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Enhancing Teaching Through Reflection

This document summarizes a report on critical reflection and developing practice. It includes an introduction that discusses the importance of reflection, especially reflection-in-action, for teachers to make appropriate decisions. It also notes some barriers to reflection related to teachers and school systems. The document reviews literature on reflective practice and concludes that while reflection is important, not all reflective activities necessarily lead to learning; the time must be used productively.

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184 views4 pages

Enhancing Teaching Through Reflection

This document summarizes a report on critical reflection and developing practice. It includes an introduction that discusses the importance of reflection, especially reflection-in-action, for teachers to make appropriate decisions. It also notes some barriers to reflection related to teachers and school systems. The document reviews literature on reflective practice and concludes that while reflection is important, not all reflective activities necessarily lead to learning; the time must be used productively.

Uploaded by

6nks679zst
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Critical reflection and developing practice module

Summary Report

Rana Osama Sadek Hamed Rabie

R2211D15405004

11/04/2023
Table of content :

1 Introduction
3 Aims and objectives
4 Methodology
5 Finding of the literatures review
6 Conclusions and implications
11 References list
Introduction

In the context of rapidly changing classroom environments, it is crucial that teachers be able to
make appropriate decisions. Those teachers who reflect on their practice, particularly while
they are teaching (what Schon terms reflection-in-action), are best able to do so. It is the intent
of this article to investigate the role of teacher reflection in professional practice

There are, however, certain barriers to reflection related to the personal characteristics of the
teacher and to faults in the structure of school systems. Of greatest concern is whether
reflective practices result in better teaching and improved educational outcomes. This issue
has not yet been resolved and further research is necessary

john dewey was one of the first people who wrote about reflective practice
he quoted” the active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of
knowledge in the lights of the ground that supports it”
Reflective practive is an opportunity to learn from experience how valuable it can be in your
current role and career moving forward

Reflective practice can be described as the ability to reflect on ones actions so that to engage in
a process of continuous learning.

Schon :
More recently, in parallel with increasing acceptance of reflective practice as an organising
framework for professional preparation, there has been a questioning of Schön’s views on
reflective practice. Greenwood (1993) argues that he neglects the importance of reflection
before action and Eraut (1995) suggests that there is little evidence of reflection-in-action in the
crowded setting of classrooms. The unreflexive nature of Schön’s accounts of his ideas is a
concern of Usher, Bryant and Johnston (1997) who also raise doubts about his methodology as
it applies to practice and draw attention to its insufficiently contextualised nature.

During my studies, I noticed a very interesting article about using reflective practice wrong:
Reflection without learning. While reflection is important, not all planned reflective processes
lead to learning . Inadequate, inappropriate, or badly used reflective activities can become an
obstacle. Just leaving time for reflection does not mean that the time will be used in a
productive way. In many cases students may be able to use such time as an opportunity to take
breath in a crowded curriculum, but they may not be able to use it to reflect or learn in ways
which are meaningful to them
References:

Anon (2021). A brief history of reflective practice. [Online]. 15 January 2021. YouTube.
Available at: [Link] [Accessed: 25 March
2023].

Anon (n.d.). Teachers' educational design as a process of - JSTOR. [Online]. Available at:
[Link] [Accessed: 25 March 2023].

Jaeger, E.L. (2012). Teacher reflection: Supports, barriers, and results. [Online]. 30 November
2012. Issues in Teacher Education. Available at: [Link]
[Accessed: 25 March 2023].

Dewey, J., 1986, September. Experience and education. In The educational forum (Vol. 50, No. 3, pp.
241-252). Taylor & Francis Group.

Draft : book : developing reflective practice

Common questions

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Reflective practice has significant implications for a teacher's professional development by encouraging continuous learning and adaptation. It enables teachers to critically analyze their teaching methods and experiences, leading to deeper insights and enhanced professional skills. By reflecting on practice, teachers can improve their decision-making abilities and address personal and professional challenges more effectively .

The main criticisms of Schön's reflective practice theory include the overemphasis on reflection-in-action, which is challenging in busy classroom settings, as highlighted by Eraut (1995). Greenwood (1993) argues that Schön neglects reflection before action, limiting its applicability. Additionally, Usher, Bryant, and Johnston (1997) criticize Schön for insufficient contextualization and unreflexive accounts, questioning its practical relevance and methodology in educational contexts .

The document suggests that to improve reflective practice effectiveness, educators should focus on structured and purposeful reflective activities. These should be well-guided to ensure that time allocated for reflection leads to meaningful learning and practice improvement. Moreover, addressing barriers such as lack of support within school systems and equipping teachers with skills to conduct reflective practice can enhance its outcomes .

Personal characteristics such as openness to feedback, self-awareness, and willingness to adapt can significantly affect a teacher's ability to engage in reflective practice effectively. Teachers lacking these characteristics may struggle to critically analyze their practice and learn from their experiences, thus limiting the potential benefits of reflection .

Reflection-in-action, as described by Schön, occurs during the teaching process and involves immediate reflection on one's actions to make quick decisions. This is contrasted with reflection-before-action, which involves planning and consideration before taking action, thus allowing for more thoughtful and deliberate teaching strategies. Greenwood (1993) criticizes Schön's theory for not adequately addressing reflection-before-action, which is often necessary in educational settings to prepare for complex teaching situations .

John Dewey introduced the concept of reflective practice as a way to engage in 'active, persistent, and careful consideration of beliefs or forms of knowledge' in relation to the grounds supporting them. This contributes to the field of education by encouraging continuous learning and adaptation among teachers, fostering deeper understanding and improvement in teaching methods . However, potential limitations include Dewey's lack of focus on structured reflection processes, which can lead to inefficient or ineffective reflection without proper guidance .

Some barriers to effective teacher reflection include personal characteristics of the teacher, such as lack of experience or training in reflective practices, and structural issues within school systems that do not support or prioritize reflection. These barriers can hinder teachers' ability to apply reflective practices effectively, leading to questions about whether such practices truly improve educational outcomes .

Reflective practice can fail to lead to meaningful learning if the reflective activities are inadequate, inappropriate, or badly used. Simply allocating time for reflection does not guarantee productive use, as students might use this time merely to relax rather than engage deeply with their learning experiences. This issue is compounded by the lack of structured guidance on how to effectively reflect and learn from these reflections .

The document emphasizes the need for further research on the impact of reflective practices due to unresolved questions about whether these practices result in better teaching and improved educational outcomes. While reflective practices are widely accepted as beneficial, there is still a lack of concrete evidence linking them to tangible improvements in educational settings, necessitating further investigation .

Reflection without learning can become an obstacle when reflective activities fail to engage teachers meaningfully, leading to missed opportunities for growth and improvement. This can occur when reflection is treated as a mere formality rather than a critical, intentional process aimed at deriving insights and applying them to practice. Inadequate reflection processes can result in stagnation rather than advancement in teaching methodologies .

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