How Reflective Practice Promotes Personal And Professional Development of Teachers - Essay Example

? How reflective practice promotes personal and professional development of teachers Table of content Introduction 3 2. Need for teacher development 4 3. Theoretical framework of teachers’ development 5 4. Techniques of teachers’ development 6 5. Reflective practices and teachers’ development 7 6. Importance of portfolio in reflective practice in teachers’ education and growth 10 7. How professional development takes place through reflective practice used in teaching 13 8. How efficacy of reflective practice in teaching can be increased for CPD of teachers 19 9. Conclusion 22 10. References 23 1. Introduction Education plays a crucial role in the character building of the children so that they can become responsible adults. It empowers students with knowledge and helps them to make decisions based on informed choices. At the current time, changes within the external environment have emerged as critical factors that considerably impact upon teaching outcomes. For example, globalization has ushered in multicultural society where people come from different background of race, culture and nation. In UK, the pluralistic society has increasingly become a norm. Consequently, language barriers and cultural differences have become important issues that need to be considered within the teaching methodologies for effective inclusion of children coming from diverse background. The teachers, as facilitators, therefore have the added responsibility of creating a supportive environment for learning new skills to cope with the environmental challenges (Gusky, 2000). Consequently, teachers’ professional development becomes highly relevant. Moreover, professional development techniques are designed to equip teachers with new skills and optimize the productive goals of effective teaching. This paper examines the various aspects of reflective practices in teaching which contribute towards teacher development over the career life span. The professional development of teachers is a vital issue within academia because it encourages self-improvement and the use of best practice within the education system. The key objective of teaching professionals is to impart quality education and improve students learning. UNESCO (1995) has stressed that the changing nature of the basic learning needs of children, youth and adults requires a broadening of the scope of basic education and redefining it to meet the needs of changing times. The changing dynamics of the social fabric in multicultural societies across the globe have increasingly become major challenges within the education system, especially in UK secondary school system. 2. Need for teacher development The quality and standard of teaching considerably influences students’ performance. The teachers need to evolve and develop appropriate skills to suit the changing needs of the pupils and raise their achievement level. It is important to understand the nature of teachers’ learning in order to exploit their competencies and promote new initiatives in teaching methodologies. Moreover, the key objective of a teachers’ development program is to challenge the status quo of existing knowledge to evolve a more creative way of teaching effectively (Craft, 1996). Teachers’ teaching is also influenced by their beliefs, ideas and their life experience (Borko, 2004). Moreover, teachers should also be able to communicate effectively to transfer knowledge. Their ability to communicate and their expertise in the subject are a critical paradigm that must be constantly updated to include new approaches and ideas. Effective communication promotes the retention of knowledge and the development of a critical outlook amongst the students. Effective teaching is contextual as its efficacy can only be tested in the context of learning and the environment and support within which it is imparted. Thus, environmental changes vis-a-vis advancing technology, globalization, demographic changes etc. become challenging issues for teachers that significantly impact teaching. Though, development of teachers take place when they engage in advancing their pedagogical content of knowledge using their time and place with defined purpose, learning also occurs when teachers participate in these activities, thereby making context and place important facilitators of CPD. Using technology in classroom is important example of contextual learning when along with students, teachers constantly learn new ways to apply knowledge and optimize teaching and learning outcome. The continuous professional development of teachers is, therefore important. It encourages the teachers to evolve with time and use environmental changes to make their teaching more effective and sustainable. They learn to exploit tacit and implicit knowledge in their personal and professional life. 3. Theoretical framework of teachers’ development Garet et al. (2001) assert that there is paradigm shift in the education system, especially in UK secondary school system and reforms are focused on what students learn and how they are taught. In UK, the reform initiatives in promoting high standards in teaching rely on teachers’ qualifications and their effectiveness as teachers. As a result, the professional development of teachers is inherently linked to new initiatives that equip teachers to develop problem solving skills that can be effectively communicated to the students. Thus, a teachers’ development program is reflected in students’ performance and their higher achievement. It serves as strong tool for promoting independent thought and actions with a good analytical and rational approach towards issues and subject matter. It helps teachers to be innovative in their teaching approach and make contents highly interesting for students. Thus, professional development helps teachers to use content knowledge in ways that optimises students’ learning outcome. 