AN INTERPRETATIVE METHOD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH VIDEO RECORDING AND JOURNAL WRITING

Engaging in reflective practice not only nurtures pre-service teachers’ critical thinking and propels professional growth but also instils an enduring drive for self-directed professional enhancement and development. This study aimed to investigate how teaching reflection can help pre-service teachers become novice in-service teachers and examine the effectiveness of reflective practice in enhancing pedagogical skills and fostering professional growth. The study was conducted at a prominent university in the UK, and data were collected through multiple sources such as students’ feedback, peer observation, and reflective journals, which provided a rich dataset for this self-narrative research. The findings reveal that reflective practice contributes significantly to the development of critical pedagogical skills. It fosters a deeper understanding of teaching methodologies and enhances pre-service teachers’ abilities to apply these strategies to diverse educational contexts. Notably, it also shows a more proactive approach to professional growth, underscoring reflective practices as catalysts for ongoing personal and professional development. This study suggests that the effective implementation of reflective practices needs to be aligned with broader trends in higher education, such as the integration of educational technology into teaching practice.

The importance of language teachers’ lifelong professional development is undeniable. Reflective teaching has recently become an epitome in ESL teacher education. It indicates self-observation and self-evaluation and implies a systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing teachers’ thoughts and observations, as well as those of a student. One of the ways to provoke self-analysis and reflection that leads to powerful insights is peer observation. The paper describes the results of the experiment to establish a peer feedback pattern on a regular basis that aimed to create a climate where both givers and receivers of feedback enhance their understanding of best teaching practices which encourage effective learning. The experiment took three years and involved 30 ESL teachers of Kazan Federal University. The participants observed two peer-teachers every semester (four in total over one academic year). It was crucial for the authors to ensure a constructive and productive feedback process. To provide feedback there was established a set of criteria to analyse peer-observation manuals, guidelines for selecting peer observers, a questionnaire targeted to discover the level of self-content with peer-reviewing practice and the depth of reflection. The results of the experiment showed significant improvements in learning from others and better teaching. Findings of the study suggest that peer observation can be fully recommended to ESL teachers to guarantee their continuous development and to conduct the so-called self-audit, or reflection.

Purpose of the study: Reflective practices are considered very important and influential for teacher training and professional development. This study was conducted by using a narrative perspective. The main aim of this study was to explore the role of reflective practices in building teacher educators’ professional lives. Their stories were explored to understand what is needed to become an effective teacher educator. Methodology: The current research involved six teacher educators from GCETs selected purposively as research participants. Semi-structured interviews were used as data collection instruments. Teacher educators who have a minimum of ten years of experience were interviewed. After gathering stories, the researchers build categories and themes from interview data. The narratives of teacher educators were reconstructed through analysis and discussion. Main Findings: The findings of the current research reveal that reflective practices can play a very effective role in the professional grooming of teacher educators. The effective use of reflective practice tools is significant in building these practices. It is implicated by the study findings that novice teacher educators and future teacher educators can learn from the experiences of experienced teacher educators. Novelty: This research will help the administration to know about problems that teacher educators face while using reflective practices. Future researchers can be helped to explore the ways that how the reflective practices-related challenges and problems can tackle. Moreover, how the reflective practices of school teachers and college teachers can be made more effective.

Teaching practice is a vital phase in the professional development of preservice teachers, helping them bridge the gap between theory and classroom application. However, many struggle with this connection due to the compartmentalized nature of teacher education and the absence of standardized frameworks. As a result, preservice teachers often graduate feeling underprepared, highlighting the need for improved teacher education models. Reflective practice has emerged as a valuable tool for enhancing preservice teachers’ professional growth by deepening their understanding of teaching roles and improving the integration of theory and practice. This study examines the impact of structured reflective practice on preservice teachers’ professional identity and pedagogical competencies during teaching practice, employing a narrative inquiry approach. A qualitative case study design was used, involving all 396 preservice teachers from St. Paul’s University who participated in teaching practice in 2024. Data were collected through structured reflective diaries and analyzed thematically to identify patterns in their evolving professional identities and competencies. Findings revealed varied outcomes: while many narratives demonstrated growth and identity development, others reflected limited reflective skills and weak connections to the teaching profession early on. The reflections also highlighted gaps in teaching knowledge and skills, underscoring the critical role of reflective practice, mentorship, and a supportive school environment in professional development. The study recommends integrating structured reflection into teacher training, along with planned mentorship and quality feedback, to better link teacher education theory with real-world classroom practice. This calls for a review of current teaching practice models.

