ABSTRACT
Teacher might ask them self why there is such an emphasis placed on reflective practice and the use of evidence to underpin their professional judgement in their initial teacher education programme. This chapter demonstrates an understanding of the terms: practitioner research, action research, reflective practice and evidence-informed practice. It identifies different forms of evidence on which teacher can draw to enable they to make an informed decision concerning an aspect of practice. The chapter aims to develop teacher’s ability to reflect on practice based on evidence from research to acquire higher levels of professional knowledge and judgement. Increasingly, teachers are able to access research and evidence to inform their decisions. This approach gives rise to the phrase ‘evidence-informed’ practice. Diaries can provide valuable data and useful records over a period of time. The researcher and also those involved in the research, such as pupils or teaching colleagues, could keep them.
