Reflection: A Powerful Tool for Teachers to Examine Their Own Teaching

Abstract

Abstract This study is situated in a mathematics teaching practice setting where reflective practice by pre-service teachers was investigated. Instead of having a one-on-one lesson observation, followed by reflection thereafter, this study looked at the joint lesson observation and reflection amongst three student teachers and a supervisor/researcher. The purpose was to investigate their reflective practices as a group, investigating the following research question: Do mathematics student teachers change their teaching when they receive feedback from a knowledgeable other, in conjunction with their peers? If so, how do they change? Data were collected through interviews of the joint reflections of two lessons of each of the three pre-service teachers. The findings have potential value for learning to teach where the participants could incorporate take-up from each other‘s lessons, develop in terms of the pace at which they taught and improve the use of technology in class. Joint reflection can be proposed as it enhances teaching and opens up the space to talk about classroom experiences.