the nature and concept of Philosophical inquiry and stages need and importance of Reflective Teaching

1. Dr. Jagannath K. Dange
Associate professor
Department of Education
Kuvempu University
Shankaraghatta, Shimoga,
Karnataka
jkdange@gmail.com
http://jkdange.blogspot.com

2. Things considered for presentation
 What is philosophy?
 We hardly try to seek truth or inquire the things.
 Rely more on instrumental values-that’s what taught
 Logic and religion hardly go together
 schools- keep quiet, shut your mouth, don’t talk
 Democracy classroom-equal opportunity to all
 Only teacher talks-students follow(Mum),
 Leaders talk, people follow(Mum)
 Employer talks, employee follow(Mum)
 Education must enlighten the minds but ………..is it really doing?

3.  'Philosophy‘ 'love of wisdom'.
 Defined as 'inquiry' or 'inquiry and reflection',
scope to denote thought about general features of the
world and human experiences within it.
 In its earliest days, philosophy was the study of
almost everything. (now label 'natural science',
'social science' the 'humanities', and the 'arts‘)

4.  Philosophers-philosophising; thinking clearly and carefully
about matters of fundamental importance such as:
 What exists (metaphysics- theory of reality): the inquiry into
the first principles of nature.
 What we can know (epistemology-theory of knowledge): the
inquiry into what knowledge is, what can be known, and what lies
beyond our understanding; the investigation into the origin,
structure, methods, and validity of justification and knowledge; the
study of the interrelation of reason, truth, and experience.
 How we should live (ethics) Axiology (theory of value):
Axiology, in turn, is divided into two main parts: ethics and
aesthetics.
 The aim of philosophical inquiry is to gain insight into
questions about knowledge, truth, reason, reality, meaning, mind
and value.

5. Philosophical inquiry includes:
1. Shared experiences. There is cooperative activity in inquiry. As man
lives in a community he is affected by his culture, thus it affects the way he
sees his problem and his choice of a solution.
2. A shared experience which creates a community. Though ones’
experience may be enough for him to survive, once it is shared, such
experience evolves into a tradition thus enriching humanity.
3. Considerations beyond common sense. Sooner or later, man
recognizes that common sense is not enough, hence he needs to transcend
conventionalities to effect change.
Philosophical inquiry then looks to all meanings in the
experiences of man and his community.
Education with philosophy has a close relationship because
philosophy is a worldview that leads to educational goals.
Philosophical inquiry and reflection (connected and go together)

6. Reflective Teaching: Implications for Teacher Education
Programme
Teacher education-preparing teachers with adequate
competencies and motivational orientations.
The competencies for effective teaching are needed at all
levels.
The framework issued by NCTE in 2007, various
competencies were mentioned along with basic humane
approach for preparation of teachers.
This document of NCTE was preceded by NCF, 2005
developed by the NCERT in order to advocate the adoption of
constructivist paradigm in school education.

7.  Two-year B.Ed. Programme …………offered to
the student-teachers to make them
reflective practitioners.
 Professional development through Reflection

8.  What is Reflection?
 Reflection is a metacognitive strategy that helps
thinking critically up on their experiences, actions
and decisions during their teaching practices.
Students in learning
 Why do we need to reflect?
 Reflective practice helps teachers to have a deeper
understanding of their own teaching styles, teaching
beliefs and teaching identities.
 As you reflect, you will better understand your roles!

9.  “Reflection is the instrument by which experiences are
translated into dynamic knowledge”-Korthagen, F.
(2001)
 Reflection fosters: analytical thinking, appreciation
of social and political contexts, development of
theories, etc.
1
•Experience
2
•Reflection
3
•Learning

10.  Reflective Teaching-
 Morris L. Bigge in early 1970s made a
comprehensive analysis of various cognitive levels of
teaching and learning by referring to three specific
cognitive levels —
memory, understanding and reflective.
 In this frame of reference he identifies reflective level
teaching being an exemplification of the highest level
of cognitive interchanges between the teachers and
the learners.
 It represents the twin activities of problem raising
and problem solving.

11.  Viewed in practical terms when the….
 teachers and the learners collaborate and cooperate to
conjointly investigate the causal factors,
 by screening them,
 advancing suitable hypotheses,
 testing them in an environment of partnership between
the teachers and the learners it becomes a reflective level
venture.
 Its focus is on critical shifting, analyzing and
interpreting facts culled out from relevant contexts.

12. 2.Analyse
and
evaluate
data
3.Reflect
4.Plan
5.Make
decisions
and Act
1.Collect
data
Cyclic flow of
reflective teaching

13.  Richards (1990) argues that experience alone is insufficient
for professional growth, but experience coupled with
reflection is a powerful impetus for teacher development.
What are you doing in reflective teaching?
 You are integrating theory and practice.
 By making use of constructivist approach you address issues which come
from your practice and experience.
 Benefits Reflective thinking helps learners develop higher-order thinking
skills by prompting learners to
a) relate new knowledge to prior understanding,
b) think in both abstract and conceptual terms,
c) apply specific strategies in novel tasks, and
d) understand their own thinking and learning strategies.

