There is an over simplified generalisation often bandied about in Westernised countries that belittles the job of teachers. The phrase goes along the lines of “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” While the argument against this statement could fill pages the reality is that teaching is by far one of the most demanding but fulfilling jobs in the world. Teaching may be a job that requires a university degree and some on the job training; however effective teaching is a continual process of reflections, questions and decisions. This essay will examine in depth the cyclic process of effective teachers’ reflections, questions and decisions. Effective teachers will reflect on both their own knowledge and critically evaluate their work; they question both themselves and their students in a way that digs beneath the surface and effective teachers make decisions big and small throughout their day and within their planning. An effective teacher is a professional who incorporates reflections, questions and decisions, knowing that these tie together and are part of the very essence of being a teacher (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010).
Reflections
A teacher’s ability to reflect on and assess their own classroom performance is part of being a professional and effective teacher. Professional teachers accept a commitment to lifelong learning and view teaching as calling rather than a job (Kramer as cited by Eggen & Kauchak, 2010; Whitton, Barker, Nosworthy, Sinclair & Nanlohy, 2010). Ongoing study, reading and research help teachers to stay up-to-date and informed of current developments in the fields of teaching and learning (Whitton, et al., 2010). The habit of making regular reflections will help teachers to determine when further professio...
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Eggen, P. & D. Kauchak (2010). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Pearson Education Inc.
Fetherston, T. (2007). Becoming an effective teacher. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Marsh, C. J. (2010). Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues Available from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781442537385
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A suggestion made by Schon (1991) states that there are two fundamental forms of reflection: reflection-on-action and reflection-in-action. He further defined Reflection-in-action as a means of examining one’s own behaviour and that of others while in a situation (Schon, 1995, 1987). However, Grant and Greene (2001) and Revans (1998), defined reflection-on-action as focusing on identifying negative aspects of personal behaviour with a view to improving professional comp...
One reason for Reflection being used is to give practitioners the chance to change an aspect within their setting, which they feel can be improved in order to help the development of children within their practice. Reflective practice is about improving practice and coming up with theories to support the improvement (Holmes, 2011, p.7). Reflective practice using critical reflection will allow the practitioners to identify what they do well and what they need to improve on within their Early Years settings. It can also give practitioners the opportunity to develop their professional identity, and work at improving their working environment (Forde et al, 2006, p.65, 66). By allowing practitioners the chance to improve their working environment, it can have a huge influence on the children and their development within the Early Years. For example, a teacher looking back and being reflective over their lesson, will allow them to make amelioration for when they teach that lesson again, thus leading to further learning development of the
Freire’s philosophies concerning teachers learning, teaching, and reflecting on the process are cyclic in nature. He interwove theory, practice, and reflection into being an effective educator. Freiree quoted Francoss Jacob when he wrote “We are programmed, but to learn” (2005, p. 124). Freire had much to say about theory and practice, urging teachers to step away from their everyday world and observe closely and critically what is happening in that realm in order to renew one’s curiosity, what he referred to as “thinking the practice” (p. 140). Within this thinking about the practice, one begins to practice better. In addition to the practice, one must add scientifically-backed theory. Critical reflection of both the theory and practice illuminates the need for additional learning in order to begin the cycle again.
Reflection is a process of ‘reviewing, analysing and evaluating experiences, drawing upon theoretical concepts or previous learning, in order to inform future actions’ (White, Laxton, and Brooke, 2013, p1). Scales (2014) postulates that reflective practice enables teachers to better understand the abilities and requirements of their learners. Equally, by engaging in reflective practice teachers are enabled to plan, respond and evolve teaching approaches which are informed by experience and theory (Mcgregor, 2012; Helyer, 2015). Nevertheless, reflective practice should not be adopted as means of justifying existing practice (Finlay, 2008), indeed, to achieve meaningful reflection, an individual must be analytical, self-aware and critically evaluative
The most distinctive of these very good teachers is that their practice is the result of careful reflection . . . They themselves learn lessons each time they teach, evaluating what they do and using these self-critical evaluations to adjust what they do next time.
