Reflective Learning: Thinking About the Way You Learn

In my five years of high school, I’ve had numerous teachers that instructed me in a variety of subjects.  Although I did well in most of my classes, I didn’t feel that my teachers made much of an impression on me.  The exception to my general experience was my Social Studies teacher. Although I’ve always had an affinity to science, the class that I’ve always looked forward to was Social Studies.

Although my Social Studies teacher was never the most expressive or exciting person, something about those Social Studies lessons always kept me engaged in class. As a high school student, I could never figure out what qualities this particular teacher possessed. Upon graduation from secondary school, he was the only teacher that I kept in touch with afterwards. When I considered becoming a teacher, I resolved to find out exactly what my teacher did that made my experience so enjoyable. In fact, when I entertained thoughts of entering into the teaching profession he was the first person I went to for advice.

As a teacher candidate approaching the end of my education program, I’m not sure I have it all figured out. I do hope though that I am on my way to becoming the teacher I aspire to be.

Reflective teaching can make all the difference when you consider that many teachers have good days; however, many more teachers feel overwhelmed and do not know how to cope at the end of a very stressful and grueling day. In this case, reflective teaching is an imperative tool for teachers.

Reflective teaching is a process whereby teachers reflect on their teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of their instructive approaches. Improvement or change in teaching methods may be required, depending on the outcome of this analytical process, which is based on critical reflection. 

The reflective teaching process can be an excellent way for new and seasoned teachers to improve their teaching methods and overall mental health. So you may be asking yourself, how do I integrate this method of reflective teaching and self-assessment into my already very busy schedule? The next few sections will provide you with some practical ideas and suggestions, along with ways you can use a reflective teaching journal to document your self-reflective work.

Teaching and the Art of Self-Assessment

Every teacher knows that planning lessons basically involves preparing materials and delivering information. Yet, there is much more to a successful experience during the teaching process. For example, successful lessons also need assessment or evaluation. The best time to do this is right after the lesson, when your ideas are still clear and fresh. Reflecting on your lesson and your overall success on a regular basis does require organization, time and patience.

This is particularly true if your experience was not what you expected and your emotions are running high. Noting down your classroom experience will allow you to the time to reflect and focus, while keeping your emotions in check, as you put your thoughts down on paper. You can then move on and turn the page, so to speak. As time passes, the emotions will fade; however, you will have a written trace of the experience. 

You may then reread your words with more distance and a critical eye to better comprehend the real underlying issues associated with that negative experience. 

Thankfully, not all classroom experiences are negative. Teachers often share many special moments with their students and these precious moments should also find their way into your notations. Without a doubt, it is when moments are most difficult that these precious memories remind us of our reasons for choosing this wonderful and rewarding, but often challenging and taxing vocation. Revisiting those exceptional experiences is the key to boosting your morale. This will also help you to regain your confidence and stamina, which are both required qualities for a long healthy career as a teacher.

Pedagogy and the SWOT Analysis

One of the most effective practices of experienced educators (whatever the subject matter) involves reflection. In practicing reflective teaching, teachers look back on and evaluate their teaching, as well as their student’s responses, behavior and successes or failures. In assessing their teaching, teachers become more aware of not only what they are teaching, but also why and how they are going about their teaching (methods and approach). Various elements such as the lesson, the materials used and the learning environment, must be taken into consideration. In addition, it is important to take into consideration the students themselves and their individual needs and learning strategies as well.

Even the most carefully planned lesson can result in full or partial failure. Very often, busy teachers will simply disregard those challenging or unsuccessful moments. Months later and the following year, those memories and the associated emotions will have faded. The teacher is very likely to go about preparing in the exact same way, with the same effort, professional investment and approach. Unless something was changed, the teacher will most likely follow the same path and regrettably experience failure once again.

Instead of being caught up in this vicious circle, why not consider adopting the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Objectives and Threats) analysis to reflective teaching and methods analysis? Critical analysis of your classroom experience right after the lesson will assist you in identifying specific elements of the lesson that were misunderstood, ignored or appreciated by the students. Be sure to not only make observations on your teaching, but also on how students react to your lessons.

Keep in mind that critical reflection is based on both positive and negative feedback. Whatever conclusions you come to about your teaching approach and lessons, whether it is positive or negative, looking back is always beneficial and useful. In looking back, we can better prepare for the future.

