Sue Leather - How to include reflection in teacher training sessions and courses

In this talk, Sue Leather looks at how to include reflection in teacher training sessions and courses.

About the webinar

Reflection has become a prevailing paradigm in the professional development of teachers. Grounded in the theoretical work of Dewey, Zeichner and Liston, the reflective approach to teaching includes recollection of a specific experience, and its critical consideration and evaluation, as a way of bringing about change in practice. Many believe that it has proven to be instrumental in promoting quality changes in teacher learning. For this reason, nowadays it underlies many institutionalized pre-service, in-service and academic teacher education programmes. (Leather & Popovic, 2007)

However, for reflection to become part of teachers’ practice, it is important that teacher trainers and educators a) are themselves reflective practitioners and b) make reflection an ongoing part of their courses and their sessions. Reflecting on input and considering how new ideas and techniques can be incorporated into practice are an essential part of the way that teachers learn.

This session briefly discusses the importance of reflection in training sessions and courses, reviews a simple reflection model for training and offers participants a number of reflection activities that they can use in their training sessions and courses. There will also be an opportunity for reflection.

About the speaker

Sue Leather is an ELT consultant, teacher educator and author. She runs an educational consultancy group, Sue Leather Associates (www.sueleatherassociates.com) specialising in teacher and trainer education and in the management of international ELT projects. She holds an MA in Education (TESOL) from the Institute of Education, University of London. She is presently working on projects in Iran and Nepal. Her current interests are in teacher trainer education and in facilitating sustainable improvement in ELT classroom practice. She is particularly interested in how teacher trainers can help teachers to transfer their learnings into practice.
 

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