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Anthony Thorpe is a senior lecturer in leadership and management in the School of Education at the University of Roehampton in the UK. He has a particular interest in leadership development, work force equality and diversity, organizational theory and the use of marketing theory in student engagement across the sectors of education. His current research project involves applying critical realist insights to school leadership issues.
Diane Garside is a senior lecturer in the School of Business at the University of Roehampton. Her interests are in leadership and professional development, reflective practice and student engagement. She is currently conducting doctoral research into the conceptions of the student in contemporary higher education.Abstract
The professional development of middle leaders in higher education is little considered in existing research, though there are general concerns being raised about the suitability of the professional development opportunities currently available. This article develops and explores the use of meta-reflection as a method for professional development, particularly of academics with direct responsibilities for courses and programmes such as course leaders, directors and co-ordinators. As an extension of reflective practice, (co)meta-reflection is proposed as a joint activity involving two or more people, seeking to develop their thought and practice by moving from descriptive to analytical levels of reflection. We provide an example of a (co)meta-reflective exercise and identify it as an approach with considerable potential to address the problems that middle leaders face, and call for further exploration of it as a method for professional development.
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