reflective writing about teaching

reflective writing about teaching

Reflective Writing about Teaching

1. Introduction

Though the title of this essay is “Reflective Writing About Teaching,” it is not just about writing a personal account of teaching experiences. It is an account of professional development, an effort to make sense of teaching practice in order to improve it. The act of reflection is not new. It is an ancient art, and it can be seen as a form of meditation. In western religious and spiritual traditions, prayer and meditation often involve taking time away from the hustle and bustle of life in order to think deeply or ponder about issues. It can also be a structured activity, where an individual aims to make better sense of an event and plan action as a result. This is not different from the reflective essay, which expects the writer to think carefully and deeply about an experience in order to learn and plan future actions. Reflection was a time-consuming activity that required pulling out a pen and paper and jotting down thoughts, or often engaging in a protracted inner dialogue. However, in the fast-paced world of today, few are willing to make time for reflection when there are so many other pressing matters. With the advent of the computer, writing has become an increasingly fragmented activity, as it is not unusual to be writing several pieces at once and/or writing an intermittent piece in several sittings. Though the mental processes of reflection still remain much the same, the issue of finding/making time is more pressing and harder. Writing is about making thoughts visible. Before writing could take place, there was often much internal verbal exchange or dialogue as the writer sought to articulate thoughts. This can still occur, yet, with the expectation that writing will eventually follow, which is not always the case. Reflection too is about making thoughts visible. Yet the fragmentation of writing means that reflection may not always occur, as thoughts are left incomplete or abandoned as a new task or role is undertaken.

2. Challenges Faced in Teaching

Classroom behavior and management is an age-old issue and is constantly identified as one of the primary issues faced by teachers. In a study done in the UK, Sutton, Utting, and Costain identified three main behavior problems experienced by teachers: demotivated students, low-level disruption, and aggressive behavior. A factor that has become increasingly more apparent in today’s society is the classroom environment being challenged by the issues children face outside of school. This is more commonly known as the “disengaged student”. Low-level disruption is among the most frustrating of issues. An example often quoted is that of a dripping tap, with the potential to cause much stress and anger relative to its actual sound. These smaller misbehaviors are seen by some as a milder problem but still impact greatly on tolerance and patience. With a vain attempt to gain back control, some teachers may wrongly resort to shouting to assert their position of authority. This often results in an aggressive reaction, with both student and teacher later regretting their behavior. Aware of the tough task to maintain authority, teachers often become demotivated themselves, and this cyclical pattern only causes detriment to the morale of students and teachers. The aggression and negative behavior seen as a result of student frustration is another issue altogether and can be even harder to manage. Often feeling ill-equipped, student welfare and behavior management merge as an important but difficult-to-manage issue for teachers.

Diverse classrooms bring many opportunities for learning and also many challenges. As this is inevitably a fact, teachers deal with the challenges on a day-to-day basis. An unwanted variable, however, is the disadvantage in the community which is reflected in the school. “Students who join schools from disadvantaged communities frequently face a double jeopardy. Not only are they far more likely to experience educational failure, but their teachers are more likely to hold negative stereotypes about their ability and prospects” (Thomson et al., 2005, p.96). This is an inequality that every teacher wants to try to overcome because it is not fair to these students. Easier said than done, of course. Trying to break this preconception is one of the biggest challenges in teaching. We strive to provide an equal opportunity of quality education for all students.

3. Strategies for Effective Teaching

A key to promoting reflection about the content is to be willing to engage students in discussion of the material and related real-world events. A teacher can use many techniques to encourage discussion such as asking open-ended questions as opposed to yes/no questions and requesting more than one student to answer the questions. It can sometimes be difficult to initiate a discussion with students, and even when students have something to say, they may be reluctant to share. One technique to encourage student discussion is role playing. This can be an effective method to encourage students to express their thoughts and feelings about a given topic. If the teacher is participating in discussion with the students, it is important to try and remain a neutral party in order to facilitate a free flow of conversation between students. If a teacher has strong opinions about certain topics, it may be beneficial to keep these opinions private to avoid any biased influence on the students.

Create an effective climate for learning. The first few weeks of the course should be utilized to create a supportive learning environment in which students feel comfortable. The tasks of the first few classes are crucial to the development of the successful learning environment. Students need to learn what is expected of them in the course and what they can expect from the teacher. It is the teacher’s responsibility to clearly communicate this information. This can be achieved in a number of ways including the development of a course outline which is handed out to students. The teacher can also develop a list of student and teacher responsibilities which can be displayed in the classroom. This can be referred back to at any time during the course to ensure the class is moving towards a successful learning environment. All of these topics can be discussed further with the students to receive feedback and make changes to any of the outlines. It is also important for the teacher to convey their enthusiasm for the subject matter and genuine interest in the success of the students. With the creation of a supportive learning environment, the teacher is guaranteed to make teaching and learning more effective for both students and themselves.

4. Personal Growth and Development as a Teacher

The beginnings of a teacher’s personal growth and development are usually initiated by her experiences when learning to teach. As she learns to teach, a teacher will undergo a continual cycle of growth. As a result of this cycle, a teacher will often experience a range of emotions which are linked to her personal growth and development. Pinsker (1987) claimed that the emotions associated with personal growth and development are often negative because they involve discarding old conceptions and acquiring new ones. It is through this process of discarding and acquisition that new teachers begin to refine their teaching skills and expertise. The journey of personal growth and development is ongoing and is never complete. The more a teacher teaches, the more experiences she will face that will either affirm or change her conceptions about teaching and learning. These experiences could be linked to anything and occur anywhere and as a teacher reflects upon them, her thinking will evolve and take a new direction. An example is Ms A, who had been teaching lower primary classes for the past 10 years. She recently embarked on teaching upper primary classes and through this experience, she faced a series of classroom management issues. This led her to rethink and change her conceptions about classroom management strategies and tactics. Although she cites the experience as stressful and frustrating, she acknowledges that it has caused a change in her thinking and helped her learn something new about classroom management and has made her a better teacher.

5. Conclusion

Teacher education, in recent years, has recognized the importance of reflective practice to assist teachers in developing more intellectually challenging forms of teaching, essential to improving student learning. This book addresses current issues and trends in the use of reflective practice. It provides a well-balanced overview of reflective practice and how it can assist teachers at various points in their career over a wide range of teaching, learning, and professional knowledge goals. Over the ten chapters, the complexities of reflective practice are unraveled and discussed. The book demonstrates that reflection is pivotal to improving student learning and demystifies the myth that reflective practice is not only feasible for teachers during pre-service but that it should continue through all phases of a teacher’s career. Each chapter has provided numerous strategies and techniques for teachers to get started into reflective practice, ensuring that the information is not based on mere theory but has practical implications for the improvement of teaching and learning.