CHAPTER 4 – Reflective Teaching

OBJECTIVES

After completing this module, you should be able to:

1. Define what is reflective teaching

2. Describe the significance of reflective teaching
3. Identify the different critical reflection techniques that can be utilized in Mathematics teaching and learning
4. Design a lesson worksheet on reflective teaching in Mathematics
5. Construct processing questions for the lesson worksheet on reflective teaching in Mathematics

REFLECTIVE TEACHING AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Reflective teaching is an important concept. What might seem like busy work in educator programs actually can really
change the way you function in the classroom as a teacher. The goal of analyzing your teaching with reflection specifically allows
you to find what works best or worse in the classroom and adjust your approach. This can make you a much more effective
teacher and can help your students know that you have their best interest in mind when designing your classroom teaching
strategy. Knowing how reflective teaching can create a better learning environment for your students is the best way to
understand why you should be using these techniques.

When you are in front of the classroom teaching, the first things that come to mind are generally about how to get
through the lesson at hand or what is coming up next. However, without the student in the classroom, the teacher would not
have a reason to be there. Student-centered learning is one of the foundations of modern educational theory and practice. One of
the best methods for developing your reflective understanding is to ask for student feedback and use that information to create
better lesson plans in the future. This feedback can come from a wide variety of sources, such as the students' families or other
teachers.

When you first learned to ride a bike, you had to remember multiple steps to accomplish it. Speeding up, balancing,
stopping: each skill required a bit of reflection as you were learning, and putting it all together took a bit as well. What might
seem like one simple task to those who know how to do it is really many small complex tasks that all come together perfectly.
Teaching is more complex, but it is also a combination of many small and repetitive tasks that all come together to form a bigger
picture. Reflective teaching helps you understand how to better perform each little part to create a better future.

In a world of teaching standards based on student outcomes, being able to reflect upon your classroom activities may
seem like a luxury that most teachers do not have time for. In reality, what seems like a luxury can help you provide higher
quality educational opportunities to the young people you serve. Not only will it make you a better teacher, it will also help you
develop your students into better learners.

“Teachers are the busiest professionals on Earth”. “Teachers never

stop working”. How many times have you heard statements like those

above? I bet many times.

And how many times have you stopped to reflect upon your teaching practice? Have you ever done it? How? What was
the last time you’ve been observed? What was the last time you observed a friend?

You may think: Why so many questions? What does it all have to do with reflective teaching?

A lot has been discussed about critical thinking regarding our students learning process. What about reflecting on our
teaching process?
Have we reflected on it?

Reflective teaching is a personal tool that teachers can use to observe and evaluate the way they behave in their
classroom. It can be both a private process as well as one that you discuss with colleagues. When you collect information
regarding what went on in your classroom and take the time to analyze it from a distance, you can identify more than just what
worked and what didn’t. You will be able to look at the underlying principles and beliefs that define the way that you work. This
kind of self-awareness is a powerful ally for a teacher, especially when so much of what and how they teach can change in the
moment.

Reflective teaching is about more than just summarizing what happened in the classroom. If you spend all your time
discussing the events of the lesson, it’s possible to jump to abrupt conclusions about why things happened as they did.

Reflective teaching is a quieter and more systemic approach to looking at what happened. It requires patience, and
careful observation of the entire lesson’s experience.

According to Jack Richards, reflection or “critical reflection, refers to an activity or process in which an experience is
recalled, considered, and evaluated, usually in relation to a broader purpose. It is a response to past experience and involves
conscious recall and examination of the experience as a basis for evaluation and decision-making and as a source for planning
and action. (Richard 1990)

Bartlett (1990) points out that becoming a reflective teacher involves moving beyond a primary concern with
instructional techniques and “how to” questions and asking “what” and “why” questions that regard instructions and managerial
techniques not as ends in themselves, but as part of broader educational purposes. Asking “what and why” questions give us a
certain power over our teaching. We could claim that the degree of autonomy and responsibility we have in our work as teachers
is determined by the level of control we can exercise over our actions. In reflecting on the above kind of questions, we begin to
exercise control and open up the possibility of transforming our everyday classroom life. (Bartlett, 1990. 267)

The process of reflective teaching supports the development and maintenance of professional expertise. We can
conceptualize successive levels of expertise in teaching – those that student-teachers may attain at the beginning, middle and
end of their courses; those of the

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new teacher after their induction to full-time school life; and those of the experienced, expert teacher. Given the nature of
teaching, professional development and learning should never stop.

