What was the application of Dewey's notions of reflection within a pragmatic Composition curriculum like in the first half of the 20th century? Were his ideas about reflection implemented?

Were their historic ancestors of the use of reflection within the Composition curriculum?

Research Approach

Qualitative

Knowledge Claims
(methodology)

Hermeneutical

Strategies of Inquiry

Narratives/Case Studies (of previous practitioners)

Methods

Text/Rhetorical analysis

Sample/Sampling

Textbooks, lesson plans, student writing artifacts, curriculum guides/statements

Data Analysis

Researching to find artifacts, establish credibility of these artifacts—certify them (create a "canon" of sorts)—text analysis/interpretation of these certified texts

Possible Results

Might be able to show how reflection in not so new but was used previously in certain ways within some writing instruction. 

Assessment

This historical research project is similar to other historical research projects in Composition where the researcher digs out of the past current ideas and practice and shows how they are not so new and how they operated in the past. 

I am reasoning deductively now—I have no direct evidence for this assumption:
Since Dewey had such a large impact on education
Since Composition did go through a phase where "pragmatic" goals directed writing courses,
And since reflection was a large part of how Dewey believed we learned from experience
I assume that the Composition that incorporated Dewey's educational philosophy must have incorporated reflection as a teaching practice.

This is a speculation. I'd have to dig to see if it really is true.

Problems with this project—
It may be hard to find artifacts for study? I have never done this kind of research and don't even know where to begin.
WGRA?—The interest for this study might be a passing, "oh, that's interesting." I might in some ways validate teacher's use of reflection. It might also cast interesting light on a phase of Composition teaching that is all but forgotten (as far as I know) and might influence some teachers to rethink the role of the pragmatic/practical in their instruction.  I don't think it would influence practice that much—it would not provide knowledge to inform practice directly.

Research Question(s)

What is the modern history of reflection within the field of Composition? How has reflection been hijacked by portfolios?
How has reflection's place within writing and program evaluation been used and evolved, particularly through portfolios?

Research Approach

Qualitative

Knowledge Claims
(methodology)

Hermeneutical

Strategies of Inquiry

Narratives/Case Studies

Methods

Text/Rhetorical analysis, interviews

Sample/Sampling

Class assignments, departmental curriculum goals/policies/ Program curriculum goals/policies, Programmatic guides/statements, textbooks, articles, conference presentations, Commercial educational materials developed for instituting large scale portfolio, interview Composition scholars, program administrators and teachers

Data Analysis

Certify a number of key texts and people within this historical movement. Text/rhetorical analysis of artifacts, interviews with individuals, interpretation of trends and chrono-logic

Possible Results

Reflection really entered Composition via portfolios. When I saw Kathy Yancey last February, and we talked about reflection some, she said that at first they thought reflection would reveal or help them understand revision.  But reflection came to be dominated as something done in portfolios for evaluation.  The emphasis changed.

This history might show the modern trends and use of reflection, with its dominant and problematic use in portfolios and its neglected classroom use for transformational thinking and practice.

Assessment

Since this project is more current and since reflection seems to have passed through the phase of being something new and dynamically evolving—it is more mature in our thinking, more of a common place we take for granted—it might be a good time to reconsider and rethink where we have come in our thinking about reflection in order to reassess where we are and where we might go. This study might chart out new directions for reflection study/practice (based upon this history).

WGRA?—This would have more of a passing interest than previous historical study because there are more current practitioners using portfolios. Its goal would be to help them be more critical in their application of reflection within portfolios and perhaps expand their use of reflection.