Aims

• The concept of reflection

• Kolb’s learning cycle
• Reflective teaching
• Means of collecting classroom data
• Teaching diaries
• Recording lessons
• Peer observation
By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is
noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience,
which is the bitterest.

(Confucius)
Kolb’s reflective learning cycle
Experience
action past/present

Planning Observation
making plans in order documenting
What happened
To take (further) action

Reflection
Making sense, investigating,
theorising
 Reflective teaching

- Reflective teaching means looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking

about why you do it, and thinking about if it works.

- a process of self-observation and self-evaluation.

 Reflective teaching

Reflection can occur at any time. It may be whilst you follow the materials in this
course or it may happen as you prepare or deliver your own lessons.

A good time for reflection is after a lesson and it is good practice to record your
thoughts.
Reflective teaching – how to start

Asking ‘what and why questions’

 Means of gathering classrrom data

• Maintaining a teaching diary

• Recording a lesson
• Receiving feedback from students
• Inviting a colleague to observe you/ Peer Observation
 Teaching diaries – questions to ask

Lesson objectives
• Did the students understand what we did in the lesson?
• Was what we did too easy or too difficult?
• What problems did the students have (if any)?
• Was there a clear outcome for the students?
• What did they learn or practice in the lesson? Was it useful for them?
 Teaching diaries – questions to ask

Activities and materials

• What different materials and activities did we use?
• Did the materials and activities keep the students interested?
• Could I have done any parts of the lesson differently?
 Teaching diaries – questions to ask

Students
• Were all the students on task (i.e. doing what they were supposedto be doing)?
• If not, when was that and why did it happen?
• Which parts of the lesson did the students seem to enjoy most? And least?
• How much English did the students use?
 Teaching diaries – questions to ask

Classroom management
• Did activities last the right length of time?
• Was the pace of the lesson right?
• Did I use whole class work, groupwork, pairwork, or individual work?
• What did I use it for? Did it work?
• Did the students understand what to do in the lesson?
• Were my instructions clear?
• Did I provide oppurtunities for all the students to participate?
• Was I aware of how all of the students were progressing?
 Teaching diaries – questions to ask

Technology
• How more tech-oriented could the lesson be made, regarding my, my school and
my learners available devices.
 Teaching diaries – questions to ask

Overall
• If I taught the lesson again, what would I do differently?
 Recording lessons

 Audio recordings (useful for considering aspects of teachers talk)

 How much do you talk?
 What about?
 Are instructions and explanations clear?
 How much time do you allocate to student talk?

 Video recordings (useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour)

 Where do you stand?
 Who do you speak to?
 Peer observation

 To both observe and be observed

 The pre-observation session

 The observation
 The post-observation session
Reflection is cyclical.
Change is the only constant.
(Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher)
What is Reflective Teaching Lesson
Worksheet?

 Reflective teaching involves examining one's underlying beliefs about

teaching and learning and one's alignment with actual classroom
practice before, during and after a course is taught. When teaching
reflectively, instructors think critically about their teaching and look for
evidence of effective teaching.
Reflection Questions Examples

 There are many areas in which a person might use reflective questions. Daily tasks and goals are
commonly addressed by individuals who might not have a routine or daily schedule. This helps
that person reflect on the day ahead and possibly the previous day. Some questions this person
might ask themselves are:

 What are my goals for today?

 How can I complete these goals?
 How can I develop higher-achieving goals?
 What are my plans for the future?
 Do my future plans correlate to my daily goals?
 How can I let go of my past failures and embrace my present?
 Reflective questions are often used in educational
settings, because these questions help students think
about what they just learned and how they learned
that concept. These types of questions reflect
students’ understanding and help the teacher gain
insight into what was absorbed from the lesson.
Reflective questions help determine the growth of
that student. Students who are exposed to reflective
questions in the classroom are more likely to show
improvement in learning that subject.
What is a Reflection Question?

 Self-reflection is taking time to understand yourself. This could mean taking the
time to understand and evaluate your personal decisions, emotional and
behavioral processes. Within the process of self-reflection, metacognition takes
place. Metacognition is thinking about the process of thinking and learning.
Developing metacognition is imperative to self-reflective skills. In relation to
self-reflection, metacognition is the awareness that happens as a person
progresses through their own thoughts and feelings.
Reflection Questions Examples

 There are many areas in which a person might use reflective questions. Daily tasks and goals are
commonly addressed by individuals who might not have a routine or daily schedule. This helps
that person reflect on the day ahead and possibly the previous day. Some questions this person
might ask themselves are:

 What are my goals for today?