4. Techniques of teachers’ development Teachers’ learning and professional development is contextual and intrinsically linked to daily activities (Hargreaves, 1999; Lave & Wenger, 1991). The school environment as well as the external environment gives impetus to the learning process as teachers come across different situations and face different problems. Often the teachers’ learning is also confined to their subject interests and considerably influenced by the extent of their commitment to their profession and their sense of responsibility towards the students (Kwakman, 2003; Hargreaves, 1997). Although a collaborative approach and the use of feedback improve teaching practice, the learning environment provided by the school and the learning environment provided for teaching has emerged as a vital motivating factor for professional development ((Oosterheert & Vermunt, 2003; Smylie, 1994). These factors help teachers to seek ways and means to improve their teaching and thereby influence the quality of education. Professional development is an important factor for teachers, especially as they are exposed to challenging situations within and outside the context of work. CPD helps them to faces challenges with more confidence mainly due to the fact that CPD equips them with new skills and competencies. 5. Reflective practices and teachers’ development Clouder (2000) has broadly defined reflective practice as ‘the critical analysis of everyday working practices to improve competence and promote professional development’ (p. 211). The learning occurs when individuals or teachers look back on their actions and practice critically and try to find better ways of making their teaching more effective. By evaluating the pros and cons of the practice and techniques which have been used in teaching, the reflective practitioner not only helps to broaden the horizon of learning but also helps to promote an integrated approach to the learning strategy. It is highly relevant mainly because it tends to challenges the traditional approach and pre-defined dictums of the teaching process. It encourages lateral thinking and looks at new avenues of growth and opportunities through creative input that facilitates personal and professional development (Carlisle et al, 2004). Teachers as reflective practitioners are better disposed to use their experience and environmental changes as tools for advancing their knowledge and this in turn helps them to develop as better teachers. The reflective actions are intended to consider actions carefully so as to achieve the desired result. Dewey (1993: 4) emphatically claimed that reflective thought is a chain that not only involves a ‘sequence of ideas but a con-sequence’. Sequence of ideas refers to the actions and teaching methods used as trial and error which are then evaluated for their efficacy in terms of students’ learning outcome. The con-sequence is outcome that is found to be most effective in teaching. This is actual a cyclic process which a teacher tends to use to optimise teaching and learning outcome. Furthermore, Goldberg (1996) has emphasised that academic thinking is powerful tool which can be utilised over long time frames. When applied in teaching, teachers use a critical approach to reflect on their practice and improve their practice as they want to develop better ways to improve students’ learning. They learn new skills and competencies that would improve learning outcome. This indicates that there is also a strong sense of responsibility towards students and commitment to their teaching profession that drives reflective practice in teaching for professional growth. Reflective practice that promotes the judicious use of experience as a tool of learning is not new. Montessori’s educational process was an early teaching methodology that emphasized education of the senses which is later followed by education of the intellect (1912). The Montessori education system is still popular because it uses interactive methods to teach young children the art of social interaction. Children learn social interaction through their own experience which makes learning long lasting and effective. Most importantly, it helps them as young adults to expand their horizon of learning by applying their experience in daily life to achieve the desired result. In fact, it is one of the good examples of reflective practice where individuals expertly use knowledge gained through experience for their personal and professional growth. Another very crucial aspect of reflective practice is that it also promotes meaningful engagement in dialogue with a peer group, students, mentors etc. to evaluate one’s teaching and communication with students so as improve effectiveness. Indeed, the process also tends to consider the views of others and incorporate them within the teaching process so that teaching objectives align with the expectations of the students. Teachers also learn to avoid things or actions that others may consider inappropriate or less effective. When one reflects over one’s actions or teaching practice, one needs to adopt open-mindedness to observe actions and processes and look for ways that can improve them for still better results. Teachers’ careful consideration of their own actions and experience help them to identify their shortcomings and strengths, and shows them areas that can be worked upon to achieve a better teaching and learning outcome. Reflective practice uses a wide understanding of the various methodologies and mechanisms available and helps teachers to become more articulate. When teachers reflect, they are better able to evaluate their teaching, especially their experiment with new ideas and processes against the students’ learning outcome and adopt the ideas which have greater impact on students’ learning and avoid methods that do not achieve intended result. As such, reflective actions in teaching are a major value addition that considerably contributes to the development of self and equips practitioners to face challenging