This Sunday (the 15th of August) at 11 am GMT, we will be joined by friend of the shop Matthew Noble for a session titled ‘Reconsidering Reflection’. You can check what time the session will be in your local time zone here. The session is free and easy to join. To take part, complete the form at the bottom of this page. We’ll send a Zoom invite one day and one hour before the session starts.
Matthew is a university instructor and teacher trainer based in Bangkok, Thailand. He is interested in minimalist materials, collegial cooperative development, and music in and out of the classroom. A serious interest in pursuing the contemplative life of a Buddhist monk led him into teaching English abroad in 2004 – so it’s little wonder reflective practice has always been his primary touchstone as a developing teacher. Currently, under strict lockdown and working fully online, he is focused on issues of how to maximize the “human touch” in tech-mediated class dynamics.
Here’s Matthew’s abstract for the session:
Reconsidering Reflection
[The] reflective emphasis in teacher education [implies that] teachers have not been reflective and they should be taught, using academic models, as to how they can reflect. The first assumption is wrong, while the second one is problematic in principle. (Akbari, 2007)
When I first read the paper in which the above quote appears…my mind was blown. There was I, a proudly active “reflective practitioner” teacher and teacher-trainer, both partaking in and recommending the very practices Akbari describes. But his assessment rang LOUD with truth for me. Why?
In this workshop I’d like to share with you some of the reasons why. We’ll explore an evolving understanding of the role of Reflective Practice for teachers in ELT. And of course, participants will be invited to “reconsider reflection” together in collegial dialogue.