Entrance Slip: "On becoming a reflective teacher"

 The article “On becoming a reflective teacher" written by Carl A. Grant and Kenneth M. Zeichner. made me ponder upon the various ways that I can inculcate in my pedagogy to become a reflective teacher. Although it is written in different time and place but I believe the process of self-reflection and critical inquiry to become a great teacher is still the same. I found that the three attitudes (open-minded, responsible, wholeheartedness) presented by John Dewey will reinforce my inquiry process of becoming a great teacher. According to Dewey, in order to become a critical thinker and reflective teacher, one must think outside of the box and do not emulate the “routine actions “and become introspective in all aspects such as educational, social, political wherever teaching is involved.

 As a prospective teacher, I will assimilate open-mindedness in my personality so that I can be aware of the other alternatives of following the methods and procedures in the classroom and be able to decipher the problems by all possibilities thought by the people around (students, colleagues, myself etc.). In addition to this, thinking cognitively, being aware of the consequences of the actions taken in the classroom, working wholeheartedly for the wellbeing of the each and every student and experimenting different activities without the awe of making errors are few of the many ways I will incorporate into my life to become an effective teacher.

I assume that according to the new BC curriculum, teachers are not constrained by the curricular content than before. I am intrigued when the writer makes the general notion that “habits of reflectiveness developed during the preservice training will be washed out” since the teachers have to follow the standardized set of rules regulated by the school authority. This prompted me to inquire about the degree of freedom given to the teachers to work around their own methods. I strongly agree when he talks about the condensed schedule which allows less time available in the class for self-reflection. But it is always possible to allocate separate time to look back and make inquiries about developing better pedagogical skills. I look forward to my practicum and seek the maximum knowledge by making critical inquiries about the curriculum, content, students and school practices.