The Reflective

and Caring
Teachers
Intro...

The purpose of this presentation is to share, knowledge, skills, and

techniques of using a reflective and caring teaching and learning approach. It
enables individuals to continually learn from their own experiences. A teacher who
assesses how well she has taught a class and who considers individual
differences in planning instruction is on the road to becoming a reflective and
caring teacher.
Reflective Teachers

Borich (2004), Reflective and caring teachers consider how to meet the individual
differences of students when planning and implementing instruction.
1. Take the time to ask questions about the appropriateness and success of their teaching efforts;

2. Take the necessary time to adapt their lessons to the learners’ needs, histories, and experiences,
and analyze and critique the success of their lessons afterwards

3. Use as instructional tools the direct experiences of learners and what they already know to help
adapt subject matter content to the world of the students;
 4. Encourage the learners to use their own experiences to construct understandings that make sense
to them and for which they can take ownership; and

5. Bridge the gap between teaching and learning by actively engaging students in their lessons and
encouraging them to gradually accept greater responsibilities for their own learning.
In a similar investigation with regard to planning, monitoring, and conducting
interactive activities which altogether involve reflective action, Eby and Martin
(2001) posit that reflective teachers-
1. Plan for variations in student response, constantly monitor students’ reaction to classroom events, and
readily respond when students show confusion or boredom;

2. Monitor students during group activities and individual seatwork, and look for signs that students need
clarification about the tasks or teacher’s expectations and

3. Consider the quality of developing student relationships and note how students interact with ideas from
their peers and others in various settings.
Teachers as Reflective Practitioners

For Cruickshank, Jenkins, and Metcalf (1999), reflective teachers are reflective
practitioners. They are deliberate, open-minded, responsible, sincere, and have a
spirit of inquiry.
1. Reflective practitioners should routinely and purposely deliberate or reflect on teaching.

2. Reflective practitioners are open-minded.

3. Reflective practitioners take responsibility (Dewey, 1993).

4. Reflective teachers are sincere as they closely investigate their teaching (Dewey, 1993).

5. A spirit of inquiry characterizes reflective teachers.

Creating a Caring Classroom

1. Act in ways that are socially just.

2. Develop authentic relationships free of power and control.
3. Allow students to construct moral meaning.
4. Limit structures and procedures.
5. Let students give opinions and have them solve problems together.
Reflective Action

A process in which they reflect on what they want to happen in a classroom and
then take steps to fulfill.
1. Teachers begin to plan.
2. Teachers consider what students already know.
3. Teachers have expectations.
4. Unforeseen problems occur.
5. Non-reflective teachers ignore warning signals
6. Reflective teachers use withitness.

7. Teachers reflect after the teaching events.

8. Teachers do research and invite feedback.

9. Teachers reflect again using feedback, research, and creativity.

10. Teachers create a new action plan.

Reflective Action Builds on Withitness
Withitness

● A skill that teachers need to develop and employ in the performance of their
day-to-day tasks in their classroom

● Reflectiveness starts with withitness.

Developing Reflective Activities

1. Dialogue journals
2. Discussions
3. Action Researches
4. On-campus laboratory experiences
Constructivist Approach to Teaching
Constructivist Theory-

Meaning, understanding, and knowledge formed by prior experiences and ideas.

Ex: teaching the concept of Subtraction after learning Addition

Development of Reflection
● Several strategies in development of reflection
○ Reflective Teaching
○ Microteaching
○ Inquiring Activities
○ Reflective Writing
○ Portfolio Development
○ Faculty Modeling
○ Questioning and Dialogue
What makes a “Star Teacher”?
○ Be persistent
○ Protect learners and learning
○ Put ideas into practice
○ Approach “at risk” students
○ Be professional
○ Consider teacher Fallibility
● Fallibility - the tendency to make mistakes or be wrong
Principles of
Caring
Teachers
1. Caring Teachers Use Withitness
● Monitor the ever-changing climate of the classroom by paying attention to students
verbal and nonverbal responses.
2. Caring Teachers Notice the Behavior of ALL Students

● Responding quickly to unexpected events

Guidelines in Creating a Supporting,
Caring Environment
1. Celebrate Diversity
2. Have high expectations for students and believe that all students can succeed
3. Encourage students
4. Respond to all students enthusiastically
5. Be concerned about the students
Guidelines in Preventing Problems in the Five Areas of Teachers’ Concerns

1. Affiliation
2. Control
3. Parent Relationships
4. Student Success
5. Time
To Conclude...
Teachers should always reflect each and everyday on their ability to make rational
choices, assume to make good choices, effective classroom practices and behaviors,
analyze and understand classroom events, and monitor the ever-changing climate of the
classroom. Reflective teachers should ALWAYS know what is going on inside the
classroom. Withitness is a key tool for reflective teachers to observe students’ problems and
behavior. Reflective teachers can provide insights on how to make decisions and why they
made them. Caring teachers should always be open minded, deliberate, responsible,
sincere, and have a spirit of inquiry. Caring teachers always adjust their teaching styles to
students who struggle and wants those students to succeed.
Citation

Agno, L., 2010. Principles of Teaching 2: A Modular Approach. 1st ed. Philippines: C
& E Publishing, Inc..

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallibility

http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/constructivist.html