How does reflection take place?

Many different approaches can be employed if one wishes to become a critically reflective teacher, including
observation of oneself and others, team teaching, and exploring one’s view of teaching through writing.

DIFFERENT CRITICAL REFLECTION TECHNIQUES

• Reflective Journal

A reflective journal is a place to write down your daily reflection entries. It can be something good or bad that has
happened to you that you can self-reflect on and learn from past experiences.

A reflective journal can help you to identify important learning events that had happened in your life. The events include
your relationships, careers and personal life. By writing a reflective diary, you can find the source of your inspiration that defines
you today. A reflective journal also provides a better understanding of your thought process.

Reasons to Write a Reflective Journal

1. To understand the things that have happened.

2. To reflect on why it happened this way.
3. To align future actions with your values and lessons learned from your past experiences.
4. To share and get your thoughts and ideas out of your head.

How to Reflect Effectively

According to Schön, there are two types of reflection, one during and one after an activity or

event. Reflection In-Action

When you are thinking about or reflecting while you are in an activity, you are using reflection in-action. Some reflection

include: Experiencing

Thinking on your feet

Thinking about what to do

next Acting straight away

Reflection On-Action

You can do reflect-on-action once the activity has finished based on what you can remember about it. Step back into
the experience, explore your memory and retrieve what you can recall. Reflect and understand what has happened and draw
lessons from the experience.

• Thinking about something that has happened

• Thinking what you would do differently next time
• Taking your time

Examples to Reflect

Effectively

Before the Experience

• Think about the things that could have happened.

• What are the things that you feel might be a challenge?
• The things that you can do to prepare for these experiences.

During the Experience

• Observe what is happening at the moment, as you make a particular decision.

• Is it working out as expected? Are you dealing with the challenges well?
• Is there anything you should do, say or think to make the experience successful?

After the Experience

• Describe your thoughts immediately after, and/or later when you have more emotional distance from the event.
• Is there anything you would do differently before or during a similar event?

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 • What are the takeaways from this experience/lesson?

Use the three "W"s to write reflectively. The three "W"s are What, So What and What next.

What (Description)

Recall an event and write it down descriptively.

• What happened?
• Who was involved?

So what? (Interpretation)

Take a few minutes to reflect and interpret the event.

• What is most important / interesting / relevant / useful aspect of the event, idea or situation?
• How can it be explained?
• How is it similar to/different from others?

What's next? (Outcome)

Conclude what you can learn from the event and how you can apply it next time.

• What have I learned?

• How can it be applied in the future?

Reflective Journal Prompts

Here are the 10 writing prompts to guide you in self-reflection and self-discovery.

1. What makes you unique?

2. Name someone that means a lot to you and why?
3. Write a letter to your younger self.
4. What is something you can do to focus more on your health and well-being?
5. What makes you feel at peace?
6. List 10 things that make you smile.
7. What does it mean to live authentically?
8. What is your favourite animal, and why?
9. How do you maintain your physical/mental health? What can you do to improve the methods of recovery?
10. List the things that you want to achieve this week.

• Learning Log

Learning Logs are like diaries students keep that record their reflections about what they are learning and how they are
going about learning it. Learning Logs are useful because they promote metacognition. They are also useful tools for teachers
because they can reveal students' perceptions (and misperceptions) of the information, as well as reveal how they are reacting
to the way the material is being taught. You will probably find that students respond best to Learning Log activities when
provided some structure. For example, you can provide a set of “guiding questions” that students can select from and respond
to. If you decide to allow students to select from a list of questions, be sure to limit the number of options from which students
may choose. Often, providing students with too many questions to choose is counterproductive. Some students feel overwhelmed
by a list that is too long and spend much of their time deciding which of the questions to answer. Likewise, human nature being
what it is, some students will select only those questions that require minimal effort. Ultimately, what you want is for students to
think deeply and grapple a little, so it is important to include some questions that require such an effort. Often the best format of
Learning Log questions is to:

Provide a limited number of questions from which students may choose to respond. -AND- Provide a few questions that
students are required to respond. Below are examples of two different Learning Logs.

