ABSTRACT
Various inputs combine to contribute to long-lasting impacts on teachers' education. Of these inputs, teachers' competence in reflective practice is said to be the most important in learners' education, flowing on to their future work and life. This chapter begins with an overview of teacher quality in developing context. It then focuses on ways to enhance learning and professional practice through a strategy of authentic critical reflection, which is a vital skill for teacher development that could well be embedded in forward-looking teacher education programs of the 21st century. The chapter draws on relevant literature on critical reflection and the value of this skill, which is widely recognized as a promising tool for promoting high-quality learning and professional development. It discusses how teacher educators in developing contexts and even beyond can, if it does not currently exist in their teacher education programs, best facilitate and promote critical reflection in order to enhance empowerment of the 21st century teaching practitioners.
