• Course Title: Teachers as Reflective

Practitioners
• Course Code: PGDT 422
• Credit Hour: 2
 Unit 1: Reflective Thinking And Reflective
Practice
Section 1- Definitions and Nature of Reflection
• Reflection means thinking about what one is doing. It
entails a process of contemplation with openness to
being changed, a willingness to learn, and a sense of
responsibility for doing one’s best. ( Jay, 2003).
• Reflection is an important human activity in which
people recapture their experience, think about it, mull
over & evaluate it. It is working with experience that is
important in learning’ (Boud, R. & Walker,1985).
Reflection means in short
• Starts on hesitation and mental difficulty
• An act of searching, hunting, inquiring, to resolve the
doubt
• it is about learning from experience, and developing
your own thoughts from the experiences

Experience

Reflection

Learning
 General features of a reflective experience:
(i) Perplexity, confusion, doubt [experience]
(ii) Tentative interpretation of the elements [data]
(iii) Careful survey of all attainable consideration which will
define and clarify the problem in hand [explanations,
ideas]
(iv) Consequent elaboration of the tentative hypothesis to
make it more precise and more consistent [anticipation of
solutions]
(v) Taking one stand upon the projected hypothesis as a plan
of
action which is applied to the existing state of affairs
[trial]

⇒ An endless pragmatic learning process.

 1.1 Nature of reflection

1.Returning to experience
• It refers to recollection / recalling of memory
situations, events and activities that happened
in the past.
• description of how you approached
something or how it worked and how it did
not.
2. Connections
• Reflective connections are the most frequent source of
influence on teachers’ practical decision making.
• In these moments of reflection, teachers connect a
particular aspect of their teaching experience with plans for
instruction, moving from experience to reflection to action.
• The teacher may back to his/her experience as student and
ask questions to connect his past experience to his/her
presence .For instance:
– How do I want to be learned in high school the same subject I
am teaching?
– What was the feeling back there as a student? Did you feel good
or bad when you think of your experience as a student? Why?
– Which teacher was my favorite? Why?
– Am I teaching my students the same way that I loved to be
learned as student?
3. Evaluation
• It refers to evaluation of experiences and
development of a teacher. The subcategories of
evaluation are:
– giving an opinion
– examining what you have learned.
– drawing conclusions about your own development
– evaluating your knowledge or functioning
– investigating whether you have achieved your learning
objective
– examining what you found difficult and progressing
 Section 2. Process of reflection
• There are two categories that simplify the concept:
1. Reflection-in-action (thinking on your feet)
• Reflection takes place in the midst of action, on the spot,
not after the fact
2. Reflection-on-action(retrospective thinking//thinking
back) is:
• Perhaps the most familiar image of reflection involves a
sequence of action then thought
• Looking back on the practice after completing a task to see:
– How it went
– what went well,
– what did not,
– what could be changed for the next time;
Reflective practice
 It is:
 a process that helps teachers think about what
happened, why it happened, and what else could
have been done to reach their goals (Cruickshank &
Applegate, 1981).
 an inquiry approach that involves a personal
commitment to continuous learning and improvement
(York-Barr, Sommers, Ghere, & Montie, 2001).
 an ongoing process of examining and refining
practice, variously focused on the personal,
pedagogical, curricular, intellectual, societal, and/or
ethical contexts associated with professional work
(Cole & Knowles, 2000).
 Reflective practitioner

