BECOMING A REFLECTIVE TEACHER

Methodology Applied to an EFL Situation

Learning log 1
Insuasty Cardenas
Andres Guillermo
September 28, 2016
Becoming a Reflective Teacher
The term reflective practice was introduced by Donald Schn (1983) as mentioned in
Kwan and Simpson (2010) in which he referred to the continuous process in which teacher made
a reflection about some incidents that happened during their life experiences. But this process of
reflection starts as a self-directed process which teachers take action and try to explore their own
classroom practice. Sometimes teachers ask themselves about their classes and what strategies
they use during that process, some of the most well-known questions are my class is big, some
of my students are badly-behaved or I have a problem dealing with a determined topic because
students do not understand. In this aspect, a reflective teacher has to gather information in a
more systematic and organized way, teachers can analyze, collect and even record their thoughts
and students opinions and by means of these strategies, some changes can be made.
According to Dewey (1933) as cited in Larrivee (2000) the process of being a critically
reflective teacher implies a process of recognition of a problem and how a teacher looks for a
way to solve it. In addition, critical thinking is open to any kind of debate and scrutiny. In his
book, Brookfield (1995) refers to the process of reflecting in two stages stance and dance, the
former makes reference to the process of inquiring which is constantly changing and the latter is
about experimentation and risk in which some solutions are applied. According to Zuber-Skerritt

BECOMING A REFLECTIVE TEACHER

(1989) as cited in Kwan and Simpson (2010) the process of becoming a reflective teacher
involves three different aspects that make a difference between critical reflection and the simple
process of thinking. One of them is that teachers is able to improve and enhance his/her own
teaching based on a determined situation in class, the second one is that teachers link their
reflection and action and the last one is about making any reflection public and open to those
interested in and concerned about the work and the situation.

Some teachers could ask themselves how to be reflective and help to improve some
aspects that happen in their classroom, for that purpose there are some activities that teachers
could make in order to be more analytical, more reflective and understand their learning
environment. But it is necessary to take into account that being reflective is not about something
to be prescribed but a personal awareness discovery process as claimed by Larrivee (1999). One
activity to start the reflection process is a journal or diary in which teachers can note down some
particular events happening during class and then the teacher can make questions to get students
feedback. Another option can be peer observation; teachers can invite a colleague to take part in a
class as an observer who can take notes or simply make an observation task. Finally, teacher can
record lessons which can be very useful because teachers can see in detail some aspects that
could not be seen during the class.
Once teachers have collected the information in the class, the question is: what to do next?
There are some tips that teachers can do, one of them is to Think about some things happening in
class and create new ideas to change. To talk to a colleague or some people close to you is
effective because teachers can have ideas to improve their class. Discussions and statement lists
can be used to understand some aspects teachers find during the lesson. Reading and asking
question on magazines or websites can be useful if teachers want help coming from people

BECOMING A REFLECTIVE TEACHER

around the world. Having a meeting with your colleagues is a way to understand what techniques
or strategies are used and could be used in class.
As a conclusion, the importance of being reflective can help teachers to move from the
classical teacher-centered view to a more analytical and comprehensive view. Both teachers and
students have to work together to make any process of teaching and learning as something
meaningful to their lives. However, Brookfield (1995) stated that there are some drawbacks
found in reflecting process which are called cultural barriers: the culture of secrecy,
individualism and silence. To overcome these barriers is necessary to teach our students the
importance of learning and show them that both teachers and students instruction and actions
reflect the reality of a society.
References
Brookfield, S.D. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco, CA, JosseyBass.
Kwan, T., Simpson, R. (2010) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher: To Face the Challenge
of Education Reform in Hong Kong. The University of Hong Kong, HKSAR International
Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(11): 416 - 437 CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934
Larrivee, B. (2000) Transforming Teaching Practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher.
Reflective Practice, Vol. 1, No. 3, Department of Learning, Literacy and Culture,
California State University
Retrieved from: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/reflective-teaching-exploring-ourown-classroom-practice.