If you enroll in the online Master of Science in Education (MSE) in Educational Theory and Practice program from Arkansas State University (A-State), you will learn to integrate theory and research into educational practice in a wide variety of fields and settings. Program studies cover evidence-based teaching strategies that can enhance your effectiveness in numerous instructional environments.
Teaching is a very intricate and engaging task. Being a teacher often means you will have to plan and implement curriculum while also keeping up with students, co-workers and parents. Improving your teaching skills and learning how to manage students are crucial to becoming a great teacher. You can often use many different resources as guides to learn from.
However, you can also enhance your teaching skills by practicing reflective teaching. In fact, A-State’s educational theory and practice master’s program devotes an advanced course to reflective teaching, providing educators with key skills needed to pursue National Board Certification. Read on to learn more about this critical teaching practice.
What Is Reflective Practice in Teaching?
Reflective teaching is a practice that involves learning to become a more engaging teacher by reflecting on your environment. It is an ongoing, iterative process of self-observation and self-evaluation, with the intent of continuous learning and improvement.
Essentially, being able to reflect on what works well and what falls short in the classroom can help you improve as a teacher. Reflective teaching practices include being able to learn from your students, co-workers and yourself.
The Importance of Student Feedback for Reflective Practice in Education
Many teachers support their own reflective practice by getting feedback from students. It may be as simple as asking students about their thoughts on a lesson, or as elaborate as sending out surveys to parents and students to elicit in-depth feedback.
Research suggests that supporting teachers in interpreting student feedback and encouraging active discussion of that feedback with students can increase teaching quality. This type of feedback offers useful insight and perspective regarding what you need to improve on and what you are already doing well.
Exploring Other Reflective Teaching Strategies
Another way to practice reflective teaching is to keep track of your day in class. Some teachers write down thoughts in a notebook to help them remember what happened during a lesson. Others write blogs to share thoughts and insights on techniques that proved most effective in delivering a lesson, or methods that did not work well. You could also keep a private journal to help you confidentially reflect on your experiences and thoughts as a teacher.
Practicing self-reflection through maintaining a video blog could also be helpful. By recording a video of yourself, you can set goals for the upcoming week and reflect on those goals and outcomes at the end of the week, giving yourself the opportunity for structured, regular self-reflection.
Reflective Teaching Is Critical for Professional Development and Improvement
While teaching can be time-consuming, and adding more to your plate may seem daunting, setting aside time for reflective teaching practices is worth the effort. Reflective teaching helps you sort out your thoughts and improve as a teacher. Further, knowing what works effectively will likely save you time in the future, increasing your efficiency in choosing effective instructional methods and planning classroom activities.
Self-reflection is more than a simple method to help guide everyday teaching practices; it is a critical tool for active, ongoing professional development. Along with studying foundational educational philosophies and emerging practices or advancing your education through programs like A-State’s, reflective teaching is an effective, evidence-based way to improve as a teacher and help your students learn successfully.
Learn more about A-State’s online MSE in Educational Theory and Practice program.