Entrance Slip - Becoming a Reflective Teacher

One of the things this article emphasized was just how many choices teacher candidates face as they try to figure out what type of teachers they would like to become. This is a sentiment that really resonates with me. When I think about the challenges and opportunities that are ahead of me as a future teacher, there are some areas where I feel very capable and confident and others where I am less sure. I feel confident in my understanding of mathematics and my ability to teach it. What I feel less confident about is my ability to make all the "right" choices about the kind of teacher I would like to become. I have lots of ideas about what I believe education should look like and what is important but I think the challenge is the actual implementation of these ideas. I guess that is why it is important to be a reflective teacher. It is inevitable that we will all make mistakes as teachers. Reflection allows you to acknowledge and analyze your mistakes and then get back on the right path. Becoming the perfect teacher isn't possible but I think a reflective teacher will at least be moving in the right direction.

The article might be dated in the sense that reflection is more common practice than it used to be. As teacher candidates, we are being heavily encouraged to reflect on our experiences. Even practicing teachers are encouraged to reflect through attending professional development days and seminars that expose them to new ideas that may help them to grow as teachers. I think in general people have become more reflective. When you live in a world that is changing so quickly, being reflective and having the ability to think critically are adaptive qualities. We need to be reflective and adaptive if we don't want to be left behind.

Comments

  1. Susan Gerofsky21 September 2017 at 01:19

    Thanks for your very thoughtful comments, Brianna! I will have to think about your last point especially-- that people may be more reflective now than ever, simply in order to survive in such a rapidly-changing time.

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