UNIVERSITY OF ESWATINI

FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHING
CTE 524 ASSIGNMENT

NAME: DLAMINI SAMUKELISO SIPHIWO

STUDENT ID: 161641 FT
PROGRAMME: P.G.C.E
COURSE NAME: CURRICULUM STUDIES IN HISTORY 11
COURSE CODE: CTE524
Most history teacher or educators place a high priority on the successful teaching of History.
This is due to the fact that the majority of History teachers do not use effective teaching
techniques. Effective History teachers must demonstrate content knowledge during the
engagement phase, exhibit enthusiasm, connect lessons to students' prior knowledge, use a
variety of instructional methods and resources to convey content, foster a positive learning
environment, and utilize alternative assessment methods. For the effective teaching and learning
of History, reflection is crucial as such the History teacher should be a reflective practitioner.
The following essay is an explanation of how the use of reflective practice could improve the
teaching of History in schools in Eswatini.

According to Dr. Kalaimath (2015), one step you may take to improve your professional work is
to reflect on your work. Reflective teachers are those that devote a substantial amount of time
and thought to evaluating teaching and learning experiences in order to make wiser decisions
regarding their classroom management (Kalaimath 2015). History teachers as reflective
practitioners use an inquiry approach which entails actively seeking knowledge and remaining
receptive to new information. Reflective practice is important for history teachers in schools in
Eswatini due to the fact that in order to fulfill the learning demands of their increasingly diverse
students, it is crucial for teachers to continuously update, broaden, and refine their professional
knowledge base as well as their teaching techniques. In History ensuring that students are
intrigued by the information they are learning is essential for their success. This through that if
the teacher reflect well on his History teaching, which is an inquiry, students may be actively
involved in the learning process. Thus, Students are learning things in more ways than only
hearing and writing. Instead, students get the ability to go deeper into a subject and gain
knowledge from personal experience (Kalaimath 2015).

Reflection was always a great tool of teaching and learning; reflective practice gives history
educators ways to enhance their work and better serve the history students' educational needs
(OECD, 2009). History is an abstract and a theory free subject, thus the use of reflective practice
can improve the teaching of History in school in Eswatini, through that the History teacher must
consider his or her typical approach of practice as a reflective practitioner. This is crucial
because, it allows for possibilities for questioning, search for alternatives, and evaluating actions
in the light of the excepted outcomes of the lessons being taught. 
In the teaching and learning of History, reflective practice comprises of the teacher’s ability to
think, reflect on his or her 's actions and the History teacher analyzing his or her own methods of
instruction and deciding which ones are most effective for the students (Andrew Gabrielle Cliff
Hodges, 2019). It involves taking into account how classroom practices affect pupils' moral
behavior. One of the most profound advantages of reflective practice is that it helps teachers
promote a positive learning environment for their students. An active and critical approach to
learning is emphasized by the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for History (2011).
According to this notion, history teachers must design learning environments that encourage
active student participation as well meaningful and substantive learning. Teachers of History can
foster a positive learning environment by utilizing reflective (Kenneth M. Zeichner, Daniel P
Liston2013).

The modern approach for teaching and learning history has recently been developed,
emphasizing a learner-centered curriculum with increased expectations for the development of
cognitive skills. With this approach History learners don’t not only acquire content but history
learners must develop as individually. Having a history teacher that is reflective practitioner
would mean the aims of teaching history in the schools would be fulfilled. These aims may
include that upon being effectively taught history, learners should acquire knowledge, develop
confidence and abilities to assess their personal strength and weakness and make informed
decisions on further education and career choices. It must also develop skills to assist them in
solving technical problems as they relate to their lifelong situations. Learners must also through
being taught History develop desirable and behavioral patterns in interacting with the
environment in a manner that is nurturing as well as acquiring cultural values and attitudes to
foster understanding of universal human rights and responsibilities as good Swazi citizens
(Rodgers,2020).

Moreover, in addressing the knowledge-centered learning environment, emphasis is placed on

what is taught, why it is taught and how knowledge should be organized to support the
development history students who have skills such as historical imagination, historical literacy
and the knowledge of finding information independently Readings for Reflective (Bloomsbury
Academic.2002). As a result, History teachers should avoid creating a culture of control in the
classroom, but strive to become reflective practitioners, and engage in continual critical
reflection in order to stay flexible in the classroom's dynamic setting.

As with reflective practice, the history teacher asks himself or herself, how, why, and whether
something could have been done differently during the teaching and learning process. Reflective
practice is crucial in order to find ways to enhance particular learning settings. Reflective
practice in teaching goes from thinking about a sequence of chronological occurrences to
purposeful thinking. It can make it possible for teachers to methodically consider how students'
learning experiences will affect their lives in both obvious and subtle ways.

With History teaching it is advised that teachers don’t use the lecture method entirely as such,
reflective practice helps teachers address discrepancies between their thinking and practice and
fosters a conceptual shift in their perspectives on the teaching of History(Walter, 1987).. within
the history classroom   the teachers' decisions and actions in the teaching and learning
circumstances are influenced by their educational thought. This is mainly due to that reflective
practice in the history teaching encourages teachers to analyze themselves and their activities in
the aim of ongoing growth by challenging them on the views of what constitutes effective
or successful teaching.

Feedback is a key idea that encourages and supports reflective practice in the classroom. Being
able to reflect on one's own practice and use feedback to analyze and regulate one's own
performance" is acknowledged by Atkins (1994) as a crucial aspect of continuous learning. In
the history classroom, with the history teacher as a reflective practitioner feedback can provide
the teacher with the drive to begin reflective practice systematically and consistently, as well as
the facts they need to assess his or her efficiency and effectiveness as a history teacher. The
principles and procedures of constructive criticism are discussed by Glendenning and Cartwright
(2011) along with the ways in which teachers can value the information they are given,
effectively respond, take appropriate action, and implement strategies as a result of the feedback
and reflection process in their teaching.

In conclusion this essay explains how the use of reflective practice could improve the teaching of
History in schools in Eswatini. Reflective practice the History classroom may enable
History educators to adapt and adjust to problems. It assists teachers in becoming aware of their
underlying assumptions and beliefs on teaching and learning. It assists educators in fostering a
supportive learning environment.

Bibliography

“Micro Teaching - A Way to Build up Skills”. (2015). India: Laxmi Book Publication.

Black-Hawkins, K., Cliff
Hodges, G., Linklater, H., Dudley, P., Swann, M., Higgins, S., James, M., Wolpert, M. A., Winte
rbottom, M., Swaffield, S., Pollard, A. (2019). Reflective Teaching in Schools. United
Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.

Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from

TALIS. (2009). United States: OECD Publishing.

Driscoll J. (1994). Reflective practice for practice. Senior Nurse, 13(Jan/Feb.

Ghaye, T. (2010). Teaching and learning through reflective practice: A practical guide for
positive action (2nd Edition). Florence, KY, USA: Routledge.

Glendenning F. & Cartwright L. (2011). How can you make the best use of feedback on your
teaching? In D. McGregor & L. Cartwright (Eds.) Developing reflective practice: A guide for
beginning teachers. Maidenhead, GBR: McGraw-Hill, Education.

Liston, D. P., Zeichner, K. M. (2013). Reflective Teaching: An Introduction. (n.p.): Taylor &

Francis.

Readings for Reflective Teaching. (2002). United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.