4 - Reflective Practice and Teacher-Led Research

Summary

At its most basic, the application of reflective practice in teaching involves scrutiny of the practical theories and values that shape teachers’ daily activities. This is a complex process in which teachers undertake various forms of reflection. The purpose of this is to increase teachers’ comprehension of the teaching–learning process, increase their personal and professional efficacy, and formally investigate various classroom problems. The complexity of reflective practice requires that teachers engage in the formation of routines, practices, and structures that facilitate individual or collective reflection on their experiences when teaching, support for which can be provided by a range of tools. To discuss these issues in greater detail, this chapter is organised as follows. First, it explains what reflective practice means and what it involves. This includes elucidation of concepts such as reflection, critical reflection, and reflexivity. This is followed by a summary and endorsement of the theoretical framework for reflective practice developed by Farrell. Then, several tools that teachers are advised to adopt to reflexively examine and enhance their teaching are outlined. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the concept of teachers as researchers and exemplifies teacher-led research in terms of action research and classroom ethnography.