The purpose of this research was to explore how on-site professional development (PD) addresses the goal of improved teacher practice. It was conducted within the context of a national educational reform in Australia. This reform, implemented from 2009 to 2012/13, was a National Partnership Agreement (NPA) with the Commonwealth Government that included the Smarter Schools National Partnerships (SSNP). This research was a multi-site case study of five Catholic primary schools that implemented on-site PD for four years as part of a system response to a reform agenda. Learning on-site was a change in practice for teachers that involved the establishment of professional learning communities (PLCs) and the appointment in each school of an additional school leader entitled a ‘Teacher Educator’ (TE). The interpretative paradigm of research, through the lens of symbolic interactionism and the epistemology of constructionism, was adopted to guide and inform the study. A multi-site case study methodology was chosen as the five schools constituted a single case on multiple sites that shared the phenomenon of interest, i.e., on-site PD (Huberman & Miles, 2002). The data gathering methods were semi-structured interviews, group interviews and a pre-interview self-reflection tool. Findings emerged through qualitative data analysis that utilised the Constant Comparative Method (Merriam, 1998). The major research question was: How does on-site professional development influence teacher practice? Findings from this research indicate that on-site PD influenced teacher practice in certain ways. First, underpinning the approach to changing teacher practice was collaboration. School leaders shared the instructional leadership role and worked collaboratively with teachers, primarily in classrooms, to demonstrate how teaching practice could change. The influence of system leaders on teacher practice was a secondary process mediated by school leaders. Due to a perceived lack of strategic direction, teacher consultation, or involvement in schools throughout the reform, system leaders were not seen as having a positive influence on teacher practice. Second, the structure of the in-situ leadership role of the TE was a key influence on changed teacher practice because it had a singular emphasis on teaching and learning. However, these new roles also led to tension, defensiveness and feelings of vulnerability from teachers; therefore, building trusting relationships and credibility were critical to their influence. Third, because the evolution of PLCs was an organic process, they emerged differently and did not adhere to any set structure. They morphed over time and the guiding principle that drove their creation was the articulated needs of teachers and what the data revealed to be those of the students. The use of data, the deprivatisation of teaching practice and professional dialogue were associated and instrumental in building teacher capacity, and formed the core focus of the PLCs. These three characteristics influenced teacher practice as their data skills were built along with pedagogical content knowledge. Fourth, the construct of on-site PD influenced teacher practice because the learning for teachers was coherent, active, context specific, relevant, timely, accessible and immediate.

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of male and female English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers regarding using reflective practice as a professional development tool and the obstacles that hinder them from adopting reflective practice. To achieve this, a quantitative approach was employed to collect data. A questionnaire with a study sample of 73 teachers was utilized as a research instrument. The findings showed that EFL teachers have positive perceptions towards reflective practice in general and that they believe it is a helpful tool to enhance their professional development. However, it was evident from the data that teachers rarely implemented the reflective tools such as reflective journal, lesson reports, and peer observation. Female EFL teachers were found to be more involved in reflective practice than male teachers. The results also revealed that the biggest obstacle that hinder EFL teachers from utilizing reflective practice was related to the institution fixed policies. Based on these findings, this study provides some implications and recommendation that will hopefully foster Saudi EFL teachers understanding and use of reflective practice.

<p>Reflective practice has become a significant aspect in determining good teaching and learning practices and is an important part of professional practice and professional growth. However, English teachers in Indonesia has not been able to perform reflection on their teaching in order to improve their teaching practice. This study reports the results of an intensive training held by PKM UNS to help teachers develop a reflective teaching habit. The participants were 30 English teachers of Islamic Senior High School in Solo Raya. Observation field notes and teacher assignments were used as the main data collection method. From this program, it was found that the English teachers encountered plethora of challenges in developing reflective practice due to their lack of understanding of reflective teaching. However, the teachers show an improvement in implementing reflective teaching strategies after their participation in the training. Recommendations to include reflective practices in teacher professional development programs is drawn based on the findings.</p>

