This document discusses the importance of reflective teaching. It defines a reflective teacher as someone who actively examines their own experiences in the classroom to improve their teaching. Teachers should regularly evaluate their work to identify strengths and weaknesses and make changes to better support student learning and outcomes. Developing as a reflective teacher cultivates important personal qualities like motivation, communication skills, and respect for students, as well as professional competencies in planning, using effective teaching strategies, managing the classroom, and evaluating learning. Ongoing self-evaluation can improve teaching quality, student experiences, and learning standards.

2. The Reflective Teacher
The Reflective Teacher
A.OULBOUCH
National Specialist
Coordinator, English
Inspection Générale,
Rabat

3. The Reflective Teacher
1. What is meant by « the reflective teacher »?
2. Why should you evaluate your work?
3. What personal qualities will you acquire as an
effective teacher?
4. What professional competences will you acquire
as an effective teacher?
5. Where can you get further help to support the
development of your work?

4. 1. What is meant by « the reflective teacher »?
– Think about your understanding of “reflection”.
– Formulate a description.
Task
• an active process
• of witnessing one’s own experience
• in order to take a closer look at it,
– sometimes to direct attention to it briefly,
– but often to explore it in greater depth.
Reflection is

5. 2. Why should you evaluate your work?
a. You may make changes to lessons, for example:
◆ when you feel you are losing the attention and motivation of
some of the students;
◆ when some students are not achieving the learning outcomes you
have planned for them;
◆ after you have marked work;
◆ when you become aware of an aspect of a colleague’s work
that you feel you could adopt.

6. b. What questions can you consider?
If you regularly ask yourself these questions, then you
have already begun to evaluate your work in order to make
the learning outcomes better for your students.
Do I engage in
self-appraisal
and critical
evaluation of
my work?
Do I engage in
professional
development?
Do I engage
professionally
with other
teachers?
Do I keep up
to date with
relevant
aspects of my
subject?
Am I open
to the
possibilities
of change and
innovation?

7. c. How can you improve your work through self-evaluation?
These questions will help you to identify your strengths
and weaknesses in order to envisage ways of improvement.
How
effectively
am I
performing?
How do I know
my strengths
and areas for
improvement?
What do
I need to do
about the areas
identified for
improvement?
How will
I know I have
made
improvements?
What
improvements
have I made
and what do I
need to do
now?

8. d. How can you do self-evaluation?
The problem
derives from a
concrete
situation in
practice
Try to generate
practical
knowledge
solutions
Implement the
most appropriate
solution(s)
Weigh the
solution(s) in
terms of effects
on students’
outcomes
Identify
a problem &
define it in an
explicit and
conscious way
-Feedback collection
-Peer observation
– Self-reports
– Journal writing
The identified
problem has
meaning for
you.

9. 3. What personal qualities will you acquire as
an effective teacher?
You can:
◆ engage, motivate and enthuse students;
◆ be a good listener and communicator;
◆ show consideration for the students’ personal and educational development;
◆ be self-motivated and able to work as a member of a team;
◆ keep up to date with relevant aspects of English language teaching & learning
◆ exercise patience and display sensitivity to the individual needs and abilities of
students;
◆ respect your students and encourage them to respect each other;
◆ foster positive relationships with your students;
◆ support and manage colleagues in development work, where appropriate.

10. 4. What professional competences will you acquire
as an effective teacher?
A. KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEEDS, ABILITIES AND ASPIRATIONS OF YOUR STUDENTS
You can
◆ have a perceptive insight into the students’ intellectual, social and emotional
needs;
◆ recognise that effective care for students underpins and enables successful
learning;
◆ provide reassurance, build confidence and encourage pupil motivation and
commitment;
◆ share the intended learning outcomes with your students, where appropriate;

11. B. PLANNING FOR IMPROVEMENT
Your classroom planning will be effective and should reflect your overall
knowledge of:
◆ your students’ previous learning experiences and achievements;
◆ the range of abilities and different learning styles within your class;
◆ the need for an appropriate match of work to the level of ability of your students;
◆ aspects of teaching and learning across the curriculum;
and include:
◆ appropriate learning outcomes;
◆ an appropriate variety of teaching strategies;
◆ short clear statements of what you want the students to learn;
◆ activities to motivate and challenge the students;
◆ an outline of an effective range of resources, including ICT;
◆ an outline of how the learning is to be monitored and evaluated both regularly
and effectively;

12. C. TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES
You can use an effective range of teaching strategies to ensure that:
◆ pupils are aware of what you plan/anticipate they will learn in the lesson;
◆ pupils are able to work individually, in pairs, in groups (to include active learning
opportunities) and at a whole class level and work to their individual learning
styles;
◆ there is a good balance of practical, written and oral work;
◆ there are opportunities for independent learning;
◆ an appropriate time is allocated for pupils to reflect on and then build upon, what
they have learned;
◆ there are opportunities for pupils to celebrate their achievements.

13. D. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Your classroom management will be effective where:
◆ there is an attractive and stimulating environment which is well-organised and
resourced to support the pupils’ learning;
◆ a wide range of strategies encourage the pupils to be settled and engaged in
purposeful and productive activities;
E. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF LEARNING
The evaluations of your lessons should:
◆ make honest judgements about how well the intended learning outcomes of the
lesson were realised;
◆ use a range of formal and informal assessment procedures to measure the
progress which your pupils are making;
◆ use the outcomes of your assessment procedures and evaluations to help you
plan for future lessons.

14. 5. Where can you get further help to support the
development of your work?

15. CONCLUSION
Self-evaluation on a whole-school or personal level should effect improvements in:
- the experiences of the students,
- the quality of teaching and learning,
- the standards the students attain.
Self-evaluation should also support:
- your own professional and personal development,
- help you to be a confident teacher.
Self-evaluation should:
- confirm the strengths of your practice,
- indicate areas for improvement.
As with any process of self-evaluation:
◆ the procedures used should be developed by you to meet your needs;
◆ the outcomes of your evaluation should lead to action to achieve the intended
improvements in teaching and learning;
◆ the views of students, colleagues and supervisors could be taken into account;
◆ the process should be ongoing.