Teaching Reflective Practice: Implementation in the Teacher-Education Setting

Abstract

Over the past several decades a growing amount of research has considered the role, challenges, and complexities of teaching reflective inquiry to preservice teachers. Generally accepted as a valuable component of a teacher education program, there are persistent levels of ambiguity regarding how reflective inquiry can be intentionally fostered during initial stages of teacher preparation. This qualitative research study seeks to provide one exemplar of this promising practice by exploring the instructional approaches used to promote reflective inquiry in preservice teachers by a veteran teacher educator from Niagara University, NY. Using participant observer research protocols, data were collected and analyzed according to qualitative research methodologies (Spradley, 1980). Grounded in the theories of Dewey (1935) and Schön (1983), this study examines how the teacher educator studied created opportunities for preservice teachers to develop their reflective inquiry skills in a Methods of Secondary Education course. Advice for other teacher educators and implications for the greater teacher education community will be discussed.