active reflection?

Alas, no great enlightenment today, however, there's a certain satisfaction in expanding my understanding of areas I want to eventually teach and research. I'm slightly divided in my objectives with all this reading; the main goal is preparation for comps but that niggling feeling that so much of this could translate to the lit review in a dissertation means I wander off the primrose path of studying and start reading for enlightenment. No time for that!

I like J. Loughran's emphasis on action in reflection in his article on effective reflective practice (seems to mitigate the too-common navel gazing accusation). Without a resultant action, the reflection doesn't truly serve a purpose. The key for Loughran is that student teachers are not told what to do about their problems by other people. Rather, they're encouraged to explore possible solutions and meanings so they can create their own understanding, which doesn't occur if they are simply told the answer. Let's face it, few people ever take advice in any situation; teaching pre-service teachers to solve their own problems seems like a much better use of time and resources in teacher education.