Reflective Practice for teachers...

…the how and the why.

Hello all. Welcome to the 154th edition of TEPS Weekly!

It is the weekly teachers' meeting at Buds International School. The agenda for the day is ‘Reflective Practice – What is it and how do we do it?’ The academic coordinator begins with a simple question: “How many of you reflected on your teaching this week?” Teachers respond:“I always think about my classes on my way home.”"If a lesson has not gone well, I think of that lesson in detail." “I don’t get time to write long reflections. After six periods, I am exhausted.” "Reflecting is for those who are new to teaching; I have enough experience." 

The room slowly fills with small conversations. The coordinator pauses and writes two words on the board: Thinking and Reflecting. “Are they the same thing?” A few teachers say, “Yes, reflecting involves thinking.” Others look unsure. The coordinator explains, “Thinking about a class is natural. We all do it. But reflection is different. It is structured, intentional and leads to action.” She then invites a volunteer to share a classroom experience. Mr. Abdul, a Grade 4 science teacher, shares what happened in his classes:

I had to teach Section A in the first period and Section B in the second period. The topic was “States of Matter” (solid, liquid, gas). Since the basic ideas were taught the previous day, I planned a simple group activity. I divided the students into groups and gave each group three items: a stone, a glass of water, and a balloon filled with air. I asked them to observe, discuss and answer the questions in the given worksheet.

In Section A, the activity went well. Students observed, touched the items, discussed and filled in the worksheet correctly. 

In Section B, a few argued about the answers, some waited for me to come and tell them the answers, many students kept asking the same question again and again, “Sir, what should we write?” and the classroom kept getting louder. By the end of the period, I felt frustrated and rushed, so I wrote the answers on the board because time was running out.

“What are you reflecting on from the classroom experience?” the coordinator asks.

“Section B class didn’t go well. Students were not attentive,” Abdul explains. 

“Okay. Now let's reflect on the same scenario together based on the Gibbs Reflective Cycle. It is a simple, structured model for thinking about an experience so you can learn from it and improve next time. Here are some guiding questions based on the Gibbs Reflective Cycle. Fill the table using 1 or 2 short phrases/sentences,” the coordinator responds.

Guiding Question	Response
What happened?	Topic: States of Matter Activity: Group work Activity Outcome:  Section  A – completed Section B - not completed, many got stuck
How did I feel?  How did students feel?	I felt: Happy and satisfied in Section A. I felt: Frustrated and rushed in Section B. Students felt: Section A - confident Students felt: Section B - confused
What worked? Why?	Materials were ready to use because I planned them in advance for both sections. Section A: Classroom management was good because my instructions were clear to them. Completed the task because I created the activity at their level of understanding.
What didn’t work? Why?	Section B: Was confused about what to do because my instructions were not clear to them. Group activity didn’t work well because I didn’t modify it to the students’ level.
What did I learn?	The learning level of Section A is different from B. Activities should be modified according to the students’ learning level.  Clear instructions should be given before starting any activity. Classroom routines are helpful in classroom management.
What will I do next time?	Section B: I will reteach with more examples because students need more support.  I will set classroom routines. I will make sure instructions are clearly conveyed.

Wouldn’t this kind of structured quick reflection help teachers? YES, because it makes teachers reflect on what the actual problems are and take action to address them. While writing the response: 

• Focus more on ‘I’: It helps to improve self-awareness (teaching style, assumptions, strengths, areas to improve, etc).

• Add reasoning - ‘because’: It helps to analyse and identify likely reasons (gap in planning, time, task difficulty etc).

• Add clear next action - ‘I will’: It helps to improve procedural knowledge (clear instructions, well-structured activity, scaffolding, etc).

• Don’t blame yourselves or students. The goal is to grow, not to punish yourself or students. 

What reflection is NOT – and what it is…

• Not a random process but a systematic, purposeful, cyclical process: Teachers think of what happened in class, pause to understand why it happened, decide what needs to improve, try one small change in the next lesson, and then reflect again on how it went. Over time, this repeated cycle improves teaching in action.

• Not ‘once and done’ but a regular practice: Reflection is not effective if teachers only do it after a challenging class. It should become a habit. Small, regular reflections are more powerful than one long reflection done once in a while.

• Not just thinking but questioning, analysing and taking action: Simply thinking “The class was good” or “The class was bad” is not a reflection. Real reflection means asking why, analysing the reasons and deciding what to do differently next time.

• Not only for beginner teachers but for everyone who wants to improve: Beginner teachers can make use of reflection to build effective teaching habits, and experienced teachers can use it to improve what they already do.

• Not something that happens only after class but also during class:  Reflection does not always need to wait until the end of the day. Sometimes it happens in the moment. E.g. When you notice confusion on students’ faces while teaching, pause and think – why is this happening, what can I do to fix it, and then do it. This is reflection in action, because you are not just thinking, but also reflecting on how to improve the teaching.

• Not lengthy writing but clear and focused thinking: Reflective notes do not need to be long. Write only what is necessary. Avoid extra details that are not useful. Too much writing can make the process tiring and time-consuming. 

• Not only about mistakes but also about strengths: Do not focus only on what went wrong. Notice what worked well too. Reflection is for strengthening your good practices while improving your weak areas. 

• Not limited to one topic but improving the entire teaching process: Reflection does not improve just one lesson or one chapter. It strengthens your planning, instruction, classroom management and overall teaching practice.

Below is the template that you can use for your reflections. Add the correct date each time and continue using the same format throughout the year. Keeping all your reflections in one place will help you notice patterns and track your growth over time.

Reflective practice helps in taking responsibility for our own practice. The goal is not perfect teaching the next day, but better teaching than the day before. The Gibbs Reflective Cycle provides a structure to think through ‘what happened’ to ‘what can be changed next time.’ It helps teachers take control of their practice and make immediate positive changes in planning, instructions, routines, and teaching.

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Edition: 5.09