Online Assignment

1. ONLINE
ASSIGNMENT

2. NAME: MAYA .U
REG.NO: 182 14 384 008
OPTION: PHYSICAL SCIENCE

3. REFLECTIVE
PRACTITIONER

4. Introduction
It has now come to be widely accepted that professional
knowledge is not merely a systematically organized body of theoretical
knowledge but also a shared body of inherited attitudes and repertory
needed by a professional for his/her everyday practicing of the profession.
This would be move true of teaching us teaching sets itselfapart from other
professions, it being more reflective in nature. To become a successful
teacher one needs besides subject knowledge, an ability to analyze issues
and view all educational phenomena in a wider perspective. Teacher
education programs are now expected to prepare teachers for engaging in
`Reflective Practice’ in feature. A reflective practitioner is a person who
looks back at the work they do, it process and how it can be improved at
regular intervals.

5. TEACHER AS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER
The notion of `Reflective Practice’ can be identified with the
views of Schon 1982. Schonproposedan Epistemologyof practice based on
the idea of `Reflectionin Action. He made a distinction between convergent
and divergent knowledge. The convergent view of knowledge corresponds
with the monolithic perception in which professional knowledge is
perceived through the mirror of well-defined disciplines of research and
theories to which the professional has to adhere to Divergent knowledge
accords with Epistemologyof practice. According to this view, practice is a
kind of research and inquiry, a transaction with the situation in which
knowing and doing are inseparable. The Monolithic Perception of
professional knowledge is reflected in traditional teaching. Apropos this
latter concept, the teacher is viewed not merely as a transmitter of
knowledge and one whose task is to inculcate social, tradional values
among the new generation but rather as a facilitator of student
independent learning. The teacher reflects upon his/her practice, uses
knowledge in flexible manner and even creates knowledge. Calderhead and
Gates (1993) identify reflective teaching as being largely a set of abilities
that include teachers abilities to discuss their own practice, analyze ethical
and moral issues in teaching and arrive at personal theories of educational
practice.

6. Meaning, Importance and Means of Reflective Practices.
Reflective practice is “the capacity to reflect on action so as
to engage in a process of continuous learning”. According to one definition
it involves “paying critical attention to the practical values and theories
which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and
reflexively. This leads to developmentalinsight”. Reflective practice can be
an important tool in practice-based professional learning settings where
individuals learning from their own professional experiences, rather than
from formal teaching or knowledge transfer, may be the most important
source of personal professional development and improvement. Further, it
is also an important way to be able to bring together theory and practice;
through reflection you are able to see and label schools of thought and
theory within the contextof your work. What is important about reflection
throughout your practice is that you are not just looking back on past
actions and events, but rather you are taking a conscious look at the
emotions, experiences, actions andresponses, and using that to add to your
existing knowledge base to draw out new knowledge , meaning and have a
higher level of understanding. As such the notion has achieved wide take-
up, particularly in professional development for practitioners in the areas
of education and healthcare .The questions of how best to learn from
experience has wider relevance however , to any organizational learning
environment .In particular , people in leadership positions have a
tremendous development opportunity if they engage in reflective practice.

7. Reflective Teaching: Means
Reflective teaching means looking at what you do it, and
thinking about if it works –a process of self –observation and self
evaluation. By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom,
and by analyzing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore
our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes
and improvements in our teaching. Reflective teaching is therefore a means
of professional development which begins in our classroom.
Why it is important ?
Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk
to colleaguesaboutit too. You might think or tell someone that “My lesson
went well” or “My students didn’t seem to understand” or “My students
were so badly behaved today”. However, without more time spent focussing
on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions
about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the
louder students. Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic
process collecting, recording and analyzing our thoughts and observations,
as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.
 If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was
successful .
 If the students didn’t understand a language point we introduced
we need to think about what we did and why it may have been
unclear.
 If students are misbehaving – what were they doing , when and why ?
Reflective teaching is a cyclical process , because once you
start to implement changes ,then the reflective and evaluative cycle begins
again .
 What are you doing?
 Why are you doing it ?
 How effective is it?

8. As a result of your reflection you may decide to do something
in a different way, or you may just decide that what you are doing is the
best way . And that is what professional development is all about.
A reflective practitioner is a person who looks back at the
work they do, it process and how it can be improved at regular intervals.
This can be referred to a person who reflects on the work they have done.
Characteristics of a teacher who is a reflective practitioner.
1. Reflective teacher are purposeful and active:-
Reflective teachers initiate instruction cognizant of all the
needs of the students as expresses through their experience.
Reflective teachers aim instruction toward action or convictions that
resolve the questions, tensions and perplexities that initiated the
student’s process of inquiry.
2. Reflective teachers are open to the individuality of student :-
Reflective teachers recognize that the social process of
education is also personal and that it cannot be coerced from others
but must be chosen by them.
3. Reflective teachers are sympathetic to their interests, need and
insights of students :-
Reflective teacher enhance relationships with student by
acknowledging student’s capacity as reflective thinkers. Reflective
teachers take seriously student’s problems, hypothesis and
conclusions.
4. Reflective teachers are patient :-
Reflective teachers know that bit takes time for ideas to be
developed. Delineated and evaluated reflective instruction may take
days, weeks or years to achieve its purpose.

9. 5. Reflective teachers are flexible :-
Reflective teachers allow for divergence and technological
change. They seek to expand options.
6. Reflective teachers are tentative :-
Reflective teachers explore, investigate and grow. They are
suspicious of their own conclusions because they know that they are
learners.
7. Reflective teachers are self-regarding :-
Reflective teachers take their own reasoning process as part
of their field of inquiry. They are consciousoftheir own assumptions,
logic, choices, priorities and conclusion.
8. Reflective teachers look at ends as well as means :-
Reflective teachers ponder how their decisions will affect the
lives of the children they teach.

10. CONCLUSION
It may be concluded that reflective teaching implies a more
systematic process of collecting , recording and analyzing our
thoughts and observations , as well as those of our students , and then
going on to making changes . Reflective teachers are purposeful and
active , open to the individuality of students , sympathetic to their
interests , needs and insights of students .Reflective teachers are
patient ,flexible , tentative ,explore and self regarding .

11. REFERENCE
Borowman. M. L: The Liberal and Technical in Teacher Education
.
Dr. Mariamma Mathew: - Teaching Science for Biological and
Physical Science.
. Dr . K. Sivarajan , Prof . A. Faziluddin – Science Education