Reflection
According to Rodgers (2002), “Teachers’ classroom practice must be seen as an integrated, focuses response to student learning rather than as a checklist of teaching behaviors…Teaching is therefore implicated by learning (p. 233).
Get Terry K.’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
The process of reflection is meant to slow down teachers’ thinking, so they are able to observe, describe, and analyze classroom events. These events include student and teacher dynamics, student relationships, and interactions between students and content. Once teachers have made informed, unbiased conclusions from their data, and with increased “ideological clarity” (Bartolome, 2008) they can begin to take “intelligent action” towards improving student learning.
Although the experimentation phase comes last in the reflective cycle, it is important to note that reflection is an ongoing process that requires maintenance and practice. By reflecting on one’s practice as well as the practice of others with a critical and objective lens, teachers can become even more aware and present in a classroom. In this sense, reflection is not only a practice but a tool that can be used to inform teachers’ future decisions and instructional strategies.
