contributing to publications and presenting at conferences in International Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Administrative and Policy Studies in International Development Education from the University of Pittsburgh, where her dissertation was, “Education Abroad: Aspects of the Host Culture Students Learn During an International Service Learning Program in Higher Education.”

Laura Roselle

Laura Roselle is Professor of Political Science at Elon University and specializes in international political communication. She has edited two books on television and democracy: Democracy on the Air and Television and Elections, 2nd edition. In 2006 she published Media and the Politics of Failure: Great Powers, Communication Strategies, and Military Defeats with Palgrave/Macmillan. Laura also published (in 2007) Research and Writing in International Relations, with Sharon Spray, a supplementary text for students of international relations and comparative politics. She is president-elect of the international communication section of the International Studies Association. She serves on the editorial board of the new journal Media, War, and Conflict.

References

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Boud, D. and N. Miller, Eds. (1996). Working with Experience. New York, Routledge.

Burton, Jonathan. “Reflective practice revisited” Work Based Learning in Primary Care 2006; 4:297–300 Radcliffe Publishing

Dewey, J. (1933) How we think: a restatement of reflective thinking to the educative process (Boston, MA, Heath)

Dewey, J. (1963). Experience and Education. New York, Macmillan.

Downey, Greg. How to Guide and Facilitate Self Reflective Practice in Re-Entry Programs. Presented at CIEE Conference, Miami, FL. November 17, 2005

Knowles, Z., Tyler, G., Gilbourne, D & Eubank, M. (2006). Refelcting on reflection: exploring the practice of sports and coaching graduates. Reflective Practice. Vol. 1, #2, 163–179.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as The Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall.

Liston, D. & Zeichner, K. (1990) Reflective teaching in action research in pre-service teacher education, Journal of Education for Teaching, 16(3), 235–249.

Oatley, Keith and Maja Djikic. (2008) Writing as Thinking. Review of General Psychology, vol. 12, no. 1, 9–27.
Pagano, Monica (2003). University Students’ Learning During and International Service Learning Program. Dissertation manuscript. University of Pittsburgh. 2003.

Pagano, Monica (2007). “International Service Learning: What do we mean by International Service Learning? (ISL)” Insights in International Exchange Volume1/Number1/March 2007 (59–71)

Pedro, J. (2005) Reflective Practice Vol.6, N#1, February 2005, pp.49–66

Roselle, Laura and Sharon Spray. 2007. Research and Writing in International Relations. NY: Longman.
Understanding Reflection http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/reflection_manual/understanding.html retrieved Jan 2007

Valli, L. (1992). Reflective teacher education: cases and critiques. (Albany, NY, State University of New York Press)

Walter, G. A. and S. E. Marks (1981). Experiential Learning and Change: Theory Design and Practice. New York, John Wiley & Sons.

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Published

2009-08-15

How to Cite

Pagano, M., & Roselle, L. (2009). Beyond Reflection: Refraction and International Experiential Education. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 18(1), 217–229. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v18i1.263

Issue

Section

Research Articles