ABSTRACT

The notion that teachers' practical theories are formed out of the crucible of their experience, knowledge, and values is something that we should not forget. But at times, such analytical precision doesn't quite capture the feel of a teacher's every day life. In this chapter, we attempt to depict and connect teachers' theories and their practices. The notion that teacher's theories are, and can be, expressed as metaphors and images is one way to get closer to the reality of reflection. We do that in the first section of this chapter. Another concern about the reality of teacher reflection has to do with the "artificial" separation of thought and action, theory and practice. As we have already noticed, reflection occurs frequently both in and on action. In the second section of this chapter, we look further at ways of construing teachers' practices. Given that one of our main concerns has to do with the social context in which reflection occurs, we highlight the ways in which this social context can affect teacher reflection. And finally, in the fourth section, we outline distinct levels of reflection in an attempt to bring together both teachers' theories and their practices. Hopefully, these discussions bring closer together a conception of teachers' theories and teachers' practices within an enlarged understanding of teacher reflection. 34

DIFFERENT DEPICTIONS OF TEACHERS' PRACTICAL THEORIES

In addition to the different sources of practical theories, teachers' practical theories also include different types of knowledge and can be expressed in a variety of ways. For example, Freema Elbaz (1983) claims that the practical knowledge (or theories) of teachers is concerned with knowledge of self, of the milieu or context of teaching, of subject matter, curriculum development, and instruction. Elbaz's depiction highlights the various types of knowledge that are entailed in teaching. It requires both classroom-focused knowledge and contextual understandings. This depiction of the content of teachers' practical knowledge is based, in part, on the notion of the "four commonplaces" of schooling (teachers, learners, subject matter, and context; Schwab, 1971) and suggests that it is important for teachers to be aware of the different types of knowledge that contribute to their practical theories and the variety of ways in which they can be expressed.