situations and problems with a positive approach and problem solving attitude. . At the same time, they are also able to inculcate art of critical thinking amongst students so that students are able to make empowered decisions based on informed choices. Indeed, unless learning can be effectively applied in real life situations, it cannot be really effective. Feedback from students lends teachers with new understanding about students’ outlook and their expectations from teachers. This in turn serves as motivation for teachers to assimilate useful experiences and information for future learning events where they can be weighed against changing new concepts and ideas. Most pertinently, reflection helps teachers to learn new ways of making their teaching more effective which can then be applied on different situations to evaluate its efficacy and improve and improvise one’s practice. The self-analysis is significant element of reflective practice that influences performance outcome and leads to personal and professional growth. The experiences and actions become major determinants of learning process and provide the practitioners with opportunities to test their creative inputs in diverse situations to reinforce teaching outcome. 6. Importance of portfolio in reflective practice in teachers’ education and growth Portfolios are documentation of teachers’ experience that helps to evaluate teaching and learning experience. Portfolios have evolved as critical tools of reflective practice that facilitates learning and development (Zeichner and Wray, 2001; Tillema & Smith, 2000). They help to explore the quality of reflection by examining the implicit meaning within the language of documentation (Hatton & Smith, 1995; Schon, 1987). Many scholars have also defined the learning portfolio as an important measure that motivates learners to take responsibility for their own learning (Wade & Yarbrough, 1996; Wiggins, 1993). Portfolios provide significant insight into the development of teachers and explore different facets of learners’ personal and professional profile, including their behaviour, attitude, belief etc. (Farr, 2001). They have emerged as a vital documentation of learners’ experience which can be used often to review on their work and teaching practice for improving their teaching outcome. The value of the portfolio can be considerably increased when it is used to identify teachers’ strengths and weaknesses and develop awareness regarding their competencies. The portfolio can be used to evaluate one’s competencies and seek different ways as to how those competencies can be exploited to increase teaching performance and improve the quality of education (Tillema & Smith, 2000; Loughran & Corrigan, 1995). The vast potential of the teachers’ portfolio offers tremendous scope of improvement in teaching practice that can help teachers’ professional development. Teachers are able to assess their growth at different levels of consideration and use this knowledge as a tool for further learning. Thus, developing portfolios not only enhances the efficacy of reflective practices but it may be used to identify key issues within the teaching process that can be stressed for higher performance outcome. The portfolio helps teachers to organize their learning in any way that suits their understanding of a subject or of important issues and how they were applied in practice. Portfolios reflect teachers’ learning process when their teaching process was constructed into a cohesive chain of actions that could be deliberated for needs assessment, and is required for higher teaching outcome. It conforms with Dewey’s (1993) sequence of ideas that are used evaluating the best teaching methodology. The need assessment broadly refers to methodology, teaching aids or even creative ideas that have the ability to impact the teaching and learning outcome. It can therefore, become a highly meaningful exercise for professional development if teachers inculcate the habit of regularly updating their portfolio. Hatton& Smith, (1995: 42) assert that portfolios need to focus less on dialogical reflection and more on critical approach. They believe that looking for alternatives expands their scope of learning as it may open huge possibilities of growth. This implies that it may be of considerable importance that learners reflect on their actions with a detached outlook so that their actions can be critically evaluated. Lily Orland (2005) says that value of portfolios is considerably enhanced in collaborative practice where knowledge is shared and learning goals are common. But at the same time, their effectiveness could be reduced by the external constraints of government policies and school criteria for quality education. If the portfolios become an essential part of the teaching agenda, they can be manipulated by learners to create a good image. But if the same are used for self assessment and as a tool for professional development, they may become a highly relevant part of CPD and an intrinsic ingredient of reflective practice that highlights critical thinking. Hence, how and under what circumstances portfolios are used by the teachers becomes pertinent issue within the wider ramifications of reflective practices as employed by teachers in their professional development. Moreover, tacit manipulation of the same could have a serious impact on the quality of education and this could defeat the very purpose and vision of constructing portfolios of teachers’ pedagogic practice (Borko et al, 1997; Zeichner and Wray, 2001). But reflective portfolios in teaching have targeted objectives of professional growth that significantly influence teaching practices. A focus upon specific goals would help one to look at the pros and con of the actions and might evolve innovative solutions with a potentially wide ranging impact on students’ learning. 