Reflective Practice Essay

2543 Words11 Pages
2200 words This assignment will begin with a brief understanding of how reflective practice can be used to benefit teaching and learning, if indeed it does at all. It will then progress through reflections on both personal and professional growth, recounting my learning journey by reference to my placement in a Teach First school. My reflections will focus on proactive measures to classroom behaviour in order to improve my classroom management. The introduction of the concept of 'reflective practice' by Donald Schon (1987), was based on the assumption that acquiring skills associated with reflective practice should lead student teachers toward becoming more effective practitioners (Burn et al, 2003). Many authors (Kolb, 1984; Evans, 1991; Ferraro, 2000) have provided their varying opinions about the meaning of the term. According to Ferraro (2000) this process is most successful when comparing personal experiences to theory or practice by successful practitioners. Reflective practice is widely acknowledged as an essential component in the professional development of student teachers (Bartlett and Leask, 2005). However, discussions and debates highlight arguments between claims made about the benefits of reflective practice in the professional development of student teachers and the lack of systematic research to substantiate those claims, given the absence of an agreed definition of reflection, Rodgers (2002: 842) cautions: “It is unclear how systematic reflection is different from other types of thought; it is difficult to assess a skill that is vaguely defined; without a clear picture of what reflection looks like, it has lost its ability to be seen and therefore has begun to lose its value”. Due to the confusion regarding the definition of the process I feel it is appropriate and necessary for the structure of this assignment for me to give my personal

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