Promoting Reflective Thinking in Teachers

Book excerpt: Praise for Second Edition: "This book is very thorough in presenting the purpose and accompanying strategies for instilling reflective practices in educators. I believe the reflective thoughts and questions posed throughout are beneficial for teachers."Karen Harvey, Induction