Reflective Practice for Teaching in Lifelong Learning

“This book speaks with academic authority and the experience and understanding of practitioners. The authors draw teachers into their world of everyday reflective practice that is much more than a requirement from trainee teachers, but rather is at the heart of all teachers’ practice. The authors highlight its value for improving teaching and learning and coping with ongoing change, whilst recognising honestly the difficulties in making time to reflect deeply and critically and the questions raised about the worth of reflective practice in an increasingly regulated sector. Rich examples bring the text to life, exemplify concepts and demonstrate practical applications."
Mary Samuels, Oxford Brookes University, UK.

“This book has a heartening and optimistic message at its centre: reflective practice can help us as teachers discover what actually works to improve practice, not what should work or what we’ve been told might work. It is written in a refreshingly straightforward way that steers clear of educational jargon and aims for clarity; it is an antidote to the over-theorizing of Reflective Practice that it warns against."
Noelle Graal, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK.

“The authors of this clear and informative book have delved into their extensive experience to produce a must have text for all those who care about the state of teaching and learning in the Lifelong Learning sector. By providing an in depth, detailed and critical accounts of the key processes and products of reflective practice their book must become a set text on initial teacher training courses for the sector and an essential resource for both tutors and managers."
Dr Graham Hitchcock, University Centre, Doncaster, UK.

Reflective practice is an important skill for students learning to teach in the lifelong learning sector. This book makes the case for reflective practice in post-compulsory teaching and shows how it can be used to support teachers in coping with the complexities and contingencies of practice.

The book introduces a basic model of reflective practice and then explores several further models relevant to teaching in the lifelong learning sector, offering guidance on the application of each model in practice.

Collaborative approaches to reflective practice are also discussed, and the place of reflective practice in teachers continuing professional development is carefully examined. Other key features of the book include:

• Clear links with the professional standards for teachers in the lifelong learning sector
• Discussion of the challenges and issues when engaging in reflection on practice
• Coverage of action research, often considered an extension of reflective practice
• Illustrations drawn from the authors’ extensive experience in teaching and enabling learning