Introduction
Reflection is
great tool which leads us towards better learning. It is important aspect for
teacher as well students.
Being both I’m observing this issue from the near and practising this, which is
certainly enhancing my teaching and learning activities. As a teacher throughout
the year, we can share our ideas about teaching and learning in staff meetings,
conversations in the staff room, and outside the classroom. It is truth that
most of us know the theory of reflective practice. In order to take this theory
into practice, teachers should become aware that within their own teaching
routine they have the main tools for personal professional progress: their own
teaching experience and their reflections on it, and the interaction with other
teachers in the institution. I believe that “teacher development takes place
when teachers, as individuals or in a group, consciously take advantage of such
resources to forward their own professional learning” Ur (1999: 318). Development
does not just happen with time, it happens with awareness.
Bashyal
(2007) expresses Reflective practice is a mode that integrates or links thought
and action with reflection. It involves thinking about and critically analyzing
one’s actions with the goal of improving professional practice. Engaging in
reflective practice requires individuals to assume the perspective of an
external observer in order to identify the assumptions and feelings underlying
their practice and then to speculate about how these assumptions and feelings
affects practice. It is interesting to note that Ur (1999) also considers that
the Reflective Model can tend to over-emphasize teacher experience, with a
relative neglect of external input – lectures, reading, and so on – which can
make a real contribution to understanding. She comes to the conclusion that a
fully effective Reflective Model should make room for external as well as
personal input. She calls this model “enriched reflection”.
Professionalisation has become a very important
issue in the field of e education. Reflection on
one’s own work is a key component of being a professional and is essential to
teacher education. Teachers must examine their beliefs, assumptions and biases
regarding teaching and learning, and determine how those beliefs influence
classroom practice. Reflection improves a teacher’s ability to make appropriate
and sound judgments and, therefore, become an empowered decision-maker.
Reflection refers
to the ongoing process of critically examining and refining practice, taking
into careful consideration the personal, pedagogical, societal and ethical
contexts associated with schools, college, classrooms and the multiple roles of
teachers. So reflection can be summarized as a natural process that facilitates
the development of future action from the contemplation of past and/or current
behaviour.
The Collaboration in Reflection
The
opportunity to share with colleagues and friends is important in becoming a
more reflective practitioner. Feedback, comments, and discussion about your
reflections might come from your mentor or supervising teachers, your
university supervisor/coordinator and/or your peers in the program. Reflection,
as a method of inquiry into teaching, can be collaborative. For example,
questions from a friend can help clarify an issue for you, just as a probe or
comment from a university supervisor can help you look deeper into the situation.
Collaboration when developing a portfolio includes requesting feedback from you
mentor, university supervisor, or colleagues and peers. It can also take the
form of discussion with colleagues who will assist you in identifying
appropriate artifacts to or to help you clarify your beliefs and dispositions.
The feedback option provides opportunities for peer evaluation and editing as
part of this collaborative process.
It
has been noticed that teachers talk about their students in particular,
whenever they meet their colleagues. In addition, it is quite revealing that
the topics teachers touch on are frequently related to some problematic
classroom situation, some negative attitudes or some difficulties students have
in their learning process. Rarely do teachers speak about their student´s
achievements in a spontaneous way. We often hear
teachers say: “They don´t feel like studying and therefore they are getting low
marks.” “They never get the initiative in oral interaction; I have to push them
on all the time!” “They make too many spelling mistakes.” “Nothing seems to
interest them.” “They don´t care about their homework”, “they are not serious
about their study.” On the other hand, the principal, head teacher
and managements committees blame teachers that they don’t prepare well. Therefore,
it’s better to assign to self reflect on their own teaching of the teachers for
their and institutions’ professional development.
Although
we may agree that teachers´ complaints have become commonplace, we are inclined
to think that when teachers talk to colleagues about their students´ problems,
difficulties or attitudes they are expressing what they are really worried
about or dissatisfied at. Conversations drawback to struggles and
disappointments which must be attended to in a reflective and professional way.
Moreover,
the basic idea of reflection in teacher development is that a teacher learns
about her/his teaching by observing and understanding what is happening in
her/his own classroom and reflecting in it. Reflection involves a structured
approach to learning experiences.
Approaches to develop Reflective Practice
Underhill,
2006 presents the following most frequently adopted approaches for developing
the skill of reflecting practice:
a. Self monitoring
b. Writing a teaching journal
c. Peer observation
d. Teacher support group
e. Reflective conversation
f. Action inquiry
g. Teaching portfolio
Thus,
reflection is a developmental learning process which can be acquire through
practice teaching, attending seminars and conferences, subscribing to
professional journals and publications. There are other important issues to be
taken into account are individual or group reflection and interaction with
colleagues, learning through experience etc.
A reflective approach to teaching involves changes in the way we usually perceive teaching and our role in the process of teaching. As the examples above illustrate, teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide their students. Like other forms of self-inquiry, reflective teaching is not without its risks, since journal writing, self-reporting or making recordings of lessons can be time-consuming. However teachers engaged in reflective analysis of their own teaching report that it is a valuable tool for self-evaluation and professional growth. Reflective teaching suggests that experience alone is insufficient for professional growth, but that experience coupled with reflection can be a powerful impetus for teacher development.
A reflective approach to teaching involves changes in the way we usually perceive teaching and our role in the process of teaching. As the examples above illustrate, teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide their students. Like other forms of self-inquiry, reflective teaching is not without its risks, since journal writing, self-reporting or making recordings of lessons can be time-consuming. However teachers engaged in reflective analysis of their own teaching report that it is a valuable tool for self-evaluation and professional growth. Reflective teaching suggests that experience alone is insufficient for professional growth, but that experience coupled with reflection can be a powerful impetus for teacher development.
References:
Bashyal, G.P.(2007) Reflection and critical pedagogy, Journal of NELA: NELTA
UR, P. (1999) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge. CUP
Neupane, M. (2006) Reflective learning and teaching .Young Voice in ELT: Faculty of
Bashyal, G.P.(2007) Reflection and critical pedagogy, Journal of NELA: NELTA
UR, P. (1999) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge. CUP
Neupane, M. (2006) Reflective learning and teaching .Young Voice in ELT: Faculty of
Education. T.U.