Types and Activities for Reflective Teaching B.Ed Notes

Back to: Learning and Teaching – Unit 4

Reflective teaching is a process where teachers look back at their teaching practices and find ways how their teaching methods can be improved or changed for the better learning of students. They could find out by looking at how well students are answering in class and the results of the tests. A teacher reflects on their teaching process to learn about their practice and think if it’s working for the students’ learning process. By self-observation and self-evaluation, teachers can improve their teaching techniques. Through reflecting on one’s teaching style, teachers will be good at their job and provide an effective learning experience for the students.

Types of Reflective Teaching

Based on some of the earlier research, there are three types of reflective practice: reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action, and reflection-for-action.

Reflection-in-action

This takes place while the teacher is inside the classroom. The teacher starts observing everything as it is happening. The teacher realizes while teaching itself what is working and what is not in both the teaching and learning process.

Reflection-on-action

This takes place after the teaching session has ended. The teacher reflects on his/her teaching in the classroom and finds ways on how the teaching process can be improved.

Reflection-for-action

This too takes place after the teaching is over. But this is a more longer and critical process. In reflection-for-action, the teacher looks back at the information gathered in the classroom for improving the teaching methods to provide a satisfactory learning process to the students.

Activities for Reflective Teaching

Peer observations

Peer observations can be a helpful way for understanding one’s teaching techniques. With the help of peer observation, the teacher can understand in which aspects he/she shall improve for effective teaching in the classroom. The teacher may also request student feedback.

Record class lessons

Recording class lessons can be an effective way of analyzing one’s class lessons. The teachers can notice things that they were not aware of. This can be a helpful way of understanding one’s way of teaching.

Making notes

The teacher can make notes after every class to understand how the lessons were taught and how the students responded. This way the teacher will understand his/her strengths and weaknesses and can improve the teaching techniques.

Reflective teaching is an important concept. It can help a teacher largely in the way he/she functions in the classroom. Reflective teaching allows us to know what works best for the interest of the students. This will lead to both effective teaching and the learning process.