Reflective Teaching - Through the Looking Glass

Mr A uses reflective teaching to become better and better as a teacher. He uses different lenses to look at reflective teaching. By looking at reflective teaching through these different lenses, he gains a more comprehensive understanding of his own teaching practices and their impact on student learning outcomes. 

Let us look at some of these lenses.

Mr A reflects on his lessons, on his pedagogical practices, on the data and evidence to evaluate his teaching practices.

Using the personal lens involves examining your own thoughts, emotions, and actions, and the data gathered in the classroom and reflecting on how they impact your teaching practices and student learning outcomes. Teachers can reflect on their pedagogical approach and how they can better incorporate current research and best practices into their teaching. 

Mr A also reflects on his students’ assessment data and evidence and their progress. He seeks feedback from them and considers how he could modify his teaching practices to better support their learning. If he discovers that there is a learner in his class who needs adjustments and modifications, he does so.

Using the student lens involves seeking feedback from students on their learning experiences, asking them to reflect on their own learning processes, and using that feedback to improve your teaching practices. Teachers also reflect on their students' learning experiences and outcomes, and consider how they can better meet the needs of every student to help them achieve their academic goals.

Mr A reflects on team meetings and considers how he could better contribute to the discussions and support his colleagues. He also considers how he can seek their support to improve his teaching practices.

‍Using the collaborative lens involves collaborating with colleagues to reflect on teaching practices, exchanging feedback and ideas, and working together to improve teaching practices. Teachers reflect on their interactions with colleagues and how they can better collaborate with others to improve teaching practices and student outcomes.

Mr A is a 21^st century teacher and therefore, tries to make the best use of technology. He reflects on his use of online platforms for homework and considers how he could use technology to provide more personalised feedback and support for his students.

Using the technological lens involves reviewing the use of technology to improve teaching and learning. Teachers reflect on the use of technology in their teaching practices and how they can better integrate technology to support student learning outcomes. 

Mr A reflects on his teaching practices and considers how he could incorporate more culturally relevant content or modify his teaching strategies to better support his diverse learners.

Using the cultural lens involves examining your own cultural biases and assumptions, and reflecting on how they impact your teaching practices and interactions with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Teachers reflect on the impact of culture on their teaching practices and how they can better address the needs of diverse students in their classroom. 

These lenses are not mutually exclusive and can be used in combination to provide a more holistic view of reflective teaching. Teachers can reflect on their teaching practices using these lenses and can, then, use that information to make informed decisions and continuously improve their teaching practices.

If you want to dive deeper into this area of teaching and learning, please feel free to check out our course on Teacher Standards 4.