14.  Ways for reflection teaching: journal, Self-observation,
Action research
 Teaching Journal: This is a place where you write about
your experiences or record some specific teaching events,
and your feelings
 John Dewey -believed that teachers should take time to
reflect on their observations, knowledge, and experience so
that they can effectively nurture each child's learning.
 Richards (1990) reflective teaching demands self-
observation and self-evaluation.
 Thus, information is organized, analysed and
interpreted to identify what beliefs, assumptions and
values are attached to your practices and experiences.

16.  Strategies
 1) Self-analysis: A reflective student/teacher is able to keep
a record of his/her success or failure in employing a strategy,
problems and issues confronted, and significance of learning
events that occurred.
 2) Writing journals: A journal entry includes:
 a) a description of the teaching/learning event,
 b) outcomes of the event,
 c) value or worthiness of the outcomes, and
 d) causes of success or failures.
 3) Portfolio A portfolio is a very personal document which
includes frank, honest and on-the-spot account of
experiences. It includes a student’s first hand observations and
personal knowledge that will be needed in analyzing changes in
values being developed.

17. The features of reflecting teachers are,
• A question is raised either by the teacher or the learner in the
context of specific themes.
• The questions are discussed and debated at length.
• comprise pros and cons of the answer are arrived at in a
consensual manner.
• A tentative solution called the hypothesis and their agreeability to
empirical verification.
• The empirical referents are analyzed and discussed thread bare.
• The hypothetical propositions as mentioned earlier are examined
with appropriate detachment, clarity and precision by both the
teacher and the student in a collaborative manner.
This process goes on continuously for a relatively longer duration.

18. Various Dimensions of Reflective Teaching
 It may be mentioned at the very outset that reflective
level teaching is multidimensional and multi-faceted in
terms of its use and application in teaching-learning
situation.
 Long back Irving Mautzman in early 50's of the last
century referred to convergent and divergent strategies
which represent the basic structural dimensions of such
kind of teaching.
 Taxonomic classification of cognitive acts as
suggested by Prof. B.S. Bloom.
 There are lower order cognitive structures- memory,
comprehension and application
 higher order cognitive structures- analysis, synthesis
and evaluation.

19. Ensuring Effectiveness through Reflective
Teaching
Thus, in order to ensure effectiveness the teacher has
to be clear about three specific principles.
 First, the clarity of the goal while
 the second, the extent to which it relates to the
development it of resources helpful to achieve the
intended results.
 The third principle deals with the use of methods
for rendering the learning outcomes.

20. Promoting effectiveness of reflective level teaching -
learning processes at various levels of education.
• Making the teaching-learning processes open and
proactive which means providing scope for various
choices and adopt the learning outcomes.
• Keeping the relevant learning tasks adequately
focused.
• Creating an environment in which the learner will be
motivated intrinsically rather than extrinsically.
• Encouraging collaborative ventures on the part of the
students and help them to have a mind set of win-win
rather than win-lose.

21.  Encourage to use creative approaches in advancing
solutions to problems.
 The teacher should play the role of a manager of teaching-
learning conditions with a provision for making the learners
center stage.
 Transform the teaching-learning system into being dialogic
rather than mono-logic.
 This implies that in the teaching-learning contexts there will
be considerable scope for widening the basis for interaction
between the teacher and learner.
 The ability and willingness level of students should be
developed.

22. Preparing Effective Reflective Teachers
This model is called by an acronym, `ACHIEVE Model‘
A- which denotes ability- acquisition of competence in terms of
knowledge, skill and experience of the practitioner.
 C- stands for clarity- understanding the what, how and why
of teaching-learning activities which get planned and
implemented for promoting prospects of reflective thinking.
 H- represents the help or support- facilitating effective
designing of teaching-learning structures with a focus on
inculcation of human values such as that of respect,
compassion, love and appreciation of diversity both in form and
substance.
 I- incentives or motivational dispositions of both the
individuals as well as the organization to which they belong.

23.  E- evaluation in order to provide bench mark, data
and feedback leading to improvement.
 V- validity which implies the respect for the legal
provisions to those disadvantaged sections of the
society who are made to suffer more by the default of the
adherence to policies.
 Thus, human rights regulations and Right to
Education are some of the most obvious legal
mandates which have to be considered relevant.
 E- stands for Environment which may consist of both
external as well as internal environment of the
teacher education institutions with their helping and
hindering forces.

24.  Reflection on human values mentioned Indian
constitution(liberty, equality, fraternity, and
secularism)
 Reflection on international understanding.
 Reflective teachers must have self awareness and
patience
 Knowledge makes the man more calm
 Teach how to be patient in different situations.

25. The Stanford centre for innovations in
learning(SCIL): Effective teacher includes being
 Concerned
 Committed
 Creative
 Competent
 An educational system can be as good as its
teachers
 Who is a teacher?
 One who dares to teach and never cease to
learn

26. Dr. Jagannath K. Dange
Department of Education
Kuvempu University
Shankaraghatta
Dist: Shimoga,
Karnataka
jkdange@gmail.com
http://jkdange.blogspot.com