But is it scholarship? : group reflection as a scholarly activity

The scholarship of teaching is a much-contested concept in higher education. Over the past 15 years, a number of models have emerged which feature activities ranging from keeping up with the literature on teaching and learning to publishing educational research. In this paper, we argue that the key to the many different dimensions of scholarly teaching is reflection. If reflection does not necessarily, in itself, constitute scholarship, scholarship cannot happen without reflection. When those involved in teaching and learning meet on a regular basis to reflect together, as in Central Queensland University's Reflective Teachers Group, the resulting scholarship takes on a further dimension. Group reflection becomes the basis for the development of a supportive learning community whose focus is teaching. Whether or not participants in group reflection publish scholarly papers arising from their reflections, the process of group reflection can, in itself, be seen as a scholarly activity.