Teachers as Reflective Practitioners BED Syllabus PDF

Ministry of Education Bachelor of Education (BED) Course Syllabus Course Title: Teachers as Reflective Practitioners 1|Page  1. Course Information  Name of University: BDU  Course Title: Teachers as Reflective Practitioner...

Ministry of Education Bachelor of Education (BED) Course Syllabus Course Title: Teachers as Reflective Practitioners 1|Page  1. Course Information  Name of University: BDU  Course Title: Teachers as Reflective Practitioners  Course code: Tecs 312  Credit hours: 2 Cr.hrs  Contact hours: 32 Hrs  Year, Semester; III (II) 2. Course Description This course is intended to equip trainees with the theory and practice of reflective thinking as applied to the teaching-learning process. Where reflection, as strategy, can be a cross-cutting issue, this course particularly gives the candidates the opportunity to examine the educational theories behind the application of reflective thinking and action to teaching and to exercise it during the block of time allotted to the course. Among the core contents of the course are the meaning and nature of reflection (reflective thinking, reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action); reflective thinking/action versus technical rationality; tradition of reflective practices; levels of reflective practice; reflective teaching; the reflective teacher and strategies of reflective teaching in secondary schools. Action research, as one of the tools of reflection, will be part of the course. 3. Objectives of the Course The course is basically planned to help student teachers develop a thorough understanding of the professionalism of teaching, teacher thinking, teacher learning and teacher actions. After completing the course, the student teachers will:  be familiar with the basic idea of teacher thinking and teacher learning, 2|Page   develop the capacity and competence for evidence-informed teaching,  be disposed towards enquiry in teaching, and  develop the skills required for lifelong learning as professional (s). 4. Course Contents 4.1. Unit One: Reflective thinking and reflective practice 4.1.1. Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student teachers will be able to:  Define reflective thinking and reflective practice,  Identify the various levels of reflection,  Describe the rationale for and the purposes of reflection,  Identify essential qualities of a reflective practitioner, and  Compare and contrast reflection and technical rationality. 4.1.2. Unit Contents and sub-contents  Definitions of terms in reflection,  Nature of reflection,  Reflection as a thinking process,  Reflective thinking and reflective practice,  Levels of reflective practice,  Traditions of reflective practice,  Benefits of reflection, and 3|Page   Reflection vs. technical rationality. 4.2. Unit Two: The Concept of Reflection in the Context of Teaching 4.2.1. Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student teachers will be able to:  Define teaching based on the idea of reflective practice discussed in unit one,  Discuss the reciprocal relationship between teaching and changes going on around and the effects of such changes on teachers’ work,  Describe the identifying features of the professionalism of teaching that entails reflection, and  Characterize the professional identity of a reflective teacher. 4.2.2. Unit Contents and sub-contents  The nature of teaching: complexities and dilemmas,  Teachers’ thinking, creativity, learning and reflection,  Teaching, change in society and reflection,  Becoming a reflective teacher: o Professional identity: knowing oneself as a teacher, o Relationships in teaching: how are we getting on together? o Adapting reflection into one’s teaching repertoire: some tips, o Teachers as lifelong learners:  The idea of continued professional development, 4|Page   Approaches to continued professional development,  Rational and purposes of continued professional development, and  Policy implications of continued professional development needs. 4.3. Unit Three: The how of reflective teaching 4.3.1. Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this unit, the student teacher will be able to:  Define reflective teaching,  Differentiate between routine action and reflective action in teaching,  Learn by reflecting for/in/on their action, and  Organize and conduct evidence informed classroom teaching. 4.3.2. Unit contents and sub-contents  Meaning of reflective teaching,  Routine action vs. reflective action,  The process of reflection,  Evidences and teacher judgments,  The evidence-informed classroom, and  Strategies/opportunities for reflection: o Portfolio of evidence o Case narratives o Autobiography 5|Page  o Action research, etc. 4.4. Unit Four: Action research as a strategy for reflection 4.4.1. Learning Outcomes Where there is a separate action research theoretical discussion and project work guideline as a continuation from this course, this unit is included here because action research is one key strategy or opportunity to foster reflection in teaching. Nonetheless, the scope of this unit is kept as brief as possible for students have more time to discuss about the practical details with their project supervisors in the action research theoretical discussion and project related courses. With this backdrop, this unit is planned to help the student teachers to be able to:  Describe action research as a distinct type of practitioner’s inquiry,  Identify the various approaches to action research process, and  Develop plan to conduct action research. 4.4.2. Unit Contents and sub-contents  Meaning and nature of action research,  Action research vs. other types of educational research,  Basic processes of action research,  Problems for action research,  Planning an action research,  Implementing the action research plan, and  Reporting action research results. 4.5Methodology 6|Page The course will be based on the learning process of the students in exercises of reflection about their practice, both as professionals or as students, and about their experience reflecting on their reflection methods. They will carry out exercises of reflection on those experiences and will draw both practical lessons and insights about the concepts and methods of reflective practice they apply. Some reflective and reframing methods will be introduced as a resource for carrying out those exercises. The course will consist of 32 classes of each one hour. The basic format of each class will be:  A brief introduction to the core concepts of the theme of the day,  Instructions for a practical exercise,  The carrying out of the exercise, and  The discussion of the exercise and reflection about the experiences and return to the concepts discussed in the first part. The aforementioned class format may vary depending on the specific processes used in the practical exercises, institute context where it will be implemented or the presence of special speakers who may be invited to provide insights on certain topics. 