Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная
лингвистика
и
лингводидактика
–
Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Challenges in pre-
service teachers’ reflective practice
Khumora RAKHIMOVA
Namangan State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received August 2024
Received in revised form
10 August 2024
Accepted 25 September 2024
Available online
15 October 2024
Reflective practice is evident in how pre-service teachers
plan, design, implement, and evaluate their teaching approaches.
Engaging in reflection can help pre-service teachers appreciate
the value and passion for teaching, which is reflected in their
professional practice. However, students often encounter
challenges when writing reflections. This article explores the
difficulties associated with reflective activities and suggests
ways to enhance reflective practices.
2181-
3701/© 2024 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss5-pp46-49
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
reflective activities,
reflection,
writing reflections,
summarizing,
challenges of reflective
practice.
Bo’lajak
o’qituvchilarning
reflektiv
amaliyotida
qiyinchiliklar
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
reflektiv faoliyat,
refleksiya,
refleksiya yozish,
umumlashtirish,
reflektiv amaliyotning
qiyinchiliklari.
Bo’lajak o'qituvchilarning reflektiv
amaliyot faoliyatini darslarni
rejalashtirish, loyihalash, amalga oshirish va baholash jarayonida
ko'rish mumkin. Reflektiv amaliyot bilan shug’ullanish talaba
-
o'qituvchilarga kelajakdagi kasbiy faoliyatida namoyon bo'ladigan
kasbga bo’lgan munosabat va is
htiyoqni shakllanishiga yordam
beradi. Biroq, tajribalar shuni ko'rsatadiki, talabalar reflektiv
amaliyot faoliyatida ayrim qiyinchiliklarga duch kelishadi. Mazkur
maqolada talaba-
o’qituvchilarni reflektiv amaliyot faoliyatida duch
keladigan qiyinchiliklar va ularni rivojlantirish usullari muhokama
qilinadi.
1
PhD Student, Namangan State University. E-mail: rakhimova.xumora@gmail.com
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
5 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
47
Проблемы в рефлексивной практике будущих
преподавателей
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
рефлексивная
деятельность,
рефлексия,
письменные
размышления,
резюмированные,
проблемы рефлексивной
практики
.
Рефлексивную практику можно наблюдать в том, как
будущие учителя планируют, разрабатывают, внедряют и
оценивают свои подходы к преподаванию. Практика
рефлексии помогает будущим учителям осознать ценность
и увлеченность преподаванием, которые проявляются в их
профессиональной деятельности. Однако студенты часто
сталкиваются с трудностями при написании рефлексий. В
этой статье рассматриваются трудности рефлексивной
деятельности и предлагаются способы её улучшения.
INTRODUCTION
Reflective practice has become a focus of interest and a powerful movement in
teacher education and impacts more important educational outcomes particularly teacher
effectiveness and growth in teaching skills (Mathew et al., 2017). The reflective practice
could be described as a way to improve teachers’ practice; as an opportunity to understand
the effects of teaching; as the ability to reflect on an action to engage in a process of
continuous learning; as a way to enhance the teaching process; In the subjects of the
PRESETT curriculum selected for future teachers of English in higher education, reflective
activities are provided at the end of each course, allowing students to think critically about
their educational experience and personal development. Even EFL (English as a foreign
language) teachers at certain stages of their work, for example, in post-lesson discussions
while giving feedback that needs to reflect the lesson, is not an easy task. Teachers should
know to think critically besides speaking in a
foreign language, that’s why nowadays
student teachers should be taught not only language skills but also the competencies of
reflection.
LITERATURE REVIEW
One of the main goals of teaching reflective practice to future English language
teachers in higher education is to help enhance students’ continuing professional
development (CPD) in their future careers.
A literature study claims that the idea of reflective practice has evolved throughout
time. Furthermore, the literature review advises instructors to use caution while
implementing reflective practice in their practicums.
Dewey (1933) highlighted the value of engaging the student in reflection a century
ago in the following “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on
experience” (Dewey, 1933). According to his theory, learning gains meaning and relevance
when reflective practice is incorporated, and thus sparks personal development and
change.
According to Reid (2008), one of the difficulties that students face in reflective
writing is that they do not know enough academic vocabulary. Reid and colleagues
emphasized that reflective practices help students improve their writing by encouraging
them to think critically about their writing processes and the feedback they receive.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
5 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
48
Reflective activities prompt students to assess their strengths and weaknesses and
understand how they approach writing tasks.
According to Grabe and Zhang (2013), summarizing is the fundamental ability of
academic writing and entails interpreting and converting information from reading.
