Dissemination-Implementation Plan

In conjunction with my portfolios theme of ongoing reflection, I have

several plans to keep this project going (as Dr. Torrance would say!).
My plans are as follows:

Continue to reflect through-out my own educational experiences

o I truly believe this is the most important step! The biggest
lesson I have learned from completing this project is the
importance of staying open-minded. Although I am
mapping out specific future goals, I realize that these goals
can fluctuate, and Im dedicated to remaining flexible in
order to ensure that I engage in true learning and
reflection, rather than simply attempt to impose my plan
on my future experiences.
Expand my research
o This semester, I feel that I developed a strong foundational
understanding of the literature on critical reflection.
However, I would like to focus on specific strategies (i.e.
journaling, picture portfolios, online blogs, etc.) that can be
used to encourage reflection in the classroom.
Share my findings at Gifted Conferences
o I presented some of my initial findings at this years GAGC
conference in a symposium presentation about Project USPARC. I would like to extend this work to make a longer,
in-depth presentation that is solely focused on critical
reflection.
o I participated in the Bizarre Bazaar Creativity Celebration
at GAGC this year, and it was a wonderful opportunity to
share my work with teachers from multiple age levels.
Although the strategy my co-author and I presented was
not solely focused on reflection, it is quite possible to
utilize the technique to encourage reflective thinking. I
plan to adapt my creative strategy (Chunking and
Chewing) to include a reflective component, and present at
the creativity carnival at NAGC, as well as the Bizarre
Bazaar at GAGC next year.
o I submitted a proposal to participate in the NAGC entitled
Question Everything; A study of Gifted University Students
Critical Reflection Skills Using a First Year Odyssey Service
Learning Seminar. Unfortunately, the proposal was not
accepted. However, I feel that the proposal was quite
theoretical in nature, and slightly limited to the highereducation population. My goal is to translate my research

into more practical findings that can be applied to diverse

age groups.
Publish my findings
o I have worked diligently to summarize my work in an
article to be submitted to Teaching for High Potential. The
latest draft of the article, Reflections on My Reflections:
Unearthing Assumptions that Hinder Critical Reflection, can be found in
the Application section of my portfolio.
Apply my findings to the classroom
o This coming summer, I am leading a community service
study abroad program in Ecuador. I will be working with a
group of 15 high schoolers, and I plan to implement several
reflective teaching strategies while helping them develop
lasting understandings from our experiences working in a
foreign country.
o I am very excited to teach a small section of EPSY 2130,
Exploring Learning and Teaching, next spring. Since all of
the students are required to complete field experiences in
the educational field, I plan to implement reflective
strategies that encourage them to make connections
between fieldwork and the course content. I will teach the
course using the Torrance Incubation Model, encouraging
students to incubate through critical reflection, and
transform their underlying assumptions into new
understandings.
Collect data to access the effectiveness of the strategies
o At the moment, I am drafting an IRB to pilot student
surveys and questionnaires that address the effectiveness
of the TIM in encouraging critical reflection and
transformation of underlying assumptions. It is my hope to
use this data to pilot research for my dissertation.