Dealing with Critical Self-Reflection

Most people long for approval and fear truth. This is especially true in the classroom. Teachers strive to be accepted and understood by their students. They frequently measure their success by measuring and evaluating the success of their students. Why would any teacher want to willingly choose to integrate and adopt critical reflection into their daily routine?

Well, active problem-solving is helpful, whereas ruminating is destructive. When you keep remembering a negative experience you had over and over again or you may have nightmares or physical symptoms of stress, your inner self is slowly dragging you down and wearing you out (intellectually, physically and emotionally).

While it is true that the idea of critical feedback can be intimidating and perhaps feel traumatic because it threatens two of our most fundamental psychological needs: safety (perceived physical, social, or material security) and worth (a sense of self-respect, self-regard, or self-confidence), it does not always have to be negative. Your mind can be your best asset or worst enemy. You need to learn to train it well. With practice, you can develop a more productive inner dialogue that will fuel your efforts to reach your goals.

Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. Validate them by writing them down and structuring them so that you can easily refer to them later, when and if necessary. You can examine your notes with a clear mind much later. Use your critical reflections as a goldmine of your professional experience. Sift or dig through them to find the solutions you need to improve your methods and overall teaching experience.

Pretend that you are reading the notes of a colleague – what advice would you give your colleague? People are often very hard on themselves and much more compassionate with others. Remember, self-assessment is a careful and delicate balance between self-improvement and self-acceptance. Accept who you are (with your limits and comfort zones) and invest in becoming an even better version of yourself by venturing outside of your boundaries a little each day.

The Reflective Teaching Journal

Each new day is a fresh opportunity to begin anew. Reminding yourself that challenges only strengthen you will reinforce the idea that you can handle tough times. This will increase your confidence. By reflecting on success or failure in the classroom, you will better assess and comprehend your teaching to better respond to your student’s needs.

To improve the overall appearance of your notations, you should adopt a reflective teaching journal (you can find samples here). This is the most efficient way to organize your thoughts, while archiving your daily events. Templates that include sections in which you can articulate reasons and strengths for your teaching strategies are useful. You should also identify areas for revision or improvement in terms of your teaching, but also the environment, if you encounter problems therein.

At my university, I recently had issues with smokers in front of my classroom windows. Not only were they making too much noise, but they were also smoking – right in front of the open windows. As the classroom filled with cigarette smoke, the students quickly became distracted and annoyed. I closed the windows, but it was a very hot and humid day. Everyone was uncomfortable. After noting the problem and reflecting on possible solutions, I decided to ask our secretary to make up large signs (both visual and textual) and post them on the windows. It worked and the learning environment is once again stable!

Teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and an awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide to their students. The reflective teaching journal, is definitely an excellent tool for this pedagogical exploration.

Looking for reflective teaching journal templates that you can download, print and use for self-reflection? We have a number of them available on this page on our site.

Related Questions

How do you become a reflective teacher? Some ways you can become a reflective teacher include journaling on your teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of your instructive approaches. Implement improvements or changes after self-analysis of your teaching methodologies via SWOT analysis for example.

What are the characteristics of a reflective teacher? Some characteristics of a reflective teacher include the ability to self-analyze, identify their own strengths, weaknesses, objectives and threats, as well as good time-management skills, organisation, patience, self-acceptance, and the well for, and implementation of, self-improvement of self and teaching practices.

“This comprehensive, rigorous and thoughtful book provides wise advice, stimulation, and research evidence to support the successful development of those embarking one of the most important jobs in the world. Developed over three decades, it is a cornerstone of preparation for teaching excellence.” ―Becky Francis, Professor and Director of the UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK

“An essential companion for all teachers...It provides practical advice rooted in evidenced based and informed practice. The wide range of suggestions for activities in the classroom, allows for the development and improvement of professional practice and ultimately outcomes for all pupils regardless of ability.” ―Monita Atkinson, Director of Carmel College Teaching School Alliance, UK

“A seminal text for education students, developing professionals and experienced practitioners. As a teacher educator I return to this text on a regular basis.” ―Richard Holme, Lecturer in Education, University of Dundee, UK

“A core text for initial teacher education and professional learning courses in education. This excellent new edition continues to provide a comprehensive and contemporary guide to educational issues of key concern to teachers in the UK and Ireland.” ―James Nelson, PGCE Director, Queen's University Belfast, UK

