Reflective Teaching: Before and After Entering the Classroom
This reflective paper examines a student teacher's evolving perceptions of the profession before and after entering the classroom. Drawing on frameworks by Dewey, Grant and Zeichner, and Brooks and Brooks, the paper explores the distinction between reflective and unreflective teaching, the challenges of adopting constructivist pedagogy, and the role of mentorship in building confidence. It also considers how problem-solving skills contribute to teacher effectiveness and discusses gender disparities in mathematics education, with the author reflecting on her role as a potential role model for female students. The paper ultimately frames teaching as a moral and purposeful vocation.
- Introduction: Idealized Views of Teaching: Author's initial, idealized perceptions of teaching
- Reflective Versus Unreflective Teaching: Dewey's framework applied to classroom decisions
- Challenges of Constructivist Pedagogy: Difficulties adopting student-centered teaching approaches
- Problem-Solving Skills and Teacher Confidence: How problem-solving builds teacher self-confidence
- Mentorship and Professional Growth: Mentor's role in easing teaching challenges
- Gender, Mathematics, and the Teacher as Role Model: Gender gaps in math and teacher as role model
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper successfully blends personal reflection with academic literature, grounding each personal observation in a relevant theoretical framework (Dewey, Brooks and Brooks, Krug et al.).
- The first-person narrative voice is consistent and honest, acknowledging moments of self-doubt such as fear of student-driven lessons, which strengthens the paper's authenticity.
- The paper progresses logically from pre-service idealism through practical classroom challenges to a more mature professional identity, giving it a clear developmental arc.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of citation-supported reflection: rather than simply narrating personal experience, the author consistently anchors each observation to a scholarly source. This technique shows the reader that personal insights align with established educational research, lending credibility to what might otherwise read as purely anecdotal.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with the author's pre-service assumptions about teaching, then introduces Dewey's reflective/unreflective distinction as a theoretical lens. It moves through the challenges of constructivist pedagogy, the role of problem-solving skills in building confidence, the value of mentorship, and closes with a discussion of gender disparities in mathematics and the author's emerging identity as a role model. Each section transitions naturally from theory to personal application.
Introduction: Idealized Views of Teaching
Teachers come across as experts who have mastered their skills and always deliver quality as though it were second nature. They seem to experience no difficulty as they effortlessly deliver their content. This was my view as I sat in class watching my teachers, and it led me to choose this career for its seemingly simple structure. I was drawn to teaching especially because I wanted to impact lives and serve as an agent of change by enabling others to exploit their potential. As Sieben (2013) notes, teachers are a great source of change and greatly impact lives and values.
Reflective Versus Unreflective Teaching
Grant and Zeichner (1984), quoting John Dewey (1933), stated that a teacher can be either reflective or unreflective. Reflective action is more conscious. It requires that the teacher situate their teaching within a contemporary context, incorporating relevant information from the social and political environment. It demands an open mind, responsible decision-making, and wholehearted commitment to the profession (Grant and Zeichner, 1984). A reflective teacher must be ready to consider the various options available rather than defaulting to the norm or the easiest course of action. Moral choices must be made, especially when one course of action must be chosen over another. The unreflective teacher, by contrast, follows routine and established practice, seeking the most readily available option to achieve goals with minimal personal input. A teacher must consciously choose what kind of teacher they want to be (Grant and Zeichner, 1984).
While in the field, this decision confronted me directly. I had expected to follow established structures and well-tested traditions. However, the various situations I encountered called me to be reflective. One example was the choice of subject matter I taught — I came to realize this was itself a moral choice. Teaching one subject over another had consequences and placed a responsibility on me, even though the subject was part of a prescribed syllabus.
Challenges of Constructivist Pedagogy
Constructivist pedagogy, as described by Brooks and Brooks (1999), can be difficult to implement because it involves directing students to discover things for themselves rather than following accepted norms. This approach has faced considerable opposition from teachers, who cite reasons such as fear of losing classroom control, unwillingness to adopt new methods late in their careers, confidence in tried-and-tested approaches, and concerns about the impact on student learning. Some teachers have grown accustomed to controlling and running a strict routine in which students must adhere to set rules and receive teacher approval before attempting anything (Brooks and Brooks, 1999).
I experienced real challenges with constructivist pedagogy, particularly when it came to allowing student responses to direct my approach and alter both my teaching methods and the content I provided. Coming from a background of teacher-centered control, I had to adjust to a setting where the lesson was guided by students' responses. This affected my confidence, especially when I considered that this type of teaching could introduce an unexpected topic and leave me struggling to explain it.
References
Baltas, A. (2002). Self-confidence — respect. Aktiveline 27, 24–26.
Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1999). In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Chicago: Henry Regnery & Co.
Kahl, L. J., & Fine, M. J. (1976). Teachers' perceptions of the school psychologist as a function of teaching experience, amount of contact, and socioeconomic status of the school. Psychology in the Schools, 15, 577–582.
Grant, C. A., & Zeichner, K. M. (1984). On becoming a reflective teacher.
Krug, K. Dr. et al. (n.d.). Problem solving ability confidence levels among student teachers after a semester in the classroom. College Student Journal, 331–340.
McCoy, L. P. (2001). Remarkable women of mathematics and science. In J. E. Jacobs, J. R. Becker, & G. F. Gilmer (Eds.), Changing the faces of mathematics: Perspectives on gender (pp. 125–132). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Otacioglu, G. S. (2008). Prospective teachers' problem solving skills and self-confidence levels. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 8, 915–923.
Owens, T. J. (2001). Extending self-esteem theory and research. Cambridge, MA: University Press.
Ozmentes, G., & Bilen, S. (2005). The eurhythmics Dalcroze area of teaching skills, music for their positions on the effects of self-confidence on ability and music. Inonu University, Faculty of Education Magazine, 6, 87–102.
Sieben, N. (2013). "Why are you a teacher?" and other questions my students dared to ask. English Journal, 103(2), 110–112.
Wiest, L. R. (2009). Teaching note: Female mathematicians as role models for all students. Feminist Teacher, 19(2).
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.