Reflective Practice
and Professional Development
ERIC Identifier: ED449120
Publication Date: 2000-10-00
Author: Ferraro, Joan M.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teacher Education Washington DC.
Reflective practice can be a beneficial process in teacher professional development, both for pre-service and in-service teachers. This digest reviews the concept, levels, techniques for, and benefits of reflective practice.
REFINING THE CONCEPT
In 1987, Donald Schon introduced the concept of reflective practice as a critical process
in refining one's artistry or craft in a specific discipline. Schon recommended reflective
practice as a way for beginners in a discipline to recognize consonance between their
own individual practices and those of successful practitioners. As defined by Schon,
reflective practice involves thoughtfully considering one's own experiences in applying
knowledge to practice while being coached by professionals in the discipline (Schon,
1996).
After the concept of reflective practice was introduced by Schon, many schools,
colleges, and departments of education began designing teacher education and
professional development programs based on this concept. As the concept grew in
popularity, some researchers cautioned that SCDEs that incorporated reflective practice
in their teacher education programs were focusing on the process of reflective practice
while sacrificing important content in teacher education (Clift et al, 1990). These
researchers recommended that reflective teaching combine John Dewey's philosophy
on the moral, situational aspects of teaching with Schon's process for a more contextual
approach to the concept of reflective practice.
More recently, Boud and Walker (1998) also noted shortcomings in the way SCDEs
were applying Schon's concept of reflective practice to teacher education. They took
issue with what they considered to be a "checklist" or "reflection on demand" mentality,
reflection processes with no link to conceptual frameworks, a failure to encourage
students to challenge teaching practices, and a need for personal disclosure that was
beyond the capacity of some young teachers. Boud and Walker suggest that these
weaknesses can be addressed when the teacher-coaches create an environment of
trust and build a context for reflection unique to every learning situation.
Reflective practice has also been defined in terms of action research. Action research,
in turn, is defined as a tool of curriculum development consisting of continuous feedback
that targets specific problems in a particular school setting (Hopkins & Antes, 1990). As
such, it has become a standard concept in teacher education programs. The teacher
educator as researcher and role model encourages students to put theories they've
learned into practice in their classrooms. The students bring reports of their field
experiences to class and analyze their teaching strategies with their mentors and
colleagues. This collaborative model of reflective practice enriches students' personal
reflections on their work and provides students with suggestions from peers on how to
refine their teaching practices (Syrjala, 1996).
LEVELS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Reflective practice is used at both the pre-service and in-service levels of teaching.
Coaching and peer involvement are two aspects of reflective practice seen most often
at the pre-service level. In a 1993 study of how student teachers develop the skills
necessary for reflective teaching during their field experiences, Ojanen explores the role
of the teacher educator as coach. Teacher educators can most effectively coach
student teachers in reflective practice by using students' personal histories, dialogue
journals, and small and large-group discussions about their experiences to help
students reflect upon and improve their practices.
Kettle and Sellars (1996) studied the development of third- year teaching students. They
analyzed the students' reflective writings and interviewed them extensively about their
reflective practices. They found that the use of peer reflective groups encouraged
student teachers to challenge existing theories and their own preconceived views of
teaching while modeling for them a collaborative style of professional development that
would be useful throughout their teaching careers.
At the level of in-service teaching, studies have shown that critical reflection upon
experience continues to be an effective technique for professional development.
Licklider's review of adult learning theory (1997) found that self-directness -- including
self-learning from experience in natural settings -- is an important component of adult
learning. Therefore, effective teacher professional development should involve more
than occasional large-group sessions; it should include activities such as study teams
and peer coaching in which teachers continuously examine their assumptions and
practices.
Serving as a coach or mentor to peers is another form of reflective practice for
in-service teachers. Uzat (1998) presents coaching as a realistic and systematic
approach to ongoing teacher improvement through focused reflection on teaching
methods. Uzat also relates the concept of coaching to self-efficacy: Teachers' beliefs
that they affect students' lives as well as the school motivate them intrinsically to grow.
INCORPORATING REFLECTION INTO PRACTICE
There are many successful techniques for investing teaching practice with reflection.
Some of these have been mentioned above, including action research. Action research
conducted in teacher education programs can be designed to engage the reflective
participation of both pre-service and in-service teachers. Rearick (1997) describes the
benefits of this activity for both groups, as well as for the teacher educator, as used in a
professional development project at the University of Hartford. In this project,
experienced teachers identified knowledge, thinking, and problem-solving techniques
and decision-making processes they used in designing instruction for language arts
curricula. Based on these discussions, a pre-service course agenda for teaching
reading and writing was developed. Students taking the course developed portfolios,
conducting their own action research in the process. These students also formed a
critical learning community, developed modes of inquiry, and shared their diverse ways
of valuing, knowing, and experiencing.
A review of current research indicates that portfolio development has become a favorite
tool used in pre-service teacher education (Antonek, et al, 1997; Hurst et al, 1998).
Portfolios encourage beginning teachers to gather in one place significant artifacts
representing their professional development. They assemble materials that document
their competencies. Portfolios include a reflective component, for when the teacher
decides which materials to include, he or she must reflect on which teaching practices
worked well and why (Hurst et al, 1998). The portfolios are modified at points
throughout a teacher's career, as the teacher continues to apply learning to practice.
Furthermore, new performance-based assessments for teachers developed by the
Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) include the use
of portfolios. These are based on the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS) model that enables teachers to demonstrate how their teaching
relates to student learning (Weiss & Weiss, 1998).
Participation in some professional development institutes can also be a way to
incorporate reflection into practice. Professional development programs need not
always focus on specific teaching methods and strategies; they can also focus on
teacher attitudes that affect practice. Wilhelm et al (1996) describe the curriculum of a
professional development institute that offers teacher interns an opportunity to explore
attitudes, develop management skills, and reflect on the ethical implications of practice
in classrooms with cultural compositions vastly different from their previous
experiences. By its nature, this kind of professional development institute causes
teachers to step back and critically reflect not only on how they teach, but also on why
they teach in a particular way.
BENEFITS OF REFLECTION IN PRACTICE
The primary benefit of reflective practice for teachers is a deeper understanding of their
own teaching style and ultimately, greater effectiveness as a teacher. Other specific
benefits noted in current literature include the validation of a teacher's ideals, beneficial
challenges to tradition, the recognition of teaching as artistry, and respect for diversity in
applying theory to classroom practice. Freidus (1997) describes a case study of one
teacher/graduate student struggling to make sense of her beliefs and practices about
what constitutes good teaching. Her initial pedagogy for teaching was based on the
traditions and practices of direct teaching. Her traditional socialization into teaching
made it difficult for her to understand that her views of good teaching were being
challenged in her practice. But the opportunity for exploration through reflective portfolio
work enabled her to acknowledge and validate what she was learning.
CONCLUSION
Research on effective teaching over the past two decades has shown that effective
practice is linked to inquiry, reflection, and continuous professional growth (Harris 1998).
Reflective practice can be a beneficial form of professional development at both
the pre-service and in-service levels of teaching. By gaining a better understanding of
their own individual teaching styles through reflective practice, teachers can improve
their effectiveness in the classroom.
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, under
contract number ED-99-CO-0007. The content of this publication does not necessarily
reflect the views of or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of
trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.
Government. ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.
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