“Teachers at every stage of their professional development will benefit enormously from the comprehensive and engaging content...Particularly useful for all teachers are the new Toolkit Evidence and Research Briefings at the end of each main chapter which offer insightful and accessible summaries of the key findings and practical implications of influential research studies.” ―Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, UK

“A very valued and extensively utilised teaching resource ... Comprehensive yet easy to use book with a rigorous and wide-ranging use of literature to aid the reader in reflecting on practice and devising the best strategies to use in their teaching.” ―Ruth Seabrook, Senior Teaching Fellow and Secondary ITE Partnership Lead, University of Roehampton, UK

“The use of case study examples communicates the message that teacher development is an ongoing process and brings the theories to life, providing a meaningful context through which the research can be viewed.” ―Carmen Mohamed, Assistant Professor in Primary and Early Years Education, University of Nottingham, UK

“This book provides the reader with a diverse range of key concepts in education and schooling, it will be a useful reference for educators at many stages of their careers.” ―David Thompson, Senior Lecturer in Education Studies, Institute of Education, University of Wolverhampton, UK

“A wealth of useful information, thought-provoking activities and relevant examples that can be put to good use by trainees, newly-qualified and established practitioners, and I will continue to use it with my students.” ―Rob Kearsley Bullen, Strand Leader for Secondary Mathematics Education, Nottingham Institute of Education, Nottingham Trent University, UK

“Essential reading for every prospective teacher and their mentors. An ideal resource for inspiring excellence.” ―Dame Alison Peacock, Headteacher of Wroxham Teaching School and the Transformative Learning Alliance, UK (of the fourth edition)

“Any school determined to take seriously their teachers' initial training, continuing education and intellectual well-being cannot afford to be without a theoretical and practical guide. Building on Andrew Pollard's lifetime insights into what it means to be a reflective teacher, this is the best there could be.” ―Sir Tim Brighouse, first Chief Adviser, London Challenge, UK (of the fourth edition)

“This book should adorn every staffroom in the land, being used as a means of support, continuing professional development, ideas plus references to further research and reading.” ―UK Ed Magazine (of the fourth edition)

“In response to the radical upheavals in teacher education in England, Andrew Pollard has prepared a completely new version of his classic work on reflective teaching. Like its predecessors, it will be a major resource for all those who wish to maintain teaching as a values-based profession.” ―Ian Menter, President, British Education Research Association, UK (of the fourth edition)

“An invaluable tool to help stimulate and sustain individual and collaborative reflection on the repetoire of attributes, skills and values that inform the art, the craft, the science and the vocation of teaching as a critically important profession.” ―Carmel Gallagher, Registrar, General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (of the fourth edition)

“An excellent manual on classroom practice, Reflective Teaching in Schools offers teachers definitive advice based on sound and highly relevant academic research.” ―Tony Finn, Honorary Professor of Teacher Education and Professionalism at the University of Glasgow, UK and Interim Chair of the Board of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership, UK (of the fourth edition)

Beyond Method: The Rise of Reflective Teaching

•  Jalil Fat’hi    
•  Fouad Behzadpour    

Abstract

By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching.

Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom.

• Beginning the process of reflection

• What to do next

Why it is important
Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."

However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students. Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.

• If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.

• If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.

• If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, when and why?

Beginning the process of reflection
You may begin a process of reflection in response to a particular problem that has arisen with one or your classes, or simply as a way of finding out more about your teaching. You may decide to focus on a particular class of students, or to look at a feature of your teaching - for example how you deal with incidents of misbehaviour or how you can encourage your students to speak more English in class.

The first step is to gather information about what happens in the class. Here are some different ways of doing this.

Teacher diary 
This is the easiest way to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal. After each lesson you write in a notebook about what happened. You may also describe your own reactions and feelings and those you observed on the part of the students. You are likely to begin to pose questions about what you have observed. Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it on a regular basis. 

Here are some suggestions for areas to focus on to help you start your diary. 

Download diary suggestions 51k

Peer observation
Invite a colleague to come into your class to collect information about your lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking. This will relate back to the area you have identified to reflect upon. For example, you might ask your colleague to focus on which students contribute most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how you deal with errors.

Recording lessons
Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for reflection. You may do things in class you are not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the teacher you do not normally see.

• Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.
  • How much do you talk?
  • What about?
  • Are instructions and explanations clear?
  • How much time do you allocate to student talk?
  • How do you respond to student talk?
• Video recordings can be useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour.
  • Where do you stand?
  • Who do you speak to?
  • How do you come across to the students?

