Reflective Teaching and Learning

The Mission of the BSC Education Department is to provide a distinctive quality program that prepares educators as a result of preparation, teaching experience and assessment. A vital part of candidate’s preparation, teaching experience and assessment includes reflective learning and teaching. Candidates reflect in and on their actions and make adaptations (Parsons and Brown, 2002) while becoming successful educators.

Freiberg (1996) defines reflective teaching and learning as “strategies that stimulate students to use experiences to discover learning for themselves…and to lead to knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes” (p. 294).

From the beginning teacher candidates at BSC are expected to become reflective teachers and learners. They are to evaluate and reflect upon their academic progress, field experiences and clinical practice. Reflection and feedback are to be incorporated into lesson plans, seminars and discussions.

When planning lessons candidates must include a portion devoted to Preservice Teacher Reflections which is to be addressed after the lesson has been taught (BSC lesson plan form.) This portion includes the following questions:

1. What went well?

2. What didn’t go quite so well?

3. What did I learn?

Following the teaching of a lesson, the candidates reflect carefully on the lesson, paying close attention to the intended plan and what was actually taught (Dantonio and Beisenherz, 2001) while answering the three questions.

Seminars, class discussions, and professor/candidate conferences during field experiences and clinical practice provide times for reflection and feedback from peers and clinical faculty which will help candidates investigate their success in teaching. Candidates need to reflect and analyze their work to become better teachers. Field experiences and clinical practice provide a time for exploring, planning and refining teaching skills (Zemelman, Daniels and Hyde, 1998).

Reflection and analyzation will encourage candidates to choose clear and specific goals and to identify changes that need to be made in their teaching. They will be urged to look at student learning as a measurement of their teaching skills. Active classroom research will be required for Elementary Education teacher candidates in ED 316 Reading Practicum, to assist in discovering needs of students and understanding of the relationship between learning and teaching (McKeachie, 1999). Hewit and Whittier (1997) encourage teachers to always reflect and to reach for a higher level of teaching, trying new teaching techniques to challenge their students. Reflective teachers and learners need to continually examine their beliefs and attitudes about teaching and incorporate them into their teaching.

References

• Dantonio, M., & Beisenherz, P. (2001). Learning to question, Questioning to learn. Needham Heights MA: Allyn & Bacon.
• Freiberg, H. J., & Driscoll, A. (1996). Universal teaching strategies. Needham Heights MA: Allyn & Bacon
• McKeachie, W.J. (1999). Teaching tips: Strategies, research and theory for college and university teachers. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
• Parsons, R.D. & Brown, K. S. (2002). Teacher as reflective practitioner and action researcher. Belmont CA: Wadsworth
• Whittier, K. S., & Hewit, J. S. (1997). Today’s schools: Collaboration and inclusion.. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
• Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (1998). Best practice: New standards for teaching and learning in America’s schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.