In this commentary, the authors respond to Ellaway & Patocka’s “To define or not to define: A commentary on the Case for Metacognitive Reflection,” which raised several thoughtful and discerning questions concerning the implications of defining, or alternatively, refraining from defining constructs. The authors advocate for navigating the liminal space between precision and flexibility, acknowledging the dynamic and permeable nature of conceptual boundaries while striving for clarity. Moreover, they emphasize that only after a boundary is described can the tensions, gaps, exceptions, and contradictions around that boundary be explored. Finally, the authors highlight the significance of contextual definitions, fostering shared understanding, and embracing abductive reasoning (when is becomes as) to promote dialogue and advance knowledge in health professions education.
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The concepts of metacognitive refection, refection, and metacognition are distinct but have undergone shifts in meaning as they migrated into medical education. Conceptual clarity is essential to the construction of the knowledge base of medical education and its educational interventions. We conducted a theoretical integrative review across diverse bodies of literature with the goal of understanding what metacognitive refection is. We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Web of Science databases, including all peer-reviewed research articles and theoretical papers as well as book chapters that addressed the topic, with no limitations for date, language, or location. A total of 733 articles were identified and 87 were chosen after careful review and application of exclusion criteria. The work of conceptually and empirically delineating metacognitive reflection has begun. Contributions have been made to root metacognitive refection in the concept of metacognition and moving beyond it to engage in cycles of refection. Other work has underscored its affective component, transformational nature, and contextual factors. Despite this merging of threads to develop a richer conceptualization, a theory of how metacognitive refection works is elusive. Debates address whether metacognition drives refection or vice versa. It has also been suggested that learners evolve along on a continuum from thinking, to task-related refection, to self-refection, and finally to metacognitive refection. Based on prior theory and research, as well as the findings of this review, we propose the following conceptualization: Metacognitive refection involves heightened internal observation, awareness, monitoring, and regulation of our own knowledge, experiences, and emotions by questioning and examining cognition and emotional processes to continually refine and enhance our perspectives and decisions while thoughtfully accounting for context. We argue that metacognitive refection brings a shift in perspective and can support valuable reconceptualization for lifelong learning.
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Students in Higher Music Education (HME) are not facilitated to develop both their artistic and academic musical competences. Conservatoires (professional education, or ‘HBO’) traditionally foster the development of musical craftsmanship, while university musicology departments (academic education, or ‘WO’) promote broader perspectives on music’s place in society. All the while, music professionals are increasingly required to combine musical and scholarly knowledge. Indeed, musicianship is more than performance, and musicology more than reflection—a robust musical practice requires people who are versed in both domains. It’s time our education mirrors this blended profession. This proposal entails collaborative projects between a conservatory and a university in two cities where musical performance and musicology equally thrive: Amsterdam (Conservatory and University of Amsterdam) and Utrecht (HKU Utrechts Conservatorium and Utrecht University). Each project will pilot a joint program of study, combining existing modules with newly developed ones. The feasibility of joint degrees will be explored: a combined bachelor’s degree in Amsterdam; and a combined master’s degree in Utrecht. The full innovation process will be translated to a transferable infrastructural model. For 125 students it will fuse praxis-based musical knowledge and skills, practice-led research and academic training. Beyond this, the partners will also use the Comenius funds as a springboard for collaboration between the two cities to enrich their respective BA and MA programs. In the end, the programme will diversify the educational possibilities for students of music in the Netherlands, and thereby increase their professional opportunities in today’s job market.
Nederland kent ongeveer 220.000 bedrijfsongevallen per jaar (met 60 mensen die overlijden). Vandaar dat elke werkgever verplicht is om bedrijfshulpverlening (BHV) te organiseren, waaronder BHV-trainingen. Desondanks brengt slechts een-derde van alle bedrijven de arbeidsrisico’s in kaart via een Risico-Inventarisatie & Evaluatie (RI&E) en blijft het aandeel werknemers met een arbeidsongeval hoog. Daarom wordt er continu geïnnoveerd om BHV-trainingen te optimaliseren, o.a. door middel van Virtual Reality (VR). VR is niet nieuw, maar is wel doorontwikkeld en betaalbaarder geworden. VR biedt de mogelijkheid om veilige realistische BHV-noodsimulaties te ontwikkelen waarbij de cursist het gevoel heeft daar echt te zijn. Ondanks de toename in VR-BHV-trainingen, is er weinig onderzoek gedaan naar het effect van VR in BHV-trainingen en zijn resultaten tegenstrijdig. Daarnaast zijn er nieuwe technologische ontwikkelingen die het mogelijk maken om kijkgedrag te meten in VR m.b.v. Eye-Tracking. Tijdens een BHV-training kan met Eye-Tracking gemeten worden hoe een instructie wordt opgevolgd, of cursisten worden afgeleid en belangrijke elementen (gevaar en oplossingen) waarnemen tijdens de simulatie. Echter, een BHV-training met VR en Eye-Tracking (interacties) bestaat niet. In dit project wordt een prototype ontwikkeld waarin Eye-Tracking wordt verwerkt in een 2021 ontwikkelde VR-BHV-training, waarin noodsituaties zoals een kantoorbrand worden gesimuleerd (de BHVR-toepassing). Door middel van een experiment zal het prototype getest worden om zo voor een deel de vraag te beantwoorden in hoeverre en op welke manier Eye-Tracking in VR een meerwaarde biedt voor (RI&E) BHV-trainingen. Dit project sluit daarmee aan op het missie-gedreven innovatiebeleid ‘De Veiligheidsprofessional’ en helpt het MKB dat vaak middelen en kennis ontbreekt voor onderzoek naar effectiviteit rondom innovatieve-technologieën in educatie/training. Het project levert onder meer een prototype op, een productie-rapport en onderzoeks-artikel, en staat open voor nieuwe deelnemers bij het schrijven van een grotere aanvraag rondom de toepassing en effect van VR en Eye-Tracking in BHV-trainingen.
Under the umbrella of artistic sustenance, I question the life of materials, subjective value structures, and working conditions underlying exhibition making through three interconnected areas of inquiry: Material Life and Ecological Impact — how to avoid the accumulation of physical materials/storage after exhibitions? I aim to highlight the provenance and afterlife of exhibition materials in my practice, seeking economic and ecological alternatives to traditional practices through sustainable solutions like borrowing, reselling, and alternative storage methods that could transform exhibition material handling and thoughts on material storage and circulation. Value Systems and Economic Conditions —what do we mean when we talk about 'value' in relation to art? By examining the flow of financial value in contemporary art and addressing the subjectivity of worth in art-making and artists' livelihoods, I question traditional notions of sculptural skill while advocating for recognition of conceptual labour. The research considers how artists might be compensated for the elegance of thought rather than just material output. Text as Archive and Speculation— how can text can store, speculate, and circulate the invisible labour and layers of exhibition making? Through titles, material lists, and exhibition texts, I explore writing's potential to uncover latent structures and document invisible labor, considering text both as an archiving method and a tool for speculating about future exhibitions. Using personal practice as a case study, ‘Conditions for Raw Materials’ seeks to question notions of value in contemporary art, develop alternative economic models, and make visible the material, financial, and relational flows within exhibitions. The research will manifest through international exhibitions, a book combining poetic auto-theoretical reflection with exhibition speculation, new teaching formats, and long-term investigations. Following “sticky relations," of intimacy, economy and conditions, each exhibition serves as a case study exploring exhibition making from emotional, ecological, and economic perspectives.