Student feedback
You can also ask your students what they think about what goes on in the classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries for example.

What to do next
Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, what do you do?

• Think
  You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

• Talk
  Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.
  • If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection as a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around scenarios from your own classes.
  • Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar) you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.
• Read
  You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are plenty of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics. Or if you have access to a library or bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers.

• Ask
  Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training, ask for a session on an area that interests you.

Conclusion
Reflective teaching is a cyclical process, because once you start to implement changes, then the reflective and evaluative cycle begins again.

• How are the students responding?

• How can you do it better?

As a result of your reflection you may decide to do something in a different way, or you may just decide that what you are doing is the best way. And that is what professional development is all about.

Julie Tice, Teacher, Trainer, Writer, British Council Lisbon

This article was first published in 2004

If you feel that your teaching is becoming a bit stale or you’re unsure of a lesson’s effectiveness, reflective teaching is the best way to regain your confidence and interest in ESL education. Let’s take a closer look at what reflective teaching entails, why it’s important, and how you can implement reflective practices in your career.

Reflective teaching is covered in detail in the IDELTOnline™ course, Bridge’s most advanced professional TEFL certification, which can be used as a pathway to an MA TESOL at more than 1,600 universities.

What is Reflective Teaching?

Reflective teaching is a teacher’s practice of thinking, writing, and/or speaking about their lessons and their teaching methods and approaches.

It’s easy for teachers to get into a rut while teaching, where it feels like they’re delivering lessons on autopilot. Reflective teaching is a way to break out of that rut and become the best teacher you can be.

In his essay, “Reflective Practice for Language Teachers,” Thomas Farrell writes, “Reflective practice occurs, then, when teachers consciously take on the role of reflective practitioner and subject their own beliefs about teaching and learning to critical analysis, take full responsibility for their actions in the classroom, and continue to improve their teaching practice.”

Want to read the entire essay and get a more in-depth look at reflective teaching? Take the graduate-level IDELTOnline™ course.

Why is Reflective Teaching Important?

“Teachers who engage in reflective practice can develop a deeper understanding of their teaching, assess their professional growth, develop informed decision-making skills, and become proactive and confident in their teaching.” -Farrell

It improves your lesson plans

One of the main benefits of reflective teaching is that it helps you to become a better teacher who engages their students more and consistently improves their lesson plans.

By analyzing different aspects of lessons like teacher talking time or student collaboration, you can measure your success.

For example, if you remember that students weren’t engaged during an activity, you can analyze the reasons why. Maybe you didn’t set a clear context or you overexplained and slowed down student discovery. Or, maybe it didn’t have anything to do with your planning, and the students simply partied the previous night and didn’t want to discuss the differences between the present perfect and past simple.

Whatever the reason, reflective teaching can help you think of a solution.

It can help you break out of a teaching rut

The more you teach, the easier it is to get into a teaching rut. You reuse the same tried and tested activities, you tell the same old anecdotes, and you recycle the same tired grammar explanations.

While reusing activities is great, you need to make sure you’re not doing something that feels boring to you. When you’re not having fun, you can’t expect your students to have fun.

Farrell writes, “If teachers engage in reflective practice they can avoid such burnout because they take the time to stop and think about what is happening in their practice to make sense of it so that they can learn from their experiences rather than mindlessly repeat them year after year.”

Reflective teaching gets you to think about how to modify activities and lesson plans so they’re fresh and interesting for both you and your students.

It inspires you to try new things

When materials like ELT course book activities start to get boring, it’s time to try something new.

Online, there are tons of resources for up-to-date lesson plans. Personal favorites are Onestopenglish and TeachThis.com, but there are hundreds more, some free and some paid.

Another great way to try new things is to collaborate with a fellow teacher. This is easy when working at a language school, but you can also do this online through Facebook groups and Linkedin. Teachers even share lesson plans through Twitter.

It’s part of continuing professional development

Continuing professional development comes in many forms, such as Specialized TEFL/TESOL courses or Micro-credentials that offer targeted training. Reflective teaching is also an effective way to continue developing and expanding your teaching skills throughout your career.

While reflecting on your teaching, you can also think back to training from TEFL courses you’ve already taken and see if you’re fully utilizing what you studied in your online TEFL certification lessons.

Learn more about professional development for EFL teachers.

It provides opportunities to share your experience

Posting your teaching reflections in Facebook groups or on Linkedin helps start conversations around best teaching practices.

