Reflective Teaching as Professional Practice

Reflective Teaching as Professional Practice Synopsis

The content of this book is an important trajectory in teaching and learning. It does not only explore teacher understanding and practice of 'reflective teaching' and how teacher practitioners internalise the act in their teaching practice but adds to ongoing debates about the dynamic mix of teachers approach to teaching. The reported study is exploratory based on small samples from two places: Cardiff in UK and Madina in Ghana. Its ethos is to compare any differences in understanding and practice of reflective teaching. Drawing on qualitative exploratory case study, the research found that teachers' conceptualisation of 'reflective teaching' in both cases was mixed. Teachers' in one case study seem to be aware of 'teaching evaluation' as a concept in teaching and not 'reflective teaching'. Whether a lack of awareness in what reflective teaching is, is synonymous to lack of knowledge is a matter of debate. Reflective teaching, no doubt, is theorised in academic literature but its practice can be sticky in the classroom and other learning environments. It is that patchy subject, which remains the focus of various enquiries, including this reported study, and the concern of many education authorities. After all, debates about quality teaching and learning are often subsumed in these debates. In order for any generalisations to be made from outcomes reported in this monograph may require larger samples and careful utilisation.