I have spent the past 40+ years
reflecting on reflective practice, and I
am still learning about what it is for
language teachers. In this book, I
summarise my current reflections on
reflective practice for language
teachers. I assume readers have no
prior knowledge of reflective practice
and so I present the book in terms of
why it is important to reflect, where
reflective practice came from, and what
it is. I also present a framework for
reflecting on practice I designed
especially for language teachers to
engage in reflective practice, together
with an example of an English as a
foreign language (EFL) teacherβs
reflection using this framework. I then
outline the various reflective tools that
teachers can make use of as well as the
characteristics of reflective teachers.
Throughout each chapter, I also provide
you with some Reflective breaks, so that
you can step back while you are reading
the book and reflect on your own
thoughts about what you are reading.
You can write your answer to these, or
you can talk to a peer/colleague or a
group of colleagues depending on how
you are most comfortable in your
reflections, as you will read in the
chapters that follow. Of course, you may
skip any and all of these breaks if they
do not suit your personal approach to
reflective practice. Indeed, you can skip
any chapter and go direct to the
chapter that interests you most as this
book is for you. I know you are busy
teachers and I address this issue at the
end of the book after I outline and
discuss reflective practice in detail so
that you can decide what is best for you
and your professional development.
Happy reflecting!
