1.4 Reflective practice in education – reflection documentation tool transcript

Now that you’ve learnt about reflective practice and explored its use in a teacher’s career, why not get started with your own reflections on your own learning experiences?

The following document will take you through the reflective process with guiding questions.

To start, think of a memorable lesson you have experienced as a student. A lesson that you enjoyed and feel was a good learning experience. It could be a lesson from primary or secondary school, a class you attended outside of school, a tutoring session, or part of your tertiary education.

When you have something in mind, move on to the guided reflection.

Guided reflection one: a positive learning experience

Pause after each question and note down or reflect on your answer before moving on to the next question.

1. What was the class and what was the lesson?

2. Where were you, how many students were there, and who was the teacher?

3. What in particular did you enjoy about the lesson and why? This could include information on: 

  • Collaboration with other students
  • Creative activities
  • The teacher’s methods
  • The tools and materials you used in the lesson
  • The location

4.Why do you think the lesson worked so well? What do you think the teacher had done to prepare for the lesson?

5. What elements of this lesson would you like to bring into your own teaching practice?

6. What could you do to achieve that?

  • Are there any skills or knowledge you need to acquire?

  • Did the teacher use any methods or strategies that you could emulate?

  • What will you do next?

Now that you have reflected on a positive learning experience and considered how you will incorporate aspects from it into your own practice, it’s time to learn from a less than ideal lesson or class.

Guided reflection two: a lesson or class you disliked

Can you think of a lesson or class that you really disliked? This section will guide you through the reflective process again and help you turn a negative experience into goals you can set and actions you can take to improve your own teaching practice.

1. What was the class and lesson?

2. Where were you and how many students were there?
3. Who was the teacher? 
4. What were the specific aspects of the class that you did not like? Why did you not like them? This could include information on: 
  • Dynamic with other students
  • Teacher’s methods or style
  • Delivery of information
  • The tools and materials used in the lesson
  • The activities you did

5. What conditions led to the things you disliked about the lesson?

6. If you had been the teacher of that class, what would you have done differently, and would there have been any roadblocks?
7. What lesson will you take from this experience into your own teaching practice?
8. How will you prevent similar issues from occurring in your own class as a teacher? 

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