Reflective Practice

Abstract

Recently within TESOL teachers have been encouraged to reflect on their practice as part of their own professional development (Garton and Richards, 2008; Farrell, 2007; Richards and Farrell, 2005). This reflective process really means that teachers consciously examine what they believe about their practice or as Mann (2005: 105) has suggested, articulating “an inner world of choices made in response to the outer world of the teaching context.” They then compare these beliefs to their actual classroom practices to see if there is convergence or divergence. In other words, by articulating their beliefs, assumptions and values about teaching and learning, and comparing these to what they do in the classroom, teachers can become more aware of what they think and do so that they can make informed decisions about their practice. This type of reflection on practice also allows practicing teachers to take more responsibility for their actions. It is especially important for experienced teachers to be able to give accounts about their existing beliefs, assumptions, values, and knowledge concerning their work so that they can be acknowledged as professionals similar to other fields such a medicine or law. It is also important to be able to include these personal conceptualizations of what it means to teach English to speakers of other language within the ever-expanding knowledge base of second language teacher education and development so that those new to the profession can benefit from their experiences.