While the benefits of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for enhancing pedagogical skills are well documented, its role in shaping teachers' agency and reflective teaching (RT) as cognitive‐affective constructs remains underexplored. Existing studies primarily focus on CPD's impact on instructional effectiveness, leaving a significant gap in understanding how it influences teachers' self‐regulation, professional autonomy, and reflective engagement. Moreover, the extent to which CPD is associated with variations in agency and RT, particularly in EFL contexts, has not been adequately investigated. To address these gaps, this study examined the relationships among CPD, agency, and RT using a survey‐based approach. A total of 384 Chinese EFL teachers participated in the study, completing three validated instruments: the Continuing Professional Development Questionnaire (CPDQ), the Teacher Agency Scale (TAS), and the Reflective Teaching Inventory (RTI). Correlational analyses revealed significant positive associations among CPD, agency, and RT. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis indicated that CPD accounted for 51% of the variance in teacher agency and 44% in RT, suggesting that greater engagement in CPD is linked to higher levels of agency and reflective teaching. This study contributes to the field by reframing CPD as more than a means of pedagogical improvement, emphasising its role in fostering teacher cognition, autonomy, and reflective practice. The findings challenge conventional CPD frameworks that prioritise technical training over cognitive‐affective development, advocating for professional development programs that actively cultivate teacher agency and reflection. For policymakers and teacher educators, the results underscore the need for CPD models that integrate structured opportunities for reflective inquiry, collaborative learning, and decision‐making autonomy. Future research should employ longitudinal and mixed‐methods designs to further explore the mechanisms through which CPD shapes teacher agency and reflection over time and across diverse educational settings.

Reflective practice means that teachers must subject their own teaching beliefs and practices to critical examination. One way of facilitating reflective practice in ESL teachers is to encourage them to engage in classroom observations as part of their professional development. This paper reports on a case study of a short series of classroom observations in which this author, acting as a facilitator, aided a novice teacher as she negotiated her first year of teaching ESL. The classroom observation process included the use of a method of using seating chart observation record, or SCORE chart, to help a novice teacher not only to become more aware of her classroom practices, but also to improve her instruction.

This study aims to examine the opinions of pre-service teachers from various disciplines regarding the elective Western Music course, to identify its potential contributions to their professional and personal development, if any, and to interpret these contributions within the framework of general cultural knowledge, which is one of the characteristics of a qualified teacher. A case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, was employed in the study. The participant group was selected through criterion sampling and consisted of pre-service teachers enrolled at Harran University in the departments of Elementary Teacher Education, Primary Mathematics Teacher Education, English Language Teaching, Art and Crafts Teacher Education, Preschool Teacher Education, and Science Teacher Education, who chose the Western Music course as one of their General Culture Elective Courses. A semi-structured interview form was used as the data collection instrument, and the obtained data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. In terms of personal development, the majority of pre-service teachers perceived the Western Music course as an opportunity to enhance their aesthetic understanding, familiarize themselves with international music genres and artists, and increase their cultural awareness. Regarding professional development, most pre-service teachers found the course beneficial within the context of general cultural knowledge. It was stated that the course provided valuable contributions in various aspects, such as relating music knowledge to their field of study, enriching lesson processes, conveying different cultural perspectives to students, and incorporating music into classroom activities. The research findings indicate that the Western Music course can contribute to the general cultural framework of pre-service teachers’ individual and professional development.

PurposeA significant research base has increasingly shown that one of the most important factors affecting student achievement in second language classrooms is the teacher. Consequently, over the recent decades, much attention has been paid to teacher-related variables in research. Nevertheless, few studies have dealt with the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness and their professional development in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL). As such, the objective of this study is to test a path analysis model of the variables and specifically to examine the hypothesis that metacognitive awareness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and professional development.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative correlational design was utilized to validate the research hypothesis. Then, data from 200 EFL teachers who were selected through available sampling was obtained using three questionnaires, namely metacognitive inventory by Cem Balcikanli, self-efficacy scale by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy and teachers' professional development inventory by Soodmand Afshar et al. The Pearson correlation coefficient of self-efficacy (r = 757, p < 0.000) revealed a significant positive relationship with metacognitive awareness, and the Pearson correlation coefficient of metacognitive awareness (r = 0.848, p < 0.000) showed a significant positive relationship with professional development.FindingsThe results showed the hypothetical model of the relationship among the research variables as well as verifying the mediator role of metacognitive awareness by multiple regression and path analysis. Then, the implications of metacognitive awareness, self-efficacy and professional development were put forward.Originality/valueThe majority of research on teacher professional development has focused appropriately on its relationship with components such as management training, teacher practice, reflective practice and academic achievement. In this line of research, the investigation of the potential links among self-efficacy, professional development and metacognitive awareness as interacting variables is scarce. More substantially, no prior exploration has been conducted concerning the mediating effect of metacognitive awareness in association with English teachers' self-efficacy and professional development.