Without agreement on what reflective practice is, it is difficult to decide on teaching‑learning strategies. Reflective practice may be a developmental learning process (Williamson 1997), may have different levels of attainment (Wellington 1996), and may be affected by a learner’s cognitive ability (James and Clarke 1994), willingness to engage in the process (Bright 1996; Haddock 1997), and orientation to change (Wellington 1996). However, there does seem to be some agreement that critical reflection consists of a process that can be taught to adults. Brookfield (1988) identified four processes central to learning how to be critically reflective: assumption analysis, contextual awareness, imaginative speculation, and reflective skepticism.
Reflecting on my learning journey I have applied theoretical perspectives into practice and have shaped my own learning practices. The behavioural learning theory was a key practice in my learning journey as it created a positive learning environment. Along with the cognitive theory it reinforced my own belief in the need for memory based learning. Peer to peer assessments and peer learning really shaped my own journey and created new discussions. Observing actions and learning them through other people was a learning experience that I found to be most beneficial. In conclusion the importance of reflection in teaching practices is extremely importance, especially is a changing world.
First of all, I would like to refer to the act of reflection for us as teachers. To develop a profesional competence we need to accomplish a cycle that is called the reflective cycle, stated by Wallace (2001), and that requires two main stages: the first one is Pre-training whose core is the learner’s existing conceptual schemata, that is to say, the prior knowledge the student has, an...
I have been very blessed in the district of Gahanna when it comes to professional development. Gahanna has made professional development a priority over the past three years and has rearranged the district wide calendar to accommodate this need including four to six built-in professional development days sprinkled throughout the school year. Therefore, professional development is not voluntary for our staff and happens within the confines of our typical school day and year which according to the article Why Professional Development Matters by Hayes Mizell, “professional development is most effective when it occurs in the context of educators’ daily work. When learning is part of the school day, all educators are engaged in growth rather than learning being limited to those who volunteer to
Reflection is essential for growth. If one is just looking at a lesson, a child’s behavior, or one’s own actions, a teacher should always reflect. Reflection for a teacher should be at the beginning of the year, weekly or a few days a week, monthly, and most important at the end of the year. Having this time to sit down and have a deep thought process is good for the teacher to improve and grow.
Professional development is critical to success in a teacher’s career. Teachers need to be opened to continuing their education and consistently reflecting on lessons and interactions with students. At the expert stage of teaching, “the teacher’s practice is characterized by fluency, automaticity, and efficiency” (Garmston,1998). In order to achieve this level of teaching practice, the educator must continue to learn new teaching strategies, understand the curriculum, recognize students and their differences, and conduct self-reflections. A teacher who is dedicated to professional development and wanting to improve their teaching, will make a stronger impact on students. I believe that I am in the Proficient level of performance according to the Framework for Professional Teaching Practices (Danielson, 1996).
Consistent reflection is embedded into my practice, and I regularly evaluate the effectiveness of my three components of teaching: relationship, relevance, and rigor. These three R’s are the foundation of my identity as an educator, and they challenge me to elevate my teaching. By engaging in this process, I can keep assessing my professional growth, so I can more effectively impact student achievement as I continue to learn alongside my students.
The intention of reflective practice is to help the teacher/learning coach evolve and develop the quality of their teaching by the continuation of personal development. Although most teachers have done this for years, reflective modelling or methods have formulized a structure which can be followed and adapted to best suit their methods. It is an ongoing process which takes feelings and emotions into consideration and so it will not always have a definitive answer/ending. Since most models of reflection require subjective and objective thinking then there is a willingness to be honest to engage constant self appraisal. It asks that the teacher become flexible analytical and socially aware when addressing their chosen model of reflection.
In order for learning to take place in the classroom the teacher has to put in place an effective teaching and learning strategy. Being an effective teacher is not something that can be achieved instantaneously but rather something that has to be continuously developed and improved upon over time. Petty mentions how good teachers are not born but rather make themselves and that effective teaching comes from learning from your mistakes and successes. Petty, p. 516, 2009. This process involves teacher reflection and assessment of the effectiveness of different teaching strategies used in the classroom. It is only then that teachers can learn and advance themselves.
Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve oneself.