EDUC 450: Reading #2: On Becoming a Reflective Teacher

“You constantly reevaluate [content, methods, and procedures used in your classroom] worth in relation to students currently enrolled and to the circumstance.” (p. 106)

This quote in the Grant and Zeichner reading as something that struck me as a perfect summation of how teachers should interpret the kind of reflection that should be incorporated into their practices. Although the critics (Philip Jackson) emphasize the amount of time required to properly reflect and how this can reduce efficiency of teaching, I believe that if reflection can become a continuous habit incorporated in all daily routines and decision making processes, it can actually contribute to increasing quality and quantity of learning being done within a classroom.

By solely following a curriculum and the regulations set by institutions, education becomes static. It is not able to mature and develop as quickly as knowledge is discovered, societal perceptions shift, and the maturation of students. We instead become a sort of machine that reiterates information instead of acting as a check and balance for the knowledge we are responsible for communicating to our students. As teachers, we in essence act as filters. Is it not then our responsibility to be a rounded and considerate filter that also acknowledges and works through personal and shared perspectives and biases?

Another quote that captured this idea and impacted my personal expectations and responsibilities for teachers was “…accepting all students and willing to learn about and affirm the uniqueness of each student for whom he or she accepts responsibility.” (p. 107) Teachers are not to mold every child into exact copies of one another, but are to explore each individual’s strengths and weaknesses and assist them to flourish in all aspect of their life. Neither taking the time to reflect upon each student’s situation, nor exploring possible approaches for each child returns the role of the teacher back into a machine of information delivery rather than a model to prepare for future societal interactions.

In all, this article furthered my belief that as a teacher it is essential that we appreciate the benefits of incorporating reflecting into our craft. The self-awareness and impacts our actions have on our students can have lasting impacts. Learning to be conscious if this is not something that should be dismissed because it is time consuming, it should instead be seen as a responsibility to become the best educators for our future students.