Using online fora to foster communication and reflective practice for students on practicum

This paper describes a project which was set up to enhance the communication and reflective practices of teaching students in their practicum period. It reviews the quality and quantity of participation and explores the effectiveness of the reflective practice which ensued. The paper concludes with a brief review of the problems encountered, discusses the implications drawn from the project and looks briefly at further development of the idea. The hypothesis for the project was that the ready access to a communication channel would facilitate:

• professional interaction between students in their new workplace, building on the collegiality developed during their years at the university; and

• the development of a higher level of reflective practice as participants would be working in an environment which provided a real basis for such reflection. This reflection would be initiated and enhanced by appropriate input from subject lecturers.

Other aims of this project were to:

• facilitate an increased level of communication between students and their subject lecturers, prior to and during the practicum placement period;

• in providing a medium for communication with lecturers and peers in their schools, to reduce the sense of isolation of students in their new environments; and

• provide a means by which students could develop/enhance their computer skills in a practical way and to demonstrate these in line with Department of Education and Training requirements.