Summary writing skills are crucial and required in academic writing contexts (Delaney,
2008). Reflective practice calls on educators to critically examine their own professional
growth and teaching experiences. Borg (2009) emphasizes that reflective practice
encourages teachers to continuously analyze their methods and outcomes, fostering
personal and professional growth through introspection and feedback.
As an illustration, a teacher might maintain a journal of reflection in which they
assess the efficacy of various teaching strategies and make modifications in response to
reflective insights.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Conducting reflection activities can be a challenging task for student-teachers, as it
requires them to critically evaluate their own teaching and learning practices, identify
areas for improvement, and articulate their thoughts clearly. Below are the common
difficulties faced by foreign language students in doing reflections:
−
students have difficulties expressing their thoughts fluently or accurately, which
hinders their ability to think clearly and coherently;
−
students focus too much on describing what happened during the particular
situation rather than critically analyzing methods or outcomes;
−
many students are overwhelmed with the workload of being active in class,
completing independent studies, and leaving little time for reflection;
−
students struggle to connect reflective insights to broader theoretical
frameworks or research, which limits the depth of their reflections;
−
students hesitate to critically reflect on their weaknesses or mistakes, either due
to fear of judgment or discomfort with self-criticism. This can lead to overly positive or
surface-level reflections.
Students often face a range of challenges when reflecting on their language learning
experience. Here are some solutions that can help address these challenges:
−
it is helpful to encourage students to reflect in both their native and target
languages to obtain more cohesive and fluent reflection. Reflecting in their mother tongue
might facilitate more coherent idea expression for beginning pupils. They can eventually
begin to show up in the target language, which will encourage steady progress.
Furthermore, encouraging teachers to practice reflective writing regularly in the target
language can improve their proficiency over time.;
−
It is crucial to offer precise frameworks or cues for reflection to help people
overcome the challenge of knowing what to think about. By posing organized questions to
them, such as "What did I learn today?" or "What strategies worked well?" you may help
them reflect more effectively and manageably. Moreover, introducing reflection models
such as Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle or Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, which help students
break down the reflection process into stages
—
description, analysis, evaluation, and
action planning;
−
Students can reflect in many formats by using Multi-modal Reflections. Not every
student may feel at ease in writing. To encourage students to express themselves
creatively, the instructor might provide tools like mind maps, audio recordings, and video
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
5 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
49
diaries. Also, online tools or apps that allow quick and easy note-taking can help students
capture their reflections in real-time, without taking up too much of their time. in order to
make clear reflections it is important to set small, achievable goals and reflect on progress
toward these goals. This can make the reflection process more meaningful and help
students stay motivated;
−
Encouraging students to reflect in groups or through mentorship programs
allows them to discuss how theory can be applied in practice and learn from others’
experiences. Furthermore, teaching students’ easy access to articles, and case studies can
help them link their experiences with established theories and methods. And also,
workshops or training on reflective practice and action research can guide students on
how to use theory to inform their learning and reflection;
−
Encouraging students to engage in peer reflection help students discuss their
experiences can help them see different perspectives, learn from one another, and reduce
isolation in the learning journey. Additionally, using balanced reflection help students
reflect on both successes and challenges. A balanced approach that highlights both
strengths and areas for growth can make self-criticism less daunting.
CONCLUSION
In summary, Dewey (1933) emphasized in his earlier work that reflection is an
intentional, structured process that is essential for problem-solving, learning, and
intellectual growth. He highlighted its importance in education, advocating for reflective
thinking as a core element of teaching and learning.
Students in higher education can improve their reflective practices and their
professional development by tackling these typical challenges. Each solution will be
tailored to the proficiency level and learning context of the students, making reflection a
more accessible and useful tool in their foreign language learning journey. Overall,
reflective practice as a powerful tool for both teachers and students can enhance their
writing skills, improve language acquisition, and foster critical thinking. They view
reflection as a key component that develops a more effective, thoughtful approach to
teaching and learning.
REFERENCES:
1.
Borg, S. 2009. “English Language Teachers’ Conceptions of Research.”
Applied
Linguistics 30 (3)
2.
Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective
Thinking to the Educative Process. Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co Publishers.
3.
Delaney, Y. A. (2008). Investigating the reading-to-write construct. Journal of
English for Academic Purpose, 7(3), 140-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2008.04.001
4.
Grabe, W.; Zhang, C. Reading and writing together: A critical component of English
for academic purposes teaching and learning. TESOL. J. 2013, 4, 9
–
24.
5.
Mathew, P., Mathew, P., & Peechattu, P. J. (2017). REFLECTIVE PRACTICES: A
MEANS TO TEACHER DEVELOPMENT. Asia Pacific Journal of Contemporary Education and
Communication Technology (APJCECT), 3(1), 126-131.
6.
Reid, J. (2008) Writing Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom
Teaching. University of Michigan Press
