Reflective Teaching
In 1994 as I was taking my methods classes at Culver-Stockton College me and my classmates were in a discussion about reflective teaching and how to go about it. At this time none of us had participated in student teaching yet and were all idealists about the profession. I went on and completed my student teaching and finally graduated procurring employment at Winfield R-IV School District. During my first years of teaching I was reflective and analyzed what I did in class and tried to think of what I could do to improve the next time.
I continued looking back, as most teachers do, and tried to come up with new and inventive ways to present information. For the most part I was successful and continued to improve my content and was happy with the outcomes.
This semster I have a student teacher named Caitlin Copple from Colorado State University who is challenging me as much as I’m challenging her. I’ve had a student teacher before, but I guess I’m more serious about it this time. Everything that I have done in class for the past five days I am scrutinizing and analyzing. I am striving to be a good role model for her as well as a colleague. It’s interesting because in my 10 years of teaching, I have never analyzed why I do the things I do in my classes. I’ve never really had to explain myself, it was always simply accepted. Why is that in 10 years I’ve never really took a good hard look at my teaching other than at my content and activities? Is this a common problem in teachers? Do we simply get used to what we’re doing and not continue to look for those areas in which we can improve? I don’t know, but I know that I’m much more aware of my actions in class and that I have become a more reflective teacher in this process.
Small world. I’m a CSU grad. Go Rams! In all seriousness — I’m interesting in reading about your student teaching/self-analysis this semester — because I worry about many of the questions that you’ve asked here.
I think being a reflective teacher is probably extremely difficult to say the least. I know after student teaching for the first 2 years I had no idea of the things I was doing poorly nor did I have a well established idea of what I really wanted to do for my students.
I think after realizing this, though, I took the steps necessary to try to keep examining myself. I think this self-examination is definitely a problem.
Wow. It’s nice to see that there are teachers who have been in the profession for a number of years who still reflect upon their own teaching styles. I am a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University and will be entering the schools very soon. We have a moto in our school of education that goes along the lines of teaching tomorrows reflective educators. Knowing that there are teachers out there across the country who are able to question their methods, gives me great hope. I won’t be the only one who criticizes my own practices.