Teaching assistants (TAs) often lead courses using curricula they did not design. Therefore, examining how curriculum and professional development (PD) interact to influence TAs’ teaching practices is critical. This study describes the effects of a curriculum and PD intervention in two contexts: when TAs are teaching curriculum that is explicitly linked to PD, and when teaching curriculum that is not linked to PD. The Intervention curriculum featured structured opportunities for reform-oriented teaching practices. The Intervention PD was situated in the context of these specific curriculum activities and modelled the desired teaching practices. TAs that participated in the intervention implemented more student-centered teaching practices than TAs that did not participate in the intervention, even when teaching curriculum that was not designed to be student-centered and was not linked to PD. A linear model of TAs’ teaching practices that included PD type, task cognitive demand and curriculum type indicates that cognitive demand has the largest relationship with teaching practices, followed by PD type. These results have implications for policy. They suggest that investment in curriculum-linked TA PD can be effective even when teaching curricula that is not linked to PD. Additionally, investment in development of higher-cognitive-demand tasks may be an effective strategy to support implementation of student-centered practices.

This edited volume explores reflective practice in higher education from multiple perspectives in a common context: Oman's national higher education system. The authors of the chapters address how higher education institutions can create opportunities for academic staff to engage in reflective practice, leading to gradual shifts in their pedagogical awareness and behavior in class; how reflective practice supports professional development; how teaching observation practices can create a culture of improvement and excellence in teaching and learning; how reflective practitioners can effect institutional change; promotion of reflective practice among students and the resulting benefits; enhancement of student academic support; and the promising intersection between reflective practice and AI tools for professional development. The case studies detailed by the authors show how reflective practice can be successfully implemented for the benefit of diverse stakeholders across higher education. "Reflective Practice for Elevating Higher Education: Voices from Oman offers a rare and deeply insightful exploration of reflective practice grounded in the unique context of Oman's higher education system. What makes this volume especially valuable is its rich combination of personal narratives, empirical studies, and practical frameworks that address not only teacher education but also professional development, quality assurance, and the emerging challenges of AI in higher education. The inclusion of the voices of administrators, policymakers, and educators creates a multifaceted perspective that will resonate well beyond Oman's borders." Hayo Reinders, Senior Professor of TESOL and Director of Research, Anaheim University

In-service teachers who engage in training on digital technology in education often have a dual profile: they are novices in terms of technological knowledge but at the same time are expert professionals when it comes to teaching practices. Meeting needs at both levels is not an easy task. Since 2001 INDIRE, an Italian institute for educational research, has been facing this problem in its provision of large-scale national training programs on educational technology. In the past, an inadequate response to technology literacy needs has often been the main cause of high dropout rates. However, in more recent times, participating teachers seem to have gained awareness that integrating ICTs in their teaching goes beyond the mere capacity to use technology; they are now requesting more training on pedagogical aspects and subject-related strategies. In this paper we analyse the case of two INDIRE courses, PON Didatec Base and PON Didatec Avanzato, which in 2012 and 2013 trained approximately fifteen thousand teachers, achieving good satisfaction levels and a significant decrease in dropout rates compared to previous courses.

Reflective practice is a process that facilitates teaching, learning and understanding, and it plays a central role in teachers’ professional development. When teachers carry out systematic enquiry into themselves, they understand themselves, their practices and their students. By constantly looking into their own actions andexperiences, they professionally and personally grow on their own which in turn impact on the effectiveness of curriculum implementation. This paper is written with the interest of reflective practice and effective curriculum implementation in mind. It revalidates the role of reflective practice in teacher’s identity, teacher’s quality, teaching and its impact on effective curriculum implementation. The paper recommends that teachers’ should be encourage to engage themselves in reflective practices using variety of frameworks as that will enhance personal and professional growth as well as effective curriculum implementation