Reflective teaching is a process whereby teachers reflect on their teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of their instructive approaches. It involves examining ones underlying beliefs about teaching and learning and ones alignment with actual classroom practice before, during, and after a course is taught. Reflective teaching is a continual practice that supports effective and student-centered teaching.
When teaching reflectively, instructors think critically about their teaching and look for evidence of effective teaching. This critical analysis can draw on a variety of sources, such as students eyes, colleagues perceptions, personal experience, and theory and research. Instructors can use various tools and methods to learn from these sources and reflect on their teaching, ranging from low-key to formal and personal to inter-collegial. For example, reflective teaching may include self-assessment, classroom observations, consideration of student evaluations, or exploration of educational research.
Reflective teaching allows teachers to critically evaluate their classroom management strategies and their impact on student behavior and well-being. It helps teachers become more aware of not only what they are teaching, but also why and how they are going about their teaching (methods and approach) . Reflective practice develops teachers ability to understand how their students learn and the best ways to teach them. By reflecting on their teaching, teachers identify any barriers to learning that their students have and create lessons which reteach any content which their students have not been able to access to allow them to overcome any obstacles and develop.
In summary, reflective teaching is a process that involves examining ones teaching practices to evaluate their effectiveness and make improvements. It is a continual practice that supports effective and student-centered teaching. Reflective teaching can involve a variety of tools and methods, such as self-assessment, classroom observations, and consideration of student evaluations. It helps teachers become more aware of their teaching methods and how they can improve them to better support student learning.
