TEACHER’S GUIDED INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE FOR REFLECTIVE THINKING METHOD CONSISTING OF THE FOUR REFLECTIVE THINKING STAGES
Abstract
Observation, communication, teamwork, judgment, and decision making are important reflective thinking skills that teachers must learn if they want to be reflective thinkers. To assess teachers’ reflective thinking skills, this paper proposes two instruments:
the Reflective Thinking Open-Ended Questionnaire and the Interview Questionnaire. The Reflective Thinking Open-Ended Questionnaire allows teachers to answer the questions in their own words, explaining the meaning of reflective thinking and identifying any gaps between teachers’ reflective thinking skills and the reflective thinking skills that they require in their classroom instruction.
The Interview Questionnaire is used to gain a thorough understanding of the skills that teachers employ in their classrooms. Measuring teachers’ reflective thinking skills with these instruments aids in identifying teachers’ reflective thinking strengths and weaknesses as well as ways to improve their reflective thinking.
1. introductory paragraph
Educational reform promotes learning environments that encourage meaningful learning rather than rote learning, as well as a different perspective on teaching and learning as methods of supporting learning and teaching. One of these reform efforts is to develop reflective teachers about teaching and learning (Lowery, 2003).
In fact, teachers must learn how to engage in reflective practice, conduct on-the-job research, and work in a variety of settings (Duthilleul, 2005).
Reflective teacher education is a different approach to teacher preparation and in-service professional development (Dewey, 1933; Cruickshank, 1985; Schn, 1987; Sparks-Langer and Colton, 1991; Mok, 1994; Farrell, 2001). The primary goal of reflective teacher education is to help teachers understand why they use certain instructional
strategies and how they can improve their teaching to benefit students. It appears to be critical that teachers have the competencies, abilities, knowledge, and skills required to carry out the teaching process effectively and efficiently (Rosenberg, Sindela, and Hardman, 2004).
Teachers’ learning must be about their practice, built on experiences derived from their practice, and thus the learning of experience followed by reflection (Harrison et al., 2006). Teaching, according to Donald et al. (2006), is a complex activity that necessitates teachers thinking about or reflecting on what they do.
Reflecting on teaching can help good teachers become even more effective.
Teacher reflection, according to this viewpoint, promotes critical approaches to one’s teaching and, as a result, leads to better practice (Oser et al., 1992; Artzt and Armour-Thomas, 2001; Mayes, 2001; Swain, 1998). Reflection is frequently described as a process of self-examination and self-evaluation that teachers should engage in on a regular basis in order to interpret and improve their professional practices (Husu, Toom, and Patrikainen, 2006).
According to Danielson (1996), reflection is an activity or process in which an experience is recalled, considered, and evaluated, usually in relation to a larger purpose. It is a reaction to previous experience and entails conscious recall and examination of the experience as a basis for evaluation and decision-making, as well as a source of planning and action. Teachers gain experience and become more discerning, allowing them to evaluate both their successes and their mistakes.
Reflection is one of the modes of thought identified by Dewey (1933) as “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in light of the grounds that support it and the future conclusions to which it tends.” (Page 7) Schn (1987) established the concept of “reflective thinking” as an important theme in teacher education.
Reflective thinking, as a popular term in teacher education, is a mode of thinking that is used in tandem with modes of thinking such as metacognition, critical thinking, analytical thinking, and creative thinking in modern education approaches during the educational process (Gurol, 2011).
The most important distinction between reflective thinking and other types of thinking is that it presents as a solution interpreting, deferring, translating, arrogating to the individual, comprehending the issues discussed in school, and making predictions for the future.
According to Dymoke and Harrison (2008), the five core competent thoughts are observation, communication, judgement, decision making, and teamwork. All five reflective thinking skills are important professional skills that can be applied at all stages of teacher learning, including initial teacher education. Teachers can improve their reflective thinking skills through interaction such as a dialogue journal, purposeful discussions, and teaching portfolios (Cruickshank et al., 2006).
Teachers’ reflective thinking tools, such as recording, writing, drawing, photography, a learning journal, a portfolio, a lesson plan, co-teaching, collaborative practitioner enquiry, and action research, can be used to help teachers improve their reflective thinking skills (Dymoke and Harrison, 2008).
The first section of this paper discusses five teachers’ reflective thinking skills: observation, communication, judgment, decision making, and teamwork. Then, methods of measuring that teach reflective thinking skills are proposed. (More on this later.)
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