• is a person who uses deep, careful thought in his/her

practice of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and skills
on specific profession.
• is a person who could both reflect-in-action (to
reshape what you are working on) and reflect-on-
action (to consider what has been done in order to
evaluate one’s own process).
• is a person who continuously considers alternatives,
taking action to continually improve practice
throughout their professional career.
 Levels and traditions of reflection practice
Levels of reflection practice
1. Technical Reflection
• the first and lowest level of reflection.
• focused on strategies and methods used to reach
predetermined goals.
• concerned with what works in the classroom to keep
students quiet and to maintain order.
• Typical questions the teacher asks at this level are:
– Did I spend too much time on group work today?
– How can I keep students on-task?
– Did I have enough (too many) activities?
– How can I get students to pay better attention?
2. Contextual Reflection
• Teachers attempt to understand the theoretical basis for
classroom practice
• Teachers can determine when there is conflict between
what they practice and what they preach (e.g., seeing
themselves as humanistic yet belittling students when
they persist in disobeying rules).
• Typical questions the teacher asks at the level of
pedagogical reflection are:
– How can I improve learning for all my students?
– How can I build in better accountability for cooperative learning
tasks?
– Am I giving my students the opportunity to develop decision-
making skills?
– Is there a better way to accomplish this goal?
3. Critical Reflection
• is mostly considered as a higher-order level of
reflection.
• At this stage, teachers reflect on the moral and
ethical implications and consequences of
classroom practices on students.
• Acknowledging that classroom and school
practices cannot be separated from the larger
social and political realities, critical reflective
teachers strive to become fully conscious of the
range of consequences of their actions.
• Typical questions the teacher asks at the level
of critical reflection are:
– Who is being included and who is being excluded in
this classroom practice?
– How might the ways I group students affect
individual student’s opportunity for success?
– Does this classroom practice promote equity?
– Do I have practices that differentially favor
particular groups of students (e.g., males,
females)?
Tradition of reflection practice
• There are five different traditions of reflective practice
1. Generic tradition
 It is thinking about work and students.
2. Academic tradition
 It is thinking about content and instruction.
3. Social efficiency reflection
 It is about thinking about improving methods of
instruction.
4. Developmentalist tradition
 It is thinking about student readiness.
5. The social reconstructionist tradition
 It gives emphasis on thinking about equity and social
justice.
 Benefits of Reflection
The benefits of reflection for learners
Reflection helps learners to:
• develop a deeper understanding of subject
matter
• make sense of new information and feedback in
the context of their own experience.
• relate the subject matter to the non-academic
world and to their own experience.
• guide choices for further learning.
• develop higher level thinking and problem solving
skills.
 The benefits of reflection for teacher
Reflection enables a teacher to:
• be conscious of our potential for bias &
discrimination.
• make the best use of the knowledge available.
• avoid past mistakes.
• solve a problem or address an issue in the
classroom
• reduce confusion or frustration.
• maximise our own opportunities for learning.
• result in a feelings of pleasure and self-
satisfaction
 Possible Barriers of reflection
• Lack of time
• Lack of awareness about the purpose of
reflection
• Fear of judgement and criticism
• being closed to feedback and defensiveness
• fear of professional arrogance
 Solutions for the Barriers
• teachers should:
• be a role model, e.g. a teachers who reflects on
their own practice
• Give time for reflection. To reflect effectively on
your experience, you should actively set a time
from your each working day to reflect & analyse
• Provide Non-judgemental support to your
colleague or your mentee.
• create as many opportunities as possible for
engaging in reflection, e.g. pairs, groups reviews
and discussion
 TEACHING AND REFLECTION

2.1 The nature of teaching complexity and dilemma

2.1.1. Nature of teaching complexity
Group work:
• Discuss the concept of teaching in relation to
different educational philosophies. Which
philosophy do you like most? Why?
• What kind of difficulties you think you will
face by being a teacher? Suggest possible
solutions.
• There are factors that make teaching more difficult
or complex than other professional practices. These
complexities are resulted from problem of:
– student’s cooperation,
– compulsory students,
– emotional management,
– structural isolation and
– chronic uncertainty about the effectiveness of teaching.
 Routine Action Vs Reflection Action
Routine action
• Routine action is guided
primarily by factors such as
tradition, habit, institutional
authority and circumstance.
• the traditional application
approach ’plan, implement,
evaluate’
Reflection Action
• In reflective teaching,
teachers engage in active,
persistent and careful
consideration of any belief
or supposed form of
knowledge.
• Professional knowledge
requires that teachers
employ the reflective
approach to knowledge-
‘plan, act, reflect, evaluate’
 Becoming a Reflective Teacher

• According to Dewey (1933), there are three

essentials attitudes and practices that one
should have to be a reflective teacher.
Three Essential Attitudes of Reflective
Practitioners
open-mindedness,
responsibility, and
wholeheartedness.
 Open-mindedness
• Open-mindedness is a willingness to consider
new evidence as it occurs and to admit the
possibility of error.
• Open-mindedness means
– being open to other points of view,
– appreciating that there are many ways to view a
particular situation or event, and
– staying open to changing your own viewpoint.
– Being open-minded requires the capacity to
criticize oneself
 Responsibility

• Responsibility is the careful consideration of

the consequences of one’s actions, especially
as they affect students.
• Responsibility refers to a teacher’s willingness
to examine all decision making (e.g., decisions
about curriculum, instruction, evaluation,
organization, management) from a coherent
philosophical framework of teaching and
learning.
 Wholeheartedness
• The “need-to-know” is the driving force for
their learning.
• Wholeheartedness is characterized as “a
commitment to seek every opportunity to
learn.”
 Three Essential Practices for Becoming a
Reflective Practitioner
1) Solitary reflection,
2) Ongoing inquiry, and
3) Perpetual problem-solving
1) Solitary reflection

• Making time for thoughtful consideration of

your actions and critical inquiry into the
impact of your own behavior keeps you alert
to the consequences of your actions on
students.
• It’s important to engage in systematic
reflection by making it an integral part of your
daily practice.
2. Ongoing Inquiry

• This practice involves unending questioning of

the status quo and conventional wisdom by
seeking your own truth.
• Being a fearless truth-seeker means
examining the assumptions that underlie both
classroom and school practices.
3. Perpetual Problem-solving
• Perpetual problem-solvers are never satisfied
that they have all the answers and constantly
seek new information.
• The classroom serves as a laboratory for
purposeful experimentation.
• A practice or procedure is never permanent.
Strategies/ Opportunities for Reflection

