ATTITUDES AND

REFLECTION

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
FREEMAN’S MODEL OF TEACHING

knowledge skills attitudes

LANGUAGE TEACHING
= process of decision
making
ATTITUDE

Stance towards
 oneself
 the activity of teaching
 the learners in the teaching / learning
process
ATTITUDE

Em
ot
External pe ions
rc , f
events e
SH pti eeli
AP on ng
E s s,

ATTITUDE

DE
te TER
ac M
h IN
an er b ES
d eh ho
ac av w External
ts es
event
ATTITUDE

 Influences how well a teacher functions in a

particular situation
 Accounts for differential performance
(strengths and weaknesses)
 Distinguishes the ‘good’ from the
‘mediocre’ teacher

 ATTITUDE < > AWARENESS

WHAT IS REFLECTION?

One day a young girl was watching her mother cooking a roast of beef.
Just before the mother put the roast in the pot, she cut a slice off the
end. The ever observant daughter asked her mother why she had done
that, and the mother responded that her grandmother had always done
it. Later that same afternoon, the mother was curious, so she called her
mother and asked her the same question. Her mother, the child's
grandmother, said that in her day she had to trim the roasts because
they were usually too big for a regular pot.

Teaching without any reflection can lead to "...cutting the slice

off the roast."
WHAT IS REFLECTION?

Copeland, et al (1993) defined reflection as:

"Critical reflection involves thinking and

problem solving. Problem-solving is a process
in which capable individuals attempt to make
sense of a challenging situation, identify areas
of practice needing scrutiny, define goals for
improvement, and pursue actions to
accomplish them. The end result of problem
solving is the reconstruction of knowledge.“
WHAT EXPERTS SAY

Valli (1997) observed that reflective

teachers “can look on events, make
judgements about them, and alter
their teaching behaviours”. Teachers
who do not bother to reflect on their
work can become slaves to routine
and are powerless to influence their
future careers.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

 According to Farrell (2004), teachers

dedicated to understand their practice and
growing professionally should
 Reflect on their theories, values, and beliefs
about teaching
 Define what learning means to them
 Examine how their students learn and what
enhances this learning or inhibits it
 Examine their teaching and their classrooms by
monitoring themselves while teaching and
interacting with students, colleagues,
supervisors, and administrators
 Engage in conversations with other teachers
about theories, methods, and approaches to
teaching and other influences on their practice
 Read what others have said about various
aspects of teaching
 Farrell (2004) suggests that teachers
engage in activities that facilitate
reflection. These activities include
group discussions, classroom
observations, journal writing and
creating teaching portfolios.
WHAT IS REFLECTION?

Schön (1987) identifies three types of

reflection:
 reflection-in-action (thinking on your feet)

 reflection-on-action (retrospective thinking)

 reflection-for-action (is the desired outcome

of the previous two)
WHAT TO REFLECT ON?

 effectiveness of the action

 weaknesses and strengths
 important issues
 constraints and limitations
 insights
 follow-up actions
ATTRITUBES OF HIGH-QUALITY
REFLECTIONS

 A brief description of what the reflection is

based on
 The learning processes are identified and
elaborated on
 Specific strengths and weaknesses are
acknowledged and explained
 important issues
 Specific strategies or goals are identified to
promote future growth
PROMPTS FOR REFLECTING

 What have I done? (list the activities)

 Which activities were most useful for
me?
 Which activities were not so useful for
me?
 Did I participate in the activity?
 Did I work well with my group?
 What did I learn?
 What problems did I have?
PROMPTS FOR REFLECTING?

 Learning Activity Completed:

______________________________
Think about the learning activities you have just
completed. Refer to this list of topics when
writing your reflection:
 A summary of information you have learned

about the topic

 Individual strengths

 Areas for growth

 Goals for improvement

 Personal feelings/emotions about your learning

 Methods that help you learn best

PROMPTS FOR REFLECTING

 What are the two / three most

important insights that come to you
as a result of your carrying out
activities in today’s session?
 Given a chance, how would you carry
out the same activity differently?
 John Dewey (1958), “We do not
learn from experience. We learn
from reflection on experience”.
 This means that experience itself is
not the “greatest teacher,” for we do
not learn as much from experience as
we learn from reflecting on that
experience.