7. How professional development takes place through reflective practices used in teaching Reflective practices used in teaching help to understand conceptual changes and dilemmas faced by teachers when they review their work and measure the outcomes of their teaching against the intended goals. Critical reflection challenges the assumptions, beliefs and existing concepts of teaching as well as learning. It could therefore serve as a motivation for teachers and students to apply their knowledge and content creatively and test the efficacy of their teaching and learning methodology. The practice may involve meta-cognitive psychology involving self-examination of one’s feelings when faced with dilemmas and reflecting on how the conflicts were used to optimise the learning outcome (Hennessey, 1999; White & Mitchell, 1994). Critical self-examination could be a key to development as it tends to look at paradoxes where changes could significantly alter the outcome for better or worse (Fullan, 1999; Kuhn, 1999). Many times, paradoxes may be observable in obstacles like a language barrier or cultural differences that would force learners to use different skills to communicate effectively. Indeed, teachers with committed goals would be focused on the desired teaching outcome and therefore, would use obstacles as opportunities that could be creatively exploited. This could be one of the important ways to develop teachers’ competencies in diverse situations. Reflective practices hugely promote innovation in ideas and their application in teaching when teachers impartially observe and evaluate their actions and teaching from the wider perspective of the desired learning outcome (Korthagen & Kessels, 1999). They are inclined to experiment with new ways to make changes in the teaching methods. They can then assess their effectiveness in the outcome that is reflected in the academic achievement of the students. At the same time, scholars believe that the conceptualization of change becomes pertinent only when its value is understood and realized through teaching paradigms (Adey, 2004; Dweck, 1991). While reflecting on their teaching, teachers discuss their practices with others and tend to evaluate them against hordes of new ideas that can be tested in different situations in classrooms or outside the classroom (Avgitidou, 1997). This lends credibility to innovation in practice where generating new ideas may have a beneficial impact on students’ learning and could lead to more effective teaching methodologies. Reflective practices also help to explore teachers’ education from various perspectives as envisioned by students. The feedback as constructed from the portfolios of the teachers’ reflection log could lead to fresh insight into the requirements and needs of teachers for their development and professional growth. Schon’s taxonomy of reflection describes several ways that are distinct in their implications and teaching outcome (1987). The reflection-in-teaching and reflection-on-teaching become two crucial issues which must be examined for their relationship with various variables of teaching. Thus, reflecting on content, teaching methods, conceptualization of changes, students’ responses etc. become vital factors that promote the use of critical thinking and empowered decision-making. Reflection-in-action shows intuitive knowledge that surface when teachers are faced with situations which are unexpected and require new solutions. The surprise element in situation forces teachers to be spontaneous in their solutions and they tend to seek creative inputs that can satisfactorily meet new challenges. Fraut (1995) gives an interesting perspective on Schon’s reflection-in-action and says that when solutions are sought instantly, there is largely no reflection involved as situations are not analysed in depth and there is no deliberation before actions are taken. Schon’s reflection-in-action is an important paradigm that highlights intuitive actions in teaching and their role in the development of teachers. It shows the preparedness of teachers in tackling unique problems. Indeed, while routine could be challenging for teachers, the competence of a teacher is tested by the element of surprise in unusual situations. The teachers’ responses in reflection-in-action exhort them to become inventive and evolve not only new solutions but the actions could also lead to the discovery of a new mechanism for solving problems. It is important that intuitive actions also be reflected on and reviewed. Moreover, intuitive actions could be evaluated for the long-term results in different situations. Hence, Schon’s reflection-in-action helps to test accrued knowledge in unusual situations and understand how interpretations of the events have led to the solution of the problem. Reflection-on-action has long-term consequences for teaching as student teachers learn from experience and improve their teaching. They deliberate on their teaching plan and teaching process by evaluating pupils’ learning outcome. Reflection-on-action is important because it helps teachers to critically appraise their action and teaching to know what could have been done differently to produce a higher learning outcome in the classroom. Self-assessment and retrospection encourage one to look for alternatives that can enhance performance outcomes thereby contributing to professional development. Expansion of teachers’ knowledge is another very important factor that is considerably influenced by conscious reflective practice. Xu & Connelly (2009, p. 221) have broadly defined teachers’ knowledge as the ways ‘teachers know themselves and their professional work situations. Teacher knowledge is a narrative construct which references the totality of a person’s personal practical knowledge gained from formal and informal educational experience’. In reflective practice, the teachers explore various facets of their experience and actions to test new approaches in teaching in order to make it better and more effective. Consequently, teachers’ actions and responses are a narrative summation derived from their past experiences, training, skills