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 The first is designed to facilitate students’ reflection about their understanding and learning of the content subject. The
second addresses students' perceptions of a learning strategy they have been learning.

Listed below are a variety of Learning Log questions you may wish to

pose: Sample Learning Log questions about

Learning the Content

• What are you thirsting to learn? Why?

• What connections did you make between today’s lesson and your own personal experiences?
• What was an idea/ experience that came up today that you think should be “trashed”? Why?
• What was the most important thing you learned today? Why was it important?
• How was it the same as or different from what you already knew?
• What was the CORE IDEA of the whole lesson? What makes it “core”?
• How did it relate to what you already know?
• How does the core idea of the lesson relate to our class theme of ?
• What were some general things you learned today? specific things?
• How were they the same as or different from what you already know?
• What were some reactions you had to the information we addressed today (e.g., surprises, conflicts, regrets? joys? etc.)?

Sample Learning Log questions about...

Habits of the Mind adapted from Marizano

• What did you notice about your thinking when working on?
• When did you notice others thinking about their thinking?
• How did you go about planning?
• When did you realize that you could use other resources to help solve?
• When did you realize that you needed other resources?
• How did you go about evaluating ? What did you focus on when evaluating? What evidence can you offer that shows
your commitment
to being accurate? seeking accuracy?
• What evidence can you offer that shows your commitment to being clear? seeking clarity?
• What evidence can you offer that shows stick-to-it-ness (persistence) even when the task was hard or unclear?
• When did you want to give up? What did you do to prevent it?
• How did others’ ideas differ from yours? How were differences discussed/addressed?
• What did you say to yourself today about yourself that was positive? negative?

Sample Learning Log questions about

Collaborating

• What did you notice about how well your group collaborated?
• When one of the members of your group seemed to dominate or take over, what happened? What could have happened
instead?
• Did you offer assistance (or receive an offer of assistance) to another student? How did this make you feel?
• What would have been a good time to offer assistance to someone? Did you offer encouragement to or
compliment (or receive encouragement or compliment) another student?
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 • Which of the members of your group need more encouragement? How well are the member of your group listening with
interrupting?
• When someone interrupts, what would be the best way to handle it?
• When everyone is not doing his or her share in your group, what happens to the process? What could you do to help
everyone do his or her share?
• For each member of your group, identify at least one talent this person has that would be valuable to the group. How is
each valuable?
• What evidence can you offer that shows you respect differing opinions?
• What evidence can you offer that shows you recognize and celebrate others' successes? Why is this important to do?
• What evidence can you offer that your group built a consensus when making a key decision?
• Was there a time when someone in your group provided someone else in the group negative feedback? How well was it
provided?
• How could the person providing the feedback do it better?
• How might the person receiving the feedback receive it better? What evidence can you offer that shows that you
are committed to peacefully resolving conflicts?

Teaching Tips

Step 1: Teach the core ideas and supporting points of the lesson.

Step 2: Provide students with a set of Learning Log questions. It is often best to provide a limited selection of questions from
which students are to select for responses and also provide some questions that all students are required to respond to.

Step 3: Provide sufficient time for students to reflect and note responses. In lieu of traditional homework focused at learning
additional content, you may wish to assign writing in Learning Logs as homework.

Common Questions about Learning Logs

• How do less capable writers use Learning Logs? Students who are poor or extremely reluctant to write are often
mistakenly characterized as poor thinkers. You may find that some reluctant writers, they are willing to note ideas in a
Learning Log because they are sharing personal perceptions. Regardless of how motivated some students may be to
write in Learning Logs, some simply lack the writing skills. These students can attain many of the same advantages by
having them communicate their reflections concerning each of the Learning Log questions into a tape recorder.
• Should students’ Learning Logs be shared with other students? Occasionally, students will note powerful insights that
you may want to share with other students to help make a point. ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION of the author before sharing
the student’s response. If conducting a group activity after students have written in their logs, you can ask open-ended
questions and allow students to volunteer to share their responses. Calling on specific students in not a good idea.
• Should the teacher read students’ Learning Logs? Ultimately, this is an individual decision that each teacher must make.
A key advantage of reading students Logs is that they provide valuable insight into what students are thinking about
their learning. If you decide to read students’ Logs, INFORM THEM PRIOR to their writing in the journals that you plan to
read their responses.
• Learning Journal

