New to self-reflection and self-evaluation : novice teachers as diary writers

Abstract

In present day approaches to teacher training and its objectives, language teacher development is seen as not only based on a programme of studies completed in a training institution but it also emphasizes the role of the teacher and his/her insider’s view of his/her own teaching and development. The idea of reflective teaching emerged as a multidimensional construct related to the effectiveness of one’s didactic practices and professionalisation. As I argue elsewhere: Being reflective may be an innate feature of personality observed in one’s daily life and activity, extending as well into a professional context. However, it can also be developed through creation of certain habits at the stage of professional training (as it is in the case of teacher training). If acquired at the pre-service stage, it will become a part of professional routine at the in-service stage (GABRYŚ-BARKER, 2008 a). Consequently, the reflective teacher’s presence in the classroom is seen as: [...] a state of alertness, receptivity, and connectedness to the mental, emotional, and physical workings of both the individual and the group, in the context of their learning environment, and the ability to respond with a considered and compassionate best next step (RODGERS and RAIDER-ROTH, 2006: 265). This alertness and receptivity of a teacher results in his/her reflective behaviours at different stages of didactic procedures undertaken in and beyond the classroom.