4.6 Course Requirements An average of two article- or chapter-length readings will be assigned each session, to be read before the session for which they are assigned. Reading assignments are specified for each class in the course syllabus. Optional readings are also listed and students are encouraged to read or skim these materials as well. Reading assignments are from the required course book, The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action by Donald Schön, and a photocopied packet of reading materials. For those classes in which preparation for the practical in-class exercises is necessary, students will also be assigned a short reflection exercise to be completed before the class session. Students should attend class regularly and be prepared to participate in the practical exercises and contribute to class discussions. At the end of the course, students will prepare one paper, of up to 5 double-spaced pages, in which they will identify the most important lessons or knowledge gained from the course and how they intend to use these in their future professional work and/or development. This reflection paper will be a written 7|Page individual work, but once the students finish it, they will be invited to share their conclusions with their peers and their instructors. 4.7 Assessment methods Throughout the course, students’ learning will be assessed continuously through observation, oral questioning, individual assignments, group assignments, and quizzes, mid and final exams. Therefore, in this course, the following assessment tools will be used for grading purposes: Assessment tools Weight Quizzes 11% Individual Assignment (Interview teachers in the nearby high school regarding their 12% reflective attempts on their day-to-day instructional practices and gauge whether this practices are really critical reflections vis-à-vis the criteria of being a critical reflection, and/or identify the most important lessons or knowledge gained from the course and how you intend to use these in your future professional work and/or development.) Group Assignment & presentation (Select an Action Oriented Research topic and 12% thereby develop an Action oriented research proposal following a suggested format for proposal writing) Mid 25% Final Exam 40% Total 100% 4.8Course policy 8|Page   Students are required to attend all sessions and come to class on time.  Mobile phones should be put in silent mode all the time during sessions.  Active participation is a requirement.  Assignments and presentations have to be presented and submitted on time.  Any kind of misbehavior that affects the teaching-learning process and/or the comfort of students and the instructor will not be tolerated.  Cheating, plagiarism and other as academic misbehavior should be avoided. References Schön, D. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books. Zeichner, K., & Liston, D. (1996). Reflective teaching: An introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston: D.C. Heath. Kochendorfer, L. (1994). Becoming a reflective teacher. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association CALDERHEAD, J. & GATES, P. (1993) (eds.) Conceptualizing Reflection in Teacher Development. London: Falmer Press. Elliott, J. (1991). Action research for educational change. Albany: Open University Press. John Dewey (1933). How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process Chicago: Henry Regnery, Hoben, F.G. (2002). Teacher learning for educational change. Open University Press. Smyth, J. (ed) (1987). Educating teachers – changing the nature of pedagogical knowledge. The Flamer Press 9|Page Pollard, A. (2002). Reflective teaching – effective and evidence-informed professional practice. London: continuum Day, C. and others (2000). The life and work of teachers. International perspectives in changing times. London: The Flamers Press Mullen, A. C. and Lick, W. D. (eds) (2000). New directions in mentoring: creating a culture of synergy. The Flamers Press Fullan, M. (1998). Change forces: probing the depth of educational reform. London: the Flamer Press Arends, R. ; N. Winitzky and M. Tannenbaum (2000). Exploring teaching: an introduction to education. Boston: McGraw Hill. Eggan, P. and D. Kauchak (2001). Strategies for teachers – teaching content and thinking skills. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Pollard, Andrew (2002). Reflective Teaching: Effective and Evidence-informed Professional Practice. London: Continuum Kuit, J. G. Reay and R. Freeman (2001). Experiences of reflective teaching. Active Learning in Higher Education. Vol2(2): 128 – 142. Thrope, M. (2000) Encouraging students to reflect as part of the assignment process. Students’ responses and tutor feedback. Active Learning in Higher Education. 1(1): 79-92 CALDERHEAD, J. & GATES, P. (1993) (eds.) Conceptualizing Reflection in Teacher Development. London: Falmer Press. Smyth, J. ed (1987). Educating teachers – changing the nature of pedagogical knowledge. The Flamer Press Eby, Judy W. (1998). Reflective Planning, Teaching, and Evaluation K-12. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Feiman-Nemser, Sharon (1990). "Teacher Preparation: Structural and Conceptual Alternatives", In Handbook of Research On Teacher Education, ed. W. Robert Houston. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc. Green, M. (1989). Theories of Human Development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Henderson, James G. (1992). Reflective Teaching: Becoming an Inquiring Educator. New York: Mcmillan Publishing Company. 10 | P a g e Liston, Daniel P and Zeichner, Kenneth M. (1996). Cultural and Teaching. Mahwah, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. Pintrich, Paul R. (1996). Educational Psychologist. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Vol. 31, No. ¾. Approved By: Name of the V/Dean Sign. Name of the Department Head Sign. Name of the Course Chair Sign. Name of the Instructor Sign 11 | P a g e