You’ll be surprised to see how many teachers have had the same experiences as you or will have suggestions on how to teach in new ways.

This not only allows you to offer and receive great feedback but also builds your network or community of teachers.

See the ways that the IDELTOnline™ sets you apart as a teacher.

What are the characteristics of reflective teaching?

Although reflective teaching can take many forms, there are a few characteristics that appear throughout all types of reflective practices:

What are some examples of reflective teaching?

Some ways of practicing reflective teaching include:

Try different methods to find the right one for you. Journaling is an easy first step, but if you’re a more social teacher, you might prefer working with a critical friend or a teacher development group.

Teaching, a lot like learning, is a journey. No one becomes a great teacher overnight, so don’t be too hard on yourself when a lesson doesn’t go well. Instead, think critically about how you teach so you can continue to improve your students’ learning experiences and grow in your profession.

Want to learn more about reflective teaching and other best TEFL practices covered in the IDELTOnline™ course? Take a look at what this certification entails and whether it’s right for you.

Reflective teaching can make all the difference when you consider that many teachers have good days; however, many more teachers feel overwhelmed and do not know how to cope at the end of a very stressful and grueling day. In this case, reflective teaching is an imperative tool for reflector teach teaching is a process whereby teachers reflect on their teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of their instructive approaches. Improvement or change in teaching methods may be required, depending on the outcome of this analytical process, reflector teach, reflector teach is based on critical reflection. 

The reflective teaching process can be an excellent way for new and seasoned teachers to improve their teaching methods and overall mental health. So you may be asking yourself, how do I integrate this method of reflective teaching and self-assessment into my already very busy schedule? The next few sections will provide you with some practical ideas and suggestions, along with ways you can use a reflective teaching journal to document your self-reflective work.

Teaching and the Art of Self-Assessment

Every teacher knows that planning lessons basically involves preparing materials and delivering information. Yet, there is much more to a successful experience during the teaching process. For example, successful lessons also need assessment or evaluation. The best time to do this is right after the lesson, when your ideas are still clear and fresh. Reflecting on your lesson and your overall success on a reflector teach basis does require organization, time and patience.

This is particularly true if your experience was not what you expected and your emotions are running high. Noting down your classroom experience will allow you reflector teach the time to reflect and focus, while keeping your emotions in check, reflector teach, as you put your thoughts down on paper. You can then move on and turn the page, reflector teach, so to speak. As time passes, the emotions will fade; however, you will have a written trace of the experience. 

You may then reread your words with more distance and a critical eye to better comprehend the real underlying issues associated with that negative experience. 

Thankfully, not all classroom experiences are negative. Teachers often share many special moments with their students and these precious moments should also find their way into your notations. Without a doubt, it is when moments are most difficult that these precious memories remind us of our reasons for choosing this wonderful and rewarding, but often challenging and taxing vocation. Revisiting those exceptional experiences is the key to boosting your morale. This will also help you to regain your confidence and stamina, reflector teach, which are both required qualities for a long healthy career as a teacher.

Pedagogy and the SWOT Analysis

One of the most effective practices of experienced educators (whatever the subject matter) involves reflection. In practicing reflective teaching, teachers look back on and evaluate their teaching, as well as their student’s responses, behavior and successes or failures. In assessing their teaching, teachers become more aware of not only what they are teaching, but also why and how they reflector teach going about their teaching (methods and approach). Various elements such as the lesson, the materials used and the learning environment, must be taken into consideration. In addition, it is important to take into consideration the students themselves and their individual needs and learning strategies as well.

Even the most carefully planned lesson can result in full or partial failure, reflector teach. Very often, reflector teach, busy teachers will simply disregard those challenging or unsuccessful moments. Months later and the following year, those memories and the associated emotions will have faded. The teacher is very likely to go about preparing in the exact same way, with the same effort, professional investment and approach. Unless something was changed, reflector teach, the teacher will most likely follow the same path and regrettably experience failure once again.

Instead of being caught up in this vicious circle, reflector teach, why not consider adopting the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Objectives and Threats) analysis to reflective teaching and methods analysis? Critical analysis of your classroom experience right after the lesson will assist you in identifying specific elements of the lesson that were misunderstood, ignored or appreciated by the students. Be sure to not only make observations on your teaching, but also on how students react to your lessons.

Keep in mind that critical reflection is based on both positive and negative feedback. Whatever conclusions you come to about your teaching approach and lessons, whether it is positive or negative, looking back is always beneficial and useful. In looking back, we can better prepare for the future.

