Training EFL Teacher Trainees through Reflective Learning

Abstract

Reflection is regarded as an important aspect of and widely used in teacher training. According to Korthagen (1993), reflection in teaching basically refers to teachers learning to subject their own beliefs about teaching and learning to critical analysis. With this reflective stance, teachers thus take more responsibility for their actions. At KMUTT, MA students in ELT have been required to do teaching practicum at nearby schools for one semester. After teaching each session, the students have to write a journal reporting what happened in class, and then meet with their supervisors to discuss their teaching performance. This approach – writing reflective journals and discussing teaching performance – encourages students to be critical of their performance and learn to seek ways to solve problems by themselves. This study aims to report how students reflect on their teaching and analyse levels of reflection, based on Gibb (1988) and Farrell (1999). In addition, we also propose useful teaching strategies adopted by the students. It is expected that the study will shed some light on professional development for novice teachers.