A learning journal is a collection of notes, observations, thoughts and other relevant materials built-up over a period of time
and usually accompanies a period of study, a placement experience or fieldwork. Its purpose is to enhance your learning through
the very process of writing and thinking about your learning experiences. Your learning journal is personal to you and will reflect
your personality and experiences.
A learning journal may be called several different things: a learning log, a fieldwork diary or personal development planner,
for example. Different subject areas may ask you to focus on different aspects of your experiences and may also have a different
format. A journal could be a notebook, an electronic document or sometimes can be recorded verbally on a tape. You will need to
check which format is required with your module tutor.

Why use a learning journal:

 To provide a ‘live picture’ of your growing understanding of a subject or experience
 To demonstrate how your learning is developing
 To keep a record of your thoughts and ideas throughout your experiences of learning
 To help you identify your strengths, weaknesses and preferences in learning

Essentially, a learning journal helps you to be reflective about your learning, this means that your learning journal should not
be a purely descriptive account of what you did etc. but an opportunity to communicate your thinking process: how and why you
did what you did, and what you now think about what
you did.

Content of your learning journal

A learning journal should focus on your own personal responses, reactions and reflections to new ideas or new ways of
thinking about a subject that have been introduced to you through:
 Lectures, seminars and workshops
 Research and reading including any visual research: e.g. television, film etc.
 Conversations and discussions with other students or tutors
 Significant experiences that have happened in the work place, on placements or field trips

What should you write about?

The most important thing is to make time for your writing – regularly set aside some time to think, and then write down your
thoughts. Try to focus on using the journal to help you to communicate:
 What you think about issues raised on your course/ placement etc
 Any flashes of inspiration you have had
 What you understand so far
 What you find puzzling, difficult or contradictory
 How you can reach a better understanding of the above
 What do you need to know more about, and how can you go about finding out more?
 What resources have helped you to understand and/or been interesting to use?
 How do you feel about the way you have approached the issue/topic so far?
 What new knowledge, skills or understanding have you gained during the process of writing your learning journal?
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 Finally, writing a learning journal gives you the opportunity to consider the following issues regarding your long-term
development:
 Have you changed your opinions or values during the process/experience?
 How can you improve your learning, thinking and working in the future?
 Have you identified the next step(s) for your further
development?

Types of Learning Journals That Help Students Think the function of something they’ve just learned–the
revision stage of the writing process, for example.
1. Question Journal: This type of journal is focused on
inquiry– the asking and refinement of questions. They can In a Visualization Journal, a student would create a
be answered or merely ‘wondered about.’ The big idea here visual metaphor or analogy about how the revision stage
is students asking and improving their own questions. The functions–what it ‘does.’ One response might be
QFT Strategy could be useful here. students drawing construction

2. Metacognitive Journal: A journal focused 6

on thinking about thinking. In a Metacognitive
Journal, students are writing about their thinking–
their tendencies, changes in their thinking over
time, cognitive blind spots, etc.

3. Change Journal: All learning should result in personal

and social change. Similar to the ‘change in thinking’ topic
in the Metacognitive Journal listened above, a ‘Change
Journal’ frames the writing for learning in terms of, well,
change.

How has their knowledge changed after a lesson or

project– how it is now more complete or useful, for example.
Change in their own behavior as the result of their learning
is another possible approach. That is, how is or should their
own inclinations or skills or general potential different post-
discussion/lesson/project/unit. Writers can also reflect on
how other knowledge (about other topics, for example) as
changed after encountering new data or ‘finishing’ a
learning experience of some kind.

4. Connecting Journal: A learning journal that frames

writing through the connections between things. For
example, in science this could be writing about how new
knowledge about the scientific process connects to old
perceptions. Or, less abstractly, learners could simply write
about how the scientific process connects to data, business,
technology, or science itself at large.

