ABSTRACT
Since this chapter is linked to Toh’s (2004) MA dissertation, it is fitting to begin with her observation about the relationship between experience and meaning. Conventional wisdom suggests that people learn from their mistakes, but Toh notes that it is easy to pass from one situation to the next, missing the opportunity to learn from those experiences. So it is for many of us teaching in educational settings all across the globe. Classrooms and other learning environments are such complex places that unravelling the intricacies of what goes on is a difficult task. This chapter proposes that critical reflection on practice must be an integral part of any teacher’s work because it equips them to deal with the varied issues, encounters and contexts in which they will teach. It supports teachers in being adaptive and reactive to changes in time. Of course all teachers review and reflect. Much of this is done on the bus going home or awaiting sleep in bed, and so is ‘solitary in the head, unstructured reflection’ (Moore 2004: 110). Such reflection frequently focuses on negative experiences and short-term solutions to immediate issues. By comparison, reflective practice goes beyond any common-sense approach. It is a deeper and constructive process which encourages both inexperienced and experienced professionals to reflect explicitly and critically so that practice is improved. By engaging in this process, the teachers’ own theories towards pedagogy are given value and teachers take greater ownership of their professional and learning processes rather than relying on the ‘good teaching’ of universities, consultants and research centres (Zeichner 1994: 10).