Dealing with Critical Self-Reflection

Most people long for approval and fear truth. This is especially true in the classroom. Teachers strive to be accepted and understood by their students. They frequently measure their success by measuring and evaluating the success of their students. Why would any teacher want to willingly choose to integrate and adopt critical reflection into their daily routine?

Well, active problem-solving is helpful, whereas ruminating is destructive. When you keep remembering a negative experience you had over and over again or you may have nightmares or physical symptoms of stress, your inner self is slowly dragging you down and wearing you out (intellectually, physically and emotionally).

While it is true that the idea of critical feedback can be intimidating and perhaps reflector teach traumatic because it threatens two of our most fundamental psychological needs: safety (perceived physical, social, or material security) and worth (a sense of self-respect, self-regard, or self-confidence), it does not always have to be negative, reflector teach. Your mind can be your best asset or worst enemy. You need to learn to train it well. With practice, you can develop a more productive inner dialogue that will fuel your efforts to reach your goals.

Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. Validate them reflector teach writing them down and structuring them so that you can easily refer to them later, when and if necessary, reflector teach. You can examine your notes with a clear mind much later. Use your critical reflections as a goldmine of your professional experience. Sift or dig through them to find the solutions you need to improve your methods and overall teaching experience.

Pretend that you are reading the notes of a colleague – what advice would you give your colleague? People are often very hard on themselves and much more compassionate with others. Remember, self-assessment is a careful and delicate balance between self-improvement and self-acceptance. Accept who you are (with your limits and comfort zones) and invest in becoming an even better version of yourself by venturing outside of your boundaries a little each SketchUp Pro 21.1.332 Crack + License Key Free Download Reflective Teaching Journal

Each new day is a fresh opportunity to begin anew. Reminding yourself that challenges only strengthen you will reinforce the idea that you can handle tough times. This will increase your confidence. By reflecting on success or failure in the classroom, reflector teach, you will better assess and autocad 2010 free download your teaching to better respond to your student’s needs.

To improve the overall appearance of your notations, you should adopt a reflective All Adobe CCCrack journal (you can find samples here). This is the most efficient way to organize your thoughts, while archiving your daily events. Templates that include sections in which you can articulate reasons and strengths for your teaching strategies are useful. You should also identify areas for revision or improvement in terms of your teaching, but also the environment, if you encounter problems therein.

At my university, reflector teach, I recently had issues with smokers in front of my classroom windows, reflector teach. Not only were they making too much noise, but they were also smoking – right in front of the open windows. As the classroom filled with cigarette smoke, the students quickly became distracted and annoyed. I closed the windows, reimage repair windows 7 Free Activators it was a very hot and humid day. Everyone was uncomfortable. After noting the problem and reflecting on possible solutions, I decided to ask our secretary to make up large signs (both visual and textual) and post them on the windows. It worked and the learning environment is once again stable!

Teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and an awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide to their students. The reflective teaching journal, is definitely an excellent tool for this reflector teach exploration.

Looking for reflective teaching journal templates that you can download, print and use for self-reflection? We have a number of them available on this page on our site.

Related Questions

How do you become a reflective teacher? Some ways you can become a reflective teacher include journaling on your teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of your instructive reflector teach. Implement improvements or changes after self-analysis of your teaching methodologies via SWOT analysis for example.

What are the characteristics of a reflective teacher? Some characteristics of a reflective teacher include the ability to self-analyze, identify their own strengths, weaknesses, objectives and threats, as well as good time-management skills, organisation, reflector teach, patience, self-acceptance, and the well for, and implementation of, self-improvement of self and teaching practices.

By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching.

Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom.

• Beginning the process of reflection

• What to do next

Why it is important
Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."

However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students. Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.

• If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.

• If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.

• If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, reflector teach, when and why?

Beginning the process of reflection
You may begin a process of reflection in response to a particular problem that has arisen with one or your classes, or simply as a way of finding out more about your teaching. You may decide to focus on a particular class of students, or to look at a feature of your teaching - for example how you deal with incidents of misbehaviour or how you can encourage your reflector teach to speak more English in class.

The first step is to gather information about what happens in the class. Here are some different ways of doing this.

Teacher diary 
This is the easiest phpstorm 2018.3.4 licence server to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal. After each lesson you write in a notebook about what happened. You may also describe your own reactions and feelings and those you observed on the part of the students, reflector teach. You are likely to begin to pose questions about what you have movavi video editor tutorial espaГ±ol pdf. Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it on a regular basis. 