 How can I complete these goals?
 How can I develop higher-achieving goals?
 What are my plans for the future?
 Do my future plans correlate to my daily goals?
 How can I let go of my past failures and embrace my present?
 - Process reflection questions are questions that help
students think about how they have learned or engaged in
an activity. Some examples of process reflection questions
include:

 What did you think you did well during this project?
 What new skills or knowledge did you try out during this project?
 If you worked with other students on this project, describe that experience
and how you think it went.
 What do you think you might do differently if you tried this project again?
 By answering process reflection questions, students are really focusing on
their own methods as learners and workers. Answering these sorts of
questions helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses in the
learning process.
QUESTIONS REFLECTIVE TEACHERS ASK

• What I am doing?
• How can I better meet my students’ need?
• What are some alternative learning activities to
achieve these objectives?
• How could I have encouraged more involvement
or learning on the part of the students?
What can you say about this picture?
Reflective Teaching
 Reflective teaching

- Reflective teaching means looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking

about why you do it, and thinking about if it works.

- a process of self-observation and self-evaluation.

 Reflective teaching

Reflection can occur at any time. It may be whilst you follow

the materials in this course or it may happen as you prepare or
deliver your own lessons.

A good time for reflection is after a lesson and it is good

practice to record your thoughts.
 Why Reflective Teaching is 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
 Advantages of Reflective Teaching
• Reflective teaching develops the quality of teaching through continuous
improvements.
• It gives educators new opportunities to reflect on and assess their teaching.
• It enables teachers to explore and test new ideas, methods, approaches and
materials.
• It provides opportunity to assess how effective the new approaches were.
• Teachers share feedback with fellow team members.
• They make decisions about which new approaches to include in the school’s
curriculum, instruction and assessment plan.
Different Critical Reflection Techniques

• Reflective Journal Writing

• Learning Log
• Learning Journal
 Reflective Journal Writing

A reflective journal is the perfect place to jot down some of life’s biggest
thoughts. In a reflective journal, you can write about a positive or negative event
that you experienced, what it means or meant to you and what you may have
learned from that experience. It is a personal account of an educational
experience that offers a variety of benefits, from enhancing your writing skills
and helping you retain information to allowing you to express your thoughts on
new ideas and theories.
Reflective Journal Example about losing a job:
“This week I lost my job because my employer thought I was not consistent in
my work. At first I was little upset, because I’m always on time, and I complete
what I can by the end of the day. I couldn’t figure out what she meant by stating
that I wasn’t consistent in my work. After thinking about the situation, I realized
that I can only complete the work assigned to the best of my ability. What she
doesn’t realize is that the problem started because I constantly received
incomplete reports. Whoever ends up with my former job will have the same
issues if the problem isn’t addressed first. However, knowing that I did what I
could will allow me to continue to move forward with a positive outlook for the
future.”
Learning Log

A learning log is a journal which evidences your own learning and skills
development. It is not just a record of “What you have done”, but a record
of what you have learned, tried and critically reflected upon. It is a
personal record of your own learning. As such it is a document which is
unique to you cannot be right or wrong.
 How to write a learning log?
• What you did • Your thoughts • Your feelings
• Did it go well • What you learned • What you will do
• How well (or badly) it differently next time.
went

You can use your Learning Log to record courses you went on, books you
have read, discussions you have had, internet sites you have looked at,
television programs you have watched. Your log should become
something that is directly relevant to you and your learning.
Learning Journal

Learning Journal is simply an ongoing collection of writing for learning

that is writing done for the purpose of learning rather than the purpose of
demonstrating learning. Even a personal blog is a kind of journal, can
thus become a learning journal if the blogging is done in order to
promote, deepen, or extend learning of some kind.
Listed below are some general ideas that may also help you write a
journal:

• What was the most interesting thing I have read for this topic?
• What is one thing I learned in this topic that I may be able to use in the future?
• What would I like to learn more about?
• What issues interested me that I would like to study in more detail?