Partnership in teacher education: developing creative methods to deepen students’ reflections

The rhetoric of teaching in higher education is now placing more emphasis than ever on the student voice and on providing students with opportunities to collaborate with staff and take responsibility for their learning. This article is an example of a collaborative project between academic staff and students within the community of practice of trainee teachers; it describes their collaborative development of creative methods to deepen students' reflections. A brief section on the background and context of the course is followed by a short introduction to reflections. The paper then outlines how student feedback and work with students led to the development of creative and playful activities to foster students’ theoretical understanding and practical application of reflections. Subsequently, the participants in this project - two students and a member of staff - outline the main outcomes as they experienced them; they highlight the lessons learnt and the implications of their experiences for future practice. The study concludes with authorial thoughts about the nature of student-staff collaborations in this specific educational context.