Collaborators and Feedback

Feedback from colleagues and partners involved in developing and trialling the toolkit:

Feedback from collaborator from Ontario, Canada: 

Following our discussion, I shared the toolkit with my colleagues at the College of Early Childhood Educators.  It has sparked a number of policy conversations as we are particularly intrigued by the potential of using it as a part of documenting pre-service learning that can then be leveraged as graduates enter professional practice. 

 On a personal note, the toolkit has inspired me to reconsider how I am documenting my own professional learning as a part of the Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) portfolio requirement. Over the past few months, the toolkit has acted as a guide and inspiration for redesigning my 2025 CPL portfolio. I will admit that at times I have been challenged to reflect and document using traditional journaling methods. At the same time, I recognize and value reflection as a key component of professional learning and growth and am committed to engaging in the practice. My "new and improved portfolio" now includes collaging activities that have engaged me in ways that traditional writing activities of the past have not.  

Success begets success - there has been a ripple effect of engagement. I have shared my success with my new portfolio with my CPL community of practice and several members have now started to redesign their portfolios using the toolkit.  

Feedback from workshop participants, Improving University Teaching conference:

Individual writing was a good start. The freemix tool might have caused me tension if I had to present to others, but since this was just for me and it was quick to learn, I relaxed into the experience and the reflection tool worked well! The final reflection and way forward has given me clarity on the next steps in my professional development. (Participant 1)

I chose a mix of words and drawing. It was quite liberating and spontaneous. (Participant 2)

I am astounded how much I could learn about myself in this 30 minutes. Brilliant. (Participant 4)

Feedback from initial research project participants:

I actually found it quite enjoyable to do it, because… it actually made me realize how little I had thought about, you know, the whole university experience, really, and it, it, it did… it brought back a lot of emotions…it was a sort of closure somehow.  (Participant 2)

I found the collaging very good... I like to use a lot of pictures, because I think a picture can sum up a lot of things, and it means maybe something different to each individual… reflecting that whole journey, you know, it has been a journey, and from a collage it was clear to see the progression that I've made, you know, and the learning that's improved, and I just feel more knowledgeable.  (Participant 6)

I think I'd already reflected quite a lot about the process myself, and with other people that had been through the process, too... It moved me personally on but it also moved my career on quite a bit too.  (Participant 3)