A Connecting Journal, more than anything else, requires

writers to make, focus on, or otherwise frame their thinking
through connections. In this way, it pairs well with a ‘Sketch
Note’ Journal, which would allow students to make those
connections through prose as well as drawings or concept
maps.

5. Transfer Journal: A journal that focuses on

learners transferring their learning–to new and
unfamiliar circumstances in the strictest sense. If a
student learns about migration in social studies, a
Transfer Journal would allow them to consider how
that knowledge might be used, or how it might
transfer to current events, for example.

It could also focus on transfer from within the

classroom to outside the classroom, making explicit the
learner’s application of academic and content knowledge in
their own lives.

6. ‘I wonder…’ Journal: A learning journal similar to the

Question Journal, the ‘I wonder…’ journal would likely
feature less detailed and more imaginative entries based on
student wondering and musing.

‘I wonder…if Pythagoras based his theory on something

he had recently learned himself?’

‘I wonder…if literary symbolism is what makes hip-hop

so powerful, or if it’s more word play and ‘sounds?’

‘I wonder…how often Tesla shocked himself?’

7. ‘I notice/I think…’ Journal:

8. Visualization Journal: A type of learning

journal that promoted acute and specific
visualization of learning, knowledge, etc. This
could be students creating visual metaphors for
workers renovating a building–changing drywall or painting
the outside of a home a new color. This would distinguish it
from the editing stage of the writing process, which includes
more minor changes often based on language conventions.
A suitable visualization for editing might be someone
redecorating a room.

9. Doodle Journal: A type of learning journal that is

similar to ‘I wonder…’ in its disarming form. Here, students
merely doodle about their learning/learning experience,
with no requirement other than being able to explain why
they drew what they drew. This can be useful for hesitant
writers who also believe they ‘can’t draw.’

Anyone can doodle.

10. Concept/Example Journal: A type of learning journal

that promotes thinking through concepts (abstract) or
thinking through examples (concrete). Learning about
gravity in science class? Learners can write about gravity as
a kind of concept, especially in relation to other concepts–
momentum or centrifugal force, for example. (This is similar
to the Connection Journal.)

But they can also simply write about examples of

gravity, which is more visible, immediate, and ‘easier’ for
learners with emerging knowledge.

11. 5 Ws Journal: A journal framed through the iconic 5

Ws: Who/What/Where/Why/When

Civil Rights? Who was for and against Civil Rights?

What was the most impactful event in this history of the
Civil Rights era in the United States? Where in the world
today is Civil Rights a critical issue? And so on.

Students can combine this approach with the Question

Journal and focus on asking the questions, or consider the ‘I
wonder…’ approach and ‘wonder’ about possible responses
to ‘5 W questions’ the teacher creates–and do so without
the worry of being ‘wrong,’ which makes learning journals
fantastic assessment tools.

12.Private Journal: A type of learning journal private

only to the student, and only requiring that the student
writing something about learning. It can be about their own
experience learning, or their confidence or other emotion
before/during/after the lesson.

13: Digital Journal: Any of the above, but stored

digitally. This doesn’t have to be ‘published,’ either. There
is a strong push for all student work to ‘leave the building,’
but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Much of
learning–especially reflections and journaling–is necessarily
private. Whether you and the students decide that the
learning should be published or not, you can still take
advantage of digital tools to store, organize, share
privately, and curate learning to write activities from any
type of learning journal.

ACTIVITY

Develop a Lesson Plan employing any of the

critical reflection techniques.

REFENCES:

https://degree.astate.edu/articles/k-12-education/reflective-
teaching- help-students.aspx#:~:text=Reflective
%20teaching%20helps%20you
%20understand,do%20not%20have%20time%20for.

https://www.richmondshare.com.br/what-is-reflective-
teaching-and- why-is-it-important/

https://www.troup.org/userfiles/929/My%20Files/Instructional
%20Strategies/learning_log_sample1.pdf?id=14724

https://www2.worc.ac.uk/studyskills/documents/
Learning_Journals_2016.pdf

https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/20-types-of-learning-
journals- that-help-students-think/