• Strategies of reflection help both teachers and students

– to address problems and learning challenges,
– deepen their understanding, and
– generate new insights.
• Strategies/ Opportunities for Reflection include:
– Teacher Narratives (autobiography and metaphor)
– Critical Incident
– Portfolios
– Case Study Analysis
– Student Input
– Action research
Teacher Narratives (autobiography & metaphor)
• Teacher narratives are stories written by and about
teachers.
– E.g teachers themselves write real stories about teaching
that illuminate the realities, dilemmas and rewards of
teaching.
 Autobiographical sketches, also called personal histories, are a
specialized form of teacher narratives These stories of a more
personal and in-depth nature.
 Metaphors -The practical theories of teachers are often
expressed as metaphors as opposed to the more logical forms
of expression.
 Through metaphors teachers can elaborate and turn abstractions into
real images
E.g. A teacher is like a candle melts itself and gives light for another
Critical Incident
• a critical incident could also be a carefully chosen
real-world example or case study of a teaching
dilemma intended to serve as a springboard for
reflection.
• Writing about critical incidents or dilemmas
rather than typical daily events promoted critical
reflection in novice teachers.
Portfolios
• Portfolios can be developed over the course of an
entire teacher education program to demonstrate
growth in knowledge and skill and can provide
evidence of achievements
Case Study Analysis
• to review unique and challenging situations
and to reflect on potential solutions.
• to learn about alternative ways of approaching
problems.
Student Input
• student comments
• student evaluations
• course evaluations, and informal student
feedback
 Unit Four: Action Research as a strategy
for Reflection
• Definition:
• Robson (2002, p545) defines action research
as it is a research which is orientated towards
bringing about change often involving
respondents in the process of investigation.
Purpose and nature:
• The purpose of action research is
– to improve the understanding of teaching
practice and
– to influence or change some aspect of whatever is
the focus of the research.
– It is participatory research and usually involves
collaboration between researchers.
– The evidence collected is qualitative and
meaningful to those involved.
Basic / Fundamental / Research
1.Purpose:To establish new
generalizations, explanatory
principles and scientific laws. To
test the hypotheses. It aims to add
knowledge.
2. Investigator: Researcher does not
work directly to get data and
generalization into action, unless
they pertain to his/her own
methods of work. Researcher is
neutral.
3. Problem: the problem is broad and
relates to the broad field of
education. The problem may be
selected by the researcher but it is
approved by the experts.
4. Sampling: Places high value of
probability sampling procedures.
Action Research
• Not immediately concerned with adding
truth to body of knowledge found in
books. Its main purpose is for the
improvement of school and classroom
teaching process. It focuses to find
solutions to immediate problems.
• Researcher is a participant in
educational activities-a practitioner. No
research functions without the practice
functions. The researcher is a job
teacher /administrator who is not
neutral.
• The problem is very narrow. It is a
practical problem. The problem is
selected and finalized by the worker or
investigator him/herself.
• More interested in specific students.
There is no problem of sampling. It
uses purposive sampling.
Basic / Fundamental / Research
5. Design: The design is rigid and it
cannot be flexible. It involves
methods, samples and
techniques of the research. Study
is carefully planned before
launching. Design meticulously
followed throughout study.
6. Analysis of data: Great
competence is required in the
type logical analysis represented
by mathematical statistics.
7. Generalizability: There is
generalization to other samples.
8. Importance: the major
importance is to answer the basic
questions and contribution to the
field of knowledge.
Action Research
• The design is flexible. It can
be changed according to the
convenience of the worker.
Initial design not inviolable. It
does not follow rigid research
procedures.
• Mostly qualitative data
analysis technique is used. No
need of deep statistical
analysis.
• Generalization is not must.
• The major importance is for
solving the local problem of
the school and classroom
teaching.
 Steps in Action Research
1. Identifying an issue and limiting it for investigation
 Your topic and leading questions are interesting and
important to you, to your school, to the profession
and to the society
 Relating your research questions to the
issue/problem
 Your research questions are answerable
2. Learning more about your issue
Formally and informally gathering data from
different concerned bodies.
3. Reviewing related literature
 use different sources such as books, journals,
websites, documents, etc.
4. Developing a research plan & a strategy for your
study
 the way of charting the actual teaching undertaking
 Includes conversation of your topic to research
questions and the selection of an appropriate design
for collecting and analyzing your data
5. Collecting data
 questionnaires, interviews, observations, field
notes, audio records, etc.
6. Analyzing the data
 is done either following the completion of all
data collection or throughout the process
 more of qualitative
7. Developing an action plan
 the action part of action research….a
proposed strategy for implementing the
results of action research.
 Sample format
Inputs

Suggested Supporting
No Implementation Time Implementer
Solutions Stake holders

1. Solution-x- March.10- March 25, The teacher Director, Pens,

2010 E.C Supervisor

2. Solution-y- March.26-Apr. 10, The teacher Students, Papers

2010E.C Parents

3. Solution-z- April 11- May. 10, The teacher Parents

2010 E.C Teachers
 8. Taking action and sharing your results
 formally written report
Presentation
Submitting for publications
 electronic disseminations
9. Reflecting on the overall process and the results
 reflection occurs before, during and after the
research process.
 Howe ever, the more formal reflection comes at the
end.
As defined by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988), action research consists four
phases : planning, acting, observing and reflecting.

planning

Reflecting Acting

Developing
Thank you!