Innovation in Language Learning

Abstract

This article examines how the structured use of Padlet, a digital noticeboard where users contribute posts to a shared online wall, can strengthen students' analytical reflection, use of professional concepts, and ability to connect theory and practice in supervision training. The study draws on an action learning project involving 23 adult students in a continuing education course in supervision at a Norwegian university, in which Padlet was integrated as a structured space for reflection. The data comprise student reflections, anonymous student feedback, observation notes, and feedback from peer supervision, analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the structured digital reflection processes contributed to increased student participation, more analytical use of concepts, and a clearer connection between practical experience and academic theory. At the same time, the study revealed challenges related to time pressure, cognitive load, and the relationship between pedagogical structure and open exploration. In the discussion, we raise the question of whether the visible use of concepts constitutes sufficient evidence of genuine analytical understanding, and we point to a tension between pedagogical structure and authentic reflection. The article concludes that digital tools acquire pedagogical value when they form part of a carefully considered didactic design, and otherwise risk becoming a technological supplement to existing teaching practice.

Keywords: Action learning, Padlet, analytical reflection, use of professional concepts, collective meaning making, supervision training