and their need to evolve better ways to teach. Reflective practice facilitates expansion of knowledge through implicit and implied means used in teaching. The implicit knowledge is gained through a knowledge acquisition process like training and implied knowledge is generated when theoretical concepts are applied to real life situations like the classroom. These two types of knowledge add value to teaching. As such, use of implicit and implied knowledge considerably enhances teaching outcome thereby, making them important facilitators of professional growth. Reflection in teaching has also gained prominence due to the use of narrative enquiry which challenges existing phenomena and assumptions about life. Narrative enquiry can be described as ‘inquiry into narrative’ as it is ‘narrative inquiry’ (Connelly & Claudinin, 1990:2). This is interesting phrase but accurately describes the actions in reflection which are constantly appraised for their outcome. Inquiry in narrative refers to interpretation of situations and experience and uses them to make teaching highly effective. Indeed, the effectiveness of teaching could be mainly attributed to the experience of phenomena that were utilized to generate new ways for improving work performance. Narrative enquiry is on as well as a method. Its structured sequence of events or phenomena that often become tools for generating new methods in teaching. The inclusion of life’s experience into the work arena, specifically in the teaching profession, helps to add value to the knowledge of teachers. It equips them with the power of thinking critically that can be applied to different situations within or outside classroom. The reflective practitioner therefore, is flexible in his/her learning and tends to optimise available resources to expand his/ her knowledge base for enhanced efficacy in teaching. The concept of narrative enquiry in educational establishments was evolved as means for improving life through education. Connelly & Claudinin (1995) say that the concept of narrative enquiry had emerged as an outcome of research conducted by Connelly Grant. School reform for quality education was a major goal of narrative enquiry leading to curriculum development. It served the basic purpose of education which is to make learning sustainable through life. In teachers’ development, narrative enquiry becomes a vital aspect as it incorporates the implicit knowledge of teachers within the broader contextually based knowledge gained through teachers’ training, knowledge on specific subjects and from available resources retrieved from the library, books etc. (Polanyi, 1958). This is important because the changing landscape of knowledge is hugely impacted by hordes of externalities like cultural differences, language barriers, transforming socio-economic dynamics and so on. Reflective practices may also evolve as powerful tools for raising the criteria of good teachers as teachers themselves become key instigators for making their teaching more effective. Defining a good teacher is a complex undertaking because the teaching process is contextual and therefore, could have different meaning for teachers in different situations (Korthagen, 2004; Caprara & Cervone, 2003). The professional identity of teachers is emphasised in reflective practice as teachers tend to develop their professional identity from the time they themselves were students. They need to be clear as to what kind of teachers they want to be and strive to imbibe those qualities to become good teachers. As a result, although the competencies of teachers are important factors, they are not the only issue within the broader objective of being a ‘good teacher’ (Tripp, 1994; Knowles, 1988). The behaviour of teachers is equally an important issue that could encourage students to excel or withdraw from the classroom activities (Stoof et al., 2000). Thus, teachers, who constantly boost the morale of pupils and highlight their strengths, may be called good teachers as they are able to inspire pupils to aim for higher achievement (Pope & Denicolo, 2001). a reflective practitioner inculcates skills and behaviour that he/she believes makes good teachers. Reflective practices also influence the psychology of teachers and motivate them to create a facilitating environment for learning through behavioural changes. Along with pedagogical content knowledge, reflective practitioners make concerted efforts to change their behaviour and adopt an attitude that values the views of others (Ayers, 2001). They engage in proactive dialogue with students that encourage them to aim for higher learning output. As a reflective practitioner, a teacher is better equipped to analyse the behaviour of oneself as well as others and evaluate the same in order to identify areas where change can bring about transformation in students’ learning outcomes (Newman, 2000). This is a crucial element that promotes behavioural changes to achieve the goals of education and invariably leads to their development into a good teacher. As such, reflective practices in teaching significantly expand the scope of the teaching outcome. 