Reflection has become widely recognised as a crucial element in the professional growth of teachers. Terms such as 'reflective teaching', 'enquiry orientated teacher education', 'teachers as researchers' and 'reflective practitioner' have become quite prolific in discussions of classroom practice and professional development. It is frequently presumed that reflection is an intrinsically good and desirable aspect of teaching and teacher education and that teachers, in becoming more reflective, will in some sense be better teachers, though such claims have been rarely subject to detailed scrutiny. Each of the chapters in this book is concerned with exploring the concept of reflection and considering its contributions to teacher education. The papers range across different stages of professional development, some focusing in particular on pre-service education, others on in-service or professional development generally. Some of the papers are concerned with particular strategies for promoting reflection and how they might operate in a teacher education context, others dwell more upon a theoretical appreciation of how reflection facilitates in the processes of professional development, and how it relates to issues of quality in teacher education.

Using feminist discourse theory, Mills analyzes the writings of three women travellers, Alexandra David-Neel, Mary Kingsley and Nina Mazuchelli. She charts both the shared and individual characteristics of various accounts of imperialism, written from within the colonial system.

This text presents a research study into the development of reflective practitioners in a pre-service teacher education programme. The teacher educator in the study modelled his own reflections on practice in the hope that it would help students to apply reflection to their own teaching.; The results of the author's research demonstrate that reflection on practice occurs in three distinct periods: before anticipatory, during contemporaneous and after retrospective a pedagogical experience. The book concludes that when student teachers' own learning situations, both within their university coursework and their school experiences, become the focus for their learning about teaching and learning, their understanding of, and practice in, teaching is enhanced.

Dominant theories about primary science contend that knowledge is the key. Ovens challenges this view, showing, through case studies, that inquiry and reflection play a significant part in the learning process. This applies to pupils, teachers and teacher educators. Taking curiosity as a pre-condition for good learning, Ovens shows that it is possible to increase the desire to learn more and learn better, to improve confidence in the ability to inquire, to imbue pupils with the courage to seek improvement, to place trust in collaborative processes, to raise awareness of significant detail and to encourage open-mindedness.

Based on years of extensive research on teacher development, this book offers a practical introduction to the concept of teacher reflection, demonstrating how student teachers can engage with reflective learning from their teaching and classroom experiences in a systematic and inspiring way. Providing practical models and guidelines for use in the classroom, renowned teacher educators Fred Korthagen and Ellen Nuijten outline various strategies for promoting reflection and illustrate how a deeper form of reflection ・ ‘core reflection’ ・ enhances awareness of professional identity and supports the dismantling of inner obstacles, therefore enhancing social justice and empowering diverse student populations. The authors demonstrate how a trajectory for learning can be designed to develop key competencies, as well as the role played by university- and school-based teacher educators in supporting teachers’ self-directed reflection. Featuring a variety of tools that support professional growth, this unique text demystifies the area of teacher reflection, helping to provide concrete and inspiring examples for how to strengthen professional identity based on everyday challenges faced by practitioners. The Power of Reflection in Teacher Education and Professional Development is therefore an essential guide for students, in-service teachers, and teacher educators alike, as well as for anyone in the helping professions.

Reflection is a technique for aiding and reinforcing learning, used in education and professional development. This volume offers practitioners and students guidance that cuts across theoretical approaches, enabling them to understand and use reflection to enhance learning in practice.