Here are some suggestions for areas to focus on to help you start your diary. 

Download diary suggestions 51k

Peer observation
Invite a colleague to come into your class driverpack solution 2017 full version with crack collect information about reflector teach lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking. This will relate back to the area you have identified to reflect upon. For example, you might ask your colleague to focus on which students contribute most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how you deal with errors.

Recording lessons
Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for reflection. You may do things in class you are not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the teacher you do not normally see.

• Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.
  • How much do you talk?
  • What about?
  • Are instructions and explanations clear?
  • How much time do you allocate to student talk?
  • How do reflector teach respond to student talk?
• Video recordings can be useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour.
  • Where do you stand?
  • Who do you speak to?
  • How do you come across to the students?

Student feedback
You can also ask your students what they think about what goes on in the classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries for example.

What to do next
Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, reflector teach, what do you do?

• Think
  You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

• Talk
  Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.
  • If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection reflector teach a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around scenarios from your own classes.
  • Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar) you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.
• Read
  You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are reflector teach of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics, reflector teach. Or if you have access to a library adobe photoshop 7.0 free download for windows 10 Free Activators bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers.

• Ask
  Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training, reflector teach, ask for a session on an area that interests you.

Conclusion
Reflective teaching is a cyclical process, because once you start to implement changes, then the reflective and evaluative cycle begins again.

• How are the students responding?

• How can you do it better?

As a result of your reflection you may decide to do something in a different way, or you may just decide that what you are doing is the best way, reflector teach. And that is what professional development is all about.

Julie Tice, Teacher, Trainer, Writer, British Council Lisbon

This article was first published in 2004

Beyond Method: The Rise of Reflective Teaching

•  Jalil Fat’hi    
•  Fouad Behzadpour    

Abstract

Reflective teaching

Why can't we improve as we go along? Why do we need to look back afterwards?

Self-analysis through:

• Use of teaching portfolios in which on-going efforts to update course content as well as course delivery can be documented.
• Viewing a video recording of ones own teaching can be an eye-opening experience.
• Use of self-assessment forms.
• Self-assessment through filling out the same student questionnaire used to evaluate teaching at the end of each semester by students.

Shared analysis through:

• Forming a reflective partnership or a cooperative effort between two faculty members who observe each other teach and discuss their interpretations of each other's actions and intentions.
• Participating in a process of collegial coaching which centres on the two primary activities of observation of classroom teaching and instructional consultation.
• Using the FLs Department at your school –if there is one– as a resource. The role of the department chair in the implementation of the annual review process is critical. Department chairs will have increased responsibilities for assisting in the creation and implementation of improvement plans for those reflector teach who rate unsatisfactory in any category. Efforts are being made to increase resources for department chairs in learning how to assist faculty successfully in this process.

• Which of the possibilities suggested would you like to try?
• Have you ever tried this?
• What were the results of the experience?
• Did your learners participate in them? How?

Bibliography

In my five years of high school, I’ve had numerous teachers that instructed me in a variety of subjects, reflector teach.  Although I did well in most of my classes, I didn’t feel that my teachers made much of an impression on me.  The exception to my general experience was my Social Studies teacher. Although I’ve always had an affinity to science, the class that I’ve always looked forward to was Social Studies.

Although my Social Studies teacher was never the most expressive or exciting person, something about those Social Studies lessons always kept me engaged in class. As a high school student, reflector teach, I could never figure out what qualities this particular teacher possessed. Upon graduation from secondary school, he was the only teacher that I kept in touch with afterwards. When I considered becoming a teacher, I resolved to find out exactly what my teacher did that made my experience so enjoyable. In fact, when I entertained thoughts of entering into the reflector teach profession he was the first person I went to for advice.

As a teacher candidate approaching the end of my education program, I’m not sure I have it all figured out. I do hope though that I am on my way to becoming the teacher I aspire to be.

If you feel that your teaching is becoming a bit stale or you’re unsure of a lesson’s effectiveness, reflective teaching is the best way to regain your confidence and interest in ESL education. Let’s take a closer look at what reflective teaching entails, reflector teach, why it’s important, and how you can implement reflective practices in your career.

Reflective teaching is covered in detail in the IDELTOnline™ course, Bridge’s most advanced professional TEFL certification, which can be used as a pathway to an MA TESOL at more than reflector teach universities.