8. How efficacy of reflective practice in teaching can be increased for CPD of teachers The various studies conducted on different aspects of teacher development reveal that flexibility of approach and commitment to teaching are key constituents to teachers’ effectiveness (Dahlgren & Chiriac, 2009; Day & Gu, 2007). These scholars argue that development and professional learning of teachers is distinct in its context and therefore differs widely in purpose from that of other professions. Teachers work in an environment where moral and ethical values are critical paradigms that influence overall performance and their effectiveness as teachers. Teachers also play a significant role in students’ lives by promoting independent thought and actions with a good analytical and rational approach towards issues. Thus, teachers’ professional learning and development is inherently linked to the development of students as empowered individuals who can successfully apply knowledge gained in school into their life. Reflective practice provides huge scope of growth for teacher when they regularly seek feedback and evaluate their past experience to improve. The need to identify and evaluate various parameters of reflective practices becomes an essential ingredient for teacher development. At the same time, many other issues like socio-psychological factors have significant impact on the metacognitive responses of the teachers (Day et al., 2007). Thus, the behaviour, attitude, beliefs, value system etc. of the teachers have increasingly emerged as crucial elements within teaching process for eliciting positive responses from the students. Teachers learn what type of behaviour and attitude motivates students for higher achievement. When they change their behaviour to suit the needs of the students, they improve their teaching. Thus, incorporation of these factors in reflective practice would not only benefit the teachers but also students’ academic achievement and their growth as responsible adults. Reflective practice in teaching has therefore become very important and needs to be incorporated as an intrinsic part of continuous teacher development. The format and structure of a reflective journal helps to define the priorities of teachers and facilitate goal setting for higher achievement. When teachers constantly monitor their progress through a reflective journal, they are better able to improve and improvise their techniques for greater learning outcome. It is because reflection examines different aspect of their competencies, including their cognitive responses in different situations. Thus focused approach and resiliencyteachers need to be flexible in their behaviour and attitude and adapt ways that encourage students for higher academic achievement. The was personally much motivated by my teachers as I was constantly encouraged to make independent decisions as class prefect and had the opportunity to resolve classroom conflicts with high success. Teachers’ appreciation and trust helped me to value human relationships. Hence, I believe that the most essential characteristic of teachers is their ability to connect with the children and generate a bond of mutual trust and respect. A reflective journal therefore could considerably help teachers to improve their psychological responses through behavioural changes. Erin Gruwell (1999) has usefully exploited the potential of a reflective journal to increase students’ capacity to learn and grow as responsible adults and empathetic individuals. She emphasises that journal entries can become vital tools for students to analyse their behaviour and develop competencies that can meet the challenges of a multicultural society. The different ideologies, culture and value systems create conflicts that need to be overcome through cross cultural understanding. I believe that developing understanding about different cultures and value system is the need of the hour. A teacher wield considerable influence on the students and their personal behaviour and interaction with students from diverse background would motivate students to understand different culture and help forge strong bonds based on cross cultural understanding. Gruwell (1999) has shown that inculcating the habit of writing a reflective journal amongst the students could serve as major tool to create a better understanding of issues that impact the personal and professional growth of individuals, both teachers and students. The compartmentalization of journal entries into different areas of concern could be an important facilitator for making changes easily and developing as teachers. Teachers need to structure their reflective journal in ways that can address different areas of their work competencies as well as personal and psychological imperatives that have an impact on students’ responses and achievement. It would become a relevant tool for the personal and professional growth of teachers that would enable them to creatively apply their knowledge and experience for higher teaching outcome through their career span. 9. Conclusion The role of teachers is important within the field of education as they are proactively involved in the development of children and students into responsible citizens. Their professional development becomes necessary due to the evolving dynamics of the external environment. Reflective practices in the professional development of teachers help to identify shortcomings and promote wider understanding of the various methodologies that can be used to enable teachers to become more articulate and effective in teaching. Reflective practices therefore have gained popularity due to their active learning processes that constantly motivate teachers to improve. The various facets of reflective practice as discussed, reveal their importance in the overall development of teachers and how they contribute in adding value to the teaching. Thus, it is imperative that teachers constantly use reflective practices in their profession to develop not only as a teaching professional but also an individual who can connect with students. This would help them to inculcate values that promote relationship building amongst the students so that they can become successful professionals and responsible citizens. It can thus be concluded that reflective practices facilitate professional development of teachers and help introduce a flexibility of approach that lends value to their teaching outcome. Reference Adey, P. with Hewitt, G., Hewitt, J. and Landau, N. (2004) The Professional Development of Teachers: Practice and Theory, Dordrecht: Kluwer Avgitidou, S. (1997) Developing professional development in initial teacher training: a developmental model of student teachers’ understanding of the relationship between theory and practice, Athens: EARLI. Ayers, W. 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