Reflective Practice
The Reflective Practice Classroom Activity is constructed using guide questions requiring forethought and examination. The Reflective Practice form is a supportive tool for student teachers to plan classroom activities in their field placements. The purpose of this planning tool is: (1) to enable student teachers to take responsibility for using their time in the classroom in a productive manner, (2) to help student teachers plan thoughtfully and purposefully the classroom activities their field supervisors will observe, and (3) to enable student teachers to identify their needs and inform their supervisors and cooperating teachers about them.
Procedure:
- The student teacher completes the first page of the Reflective Practice form in preparation for the supervisor’s visit.
- The student teacher submits a copy of the Reflective Practice form to the cooperating teacher, and to the field supervisor when he/she enters the space (classroom, hallway, yard, etc.) where the observation is to take place.
- The student teacher meets with the field supervisor soon after the observation. The supervisor responds to the student’s identified concerns, bringing his/her own reactions to the student’s attention. The form is then returned to the student.
- The student teacher writes a response to the second page of the Reflective Practice form, which again involves reflection and examination of the teaching and learning process.
- The student teacher submits a copy of page two of the Reflective Practice form to the cooperating teacher and the field supervisor.
On the next page, you will be asked to answer some questions about your planning and observation. Please refer to the cues below to guide your responses.
(1)Describe the experience in which students will be engaged during the observation.
(a)How will this experience be organized? (Motivation/Methods/Materials)
(b)What important questions will you ask to guide students’ learning?
Indicate the sequence of activities involved in this experience. How will you introduce the experience and motivate the students to participate? How will the learning area be set up physically? How will you organize your time? What materials are needed? What techniques will be used to engage pupils and to stimulate their learning? How will you manage transitional periods? How will you bring the activity to a conclusion?
(2)How does this experience relate to others already provided?
(Scope/Sequence/Prerequisite Behavior)
Indicate how this experience builds on students’ prior learning or understandings. What is the context of this experience? What experiences are needed as a foundation for this new learning? How will you help students to connect their prior skills and knowledge to this new experience?
(3)What do you want students to learn from this experience? (Goals and Objectives)
Indicate the overall goals of this experience as well as the immediate purposes. How is this experience connected to long-term learning? What will the students be expected to know and do by the end of this experience? Include cognitive, social, affective, motor, and aesthetic outcomes.
(4)How will you know what the students have learned from this experience?
(Assessment/Evaluation)
Indicate how/what strategies will be used to determine whether the objectives of this experience have been met and what the students have learned. For example: observation, interview, written, work, journal, project, presentation, and test.
(5)How can the Mentor help you?
Indicate what you want your supervisor or cooperating teacher to focus upon and discuss through their observation of this experience.
Your Name:Supervisor
Cooperating Teacher: Date:
School:
A. Questions to Guide Classroom Planning and Observation
(1)Describe the experience in which students will be engaged during the observation.
(a) How will this experience be organized? (Motivation/Methods/Materials)
(b) What important questions will you ask to guide students’ learning?
(2)How does this experience relate to others already provided?
(Scope/Sequence/Prerequisite Behavior)
(3)What do you want students to learn from this experience? (Goals and Objectives)
(4)How will you know what the students have learned from this experience?
(Assessment/Evaluation)
(5)How can the Mentor help you?
Your Name:Supervisor
Cooperating Teacher: Date:
School:
B. Questions to Guide Reflection and Self-Assessment:
(1)What happened when you put your plans into practice? Were there unanticipated events that required you to change plans and “think on your feet?” What did you learn from this experience with your students? How does your learning relate to the evaluation standards that you selected?
(2)What did you learn from the Mentor that was helpful to your professional development? What else could the Mentor have done to assist your learning?
(3)How will your next experience with the students build upon what you learned today?
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