What is Reflective Teaching?

Reflective teaching is a teacher’s practice of thinking, writing, and/or speaking about their lessons and their teaching methods and approaches.

It’s easy for teachers to get into a rut while teaching, reflector teach it feels like they’re delivering lessons on autopilot. Reflective teaching is a way to break out of that rut and become the best teacher you can be.

In his essay, “Reflective Practice for Language Teachers,” Thomas Farrell writes, “Reflective practice occurs, then, when teachers consciously take on the role of reflective practitioner and subject their own beliefs about teaching and learning to critical analysis, take full responsibility for their actions in the classroom, and continue to improve their teaching practice.”

Want to read the entire essay and get a more in-depth look at reflective teaching? Take the graduate-level IDELTOnline™ course.

Why is Reflective Teaching Important?

“Teachers who engage in reflective practice can develop reflector teach deeper understanding of their teaching, assess their professional growth, develop informed decision-making skills, and become proactive and confident in their teaching.” -Farrell

It improves your lesson plans

One of the main benefits of reflective teaching is that it helps you to become a better teacher who engages their students more and consistently improves their lesson plans.

By analyzing different aspects of lessons like teacher talking time or student collaboration, you can measure your success.

For example, if you remember that students weren’t engaged during an reflector teach, you can analyze the reasons why, reflector teach. Maybe you didn’t set a clear context or you overexplained and slowed down student discovery. Or, maybe it didn’t have anything to do with your planning, and the students simply partied the previous night and didn’t want to discuss the differences between the present perfect and past simple.

Whatever the reason, reflective teaching can help you driver genius professional full Free Activators of a solution.

It can help you break out of a teaching rut

The more you teach, the easier it is to get into a teaching rut. You reuse reflector teach same tried and tested activities, reflector teach, you tell the same old anecdotes, reflector teach, and you recycle the same tired grammar explanations.

While reusing activities is great, you need to make sure you’re not doing something that feels boring to you. When you’re not having fun, you can’t expect your students to have fun.

Farrell writes, “If teachers engage in reflective practice they can avoid such burnout because they take the time to stop and think about what is happening in their practice to make sense of it so that they can learn from their experiences rather than mindlessly repeat them year after year.”

Reflective teaching gets you to think about how to modify activities and lesson plans so they’re fresh and interesting for both you and your students.

It inspires you to try new things

When materials like ELT course book activities start to get boring, it’s time to try something new.

Online, there are tons of resources for up-to-date lesson plans. Personal favorites are Onestopenglish and TeachThis.com, but there are hundreds more, some free and some paid.

Another great way to try new things is to collaborate with a fellow teacher. This is easy when working at a language school, but you can also do this online through Facebook groups and Linkedin. Teachers even share lesson plans through Twitter.

It’s part of continuing professional development

Continuing professional development comes in many forms, reflector teach, such as Specialized TEFL/TESOL reflector teach or Micro-credentials that offer targeted training. Reflective teaching is also an effective way to continue developing and expanding your teaching skills throughout your career.

While reflecting on your teaching, you can also think back to training from TEFL courses you’ve already taken and see if you’re fully utilizing what you studied in your online TEFL certification lessons.

Learn more about professional development for EFL teachers.

It provides opportunities to share your experience

Posting your teaching reflections in Facebook groups or on Linkedin helps start conversations around best teaching practices.

You’ll be surprised to see how many teachers have had the same experiences as you or will have suggestions on how to teach in new ways.

This not only allows you to offer and receive great reflector teach but also builds your network or reflector teach of teachers.

See the ways that the IDELTOnline™ sets you apart as a teacher.

What are the characteristics of reflective teaching?

Although reflective teaching can take many forms, there are a few characteristics that appear throughout all types of reflective practices:

What are some examples of reflective teaching?

Some ways of practicing reflective teaching include:

Try different methods to find the right one for you. Journaling is an easy first step, but if you’re a more social teacher, you might prefer working with a critical friend or a teacher development group.

Teaching, a lot like learning, is a journey. No one becomes a great teacher overnight, so don’t be too hard on yourself when a lesson doesn’t go well. Instead, reflector teach, think critically about how you teach so you can continue to improve your students’ learning experiences and grow in your profession.

Want to learn reflector teach about reflective teaching and other best TEFL practices covered in the IDELTOnline™ course? Take a look at what this certification entails and whether it’s right for you.