Pedagogic Research Knowledge Exchange ( ARU-CUHK Joint Series 4: Session 2)

In this "Pedagogic Research Knowledge Exchange" series, educators from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Anglia Ruskin University will collaborate to share their teaching innovations and insights from pedagogic research. This session will focus on Teaching Reflection / Refection as Pedagogy.

Date: 4 November 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (UKT) / 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (HKT)

Format: Online via Teams

Target audience: Academic staff and professional staff

Topics & Speakers

Dr. Ngar-sze LAU, Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Administration and Policy, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Dr. Ngar-sze Lau is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, CUHK. Dr. Lau has received training in sociology, social anthropology, and religious studies. Dr. Lau is a registered teacher who served as a subject panel of Ethics and Religion at a secondary school. She has contributed to the development of mindfulness and spiritual education for adolescents, pre-service teachers, and in-service teachers since 2007. Her research interests include contemplative pedagogy and holistic education, life and values education, mindfulness and wellbeing, and teachers’ ethics.

Topic: Contemplative Pedagogy in Holistic Education: Enhancing Deep Learning and Wellbeing with GenAI

Abstract: Contemplative pedagogy integrates focus attention, embodied awareness, and reflection to encourage deep learning with course content. First-person experience and self-inquiry can be included with the assistance of GenAI as part of learning process so that students can critically engage in knowledge in creative and meaningful ways. This sharing will explore the potential benefits and challenges of a recent trial study using GenAI in the reflection of contemplative education. The presentation will conclude with recommendations for further research.

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Speaker: Ms. Nicola WALTERS, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, ARU Peterborough, United Kingdom; Post Graduate Researcher

Topic: Teaching Written Reflection to Higher Education Students

Abstract: This study examines ways in which reflective writing is used and taught at the beginning of a Nursing Associate Foundation degree programme. Written reflection is a key part of ongoing development for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. The Nursing and Midwifery Council, nursing's professional body, requires registrants to use written reflection to demonstrate ongoing competence to practice. Reflection is considered essential for safe practice and professional growth, but it can be a difficult concept to learn. The challenge of learning to reflect is increasingly relevant across higher education as reflective writing is utilised across a range of disciplines. This study investigates the research question, 'How can students in higher education be taught to write reflectively?' It examines students' and teachers' perceptions of learning to write reflective accounts. Additionally, the study explores pedagogical strategies that support teaching written reflection and the approaches used to assess reflective writing ability. It aims to add to the understanding of how reflective writing may be taught in an undergraduate foundation degree course.

The research is situated within a critical realist ontology. The study acknowledges the interplay between underlying structures and lived experience while recognizing that knowledge of these structures is mediated through social construction. Epistemologically, it adopts a participatory constructivist paradigm that values the co-construction of knowledge with participants. Methodologically, it employs iterative action research cycles, a cooperative, cyclical process of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, in which small-scale interventions are trialed and adapted to their specific context over time. Over three Action Research cycles, interventions were tested and refined within a Level 4 theory module, using feedback from both students and staff. Each cycle involved delivering the same module content, but with evolving strategies. Data collected from teacher interviews, module team meetings and student evaluations during and following each cycle were used to identify areas for development.

Reflexive thematic analysis is used to generate themes, interpretively constructed rather than discovered, ensuring transparency and reflexivity throughout. This ontological, epistemological, and methodological positioning supports a collaborative approach embedded in real‑world teaching practice, defined as the integration of theory with authentic classroom and professional contexts where knowledge is applied, co‑constructed, and tested through lived experience.

Key themes identified in supporting students to develop reflective writing included the provision of facilitated support for both students and teachers, alongside a revised approach to assessing reflective ability. The final output of the project was the creation of a structured teaching framework in which students practiced reflection within small, facilitated groups and to the introduction of a new assessment design. Assessment practices evolved from a combined written and oral task into a single written assignment, supported by formative activities that scaffolded understanding and skill development. These approaches not only improved student engagement but also helped teachers feel more confident in teaching and assessing reflection. The study conceptualised a framework for teaching and assessing written reflection in a university context and offers practical insights to the lived experience of action research in the professional doctorate programme.

Register Now

Registration deadline: 2 November 2026 (Monday) 23:59 HKT

Enquiry

For any queries, please contact Vienne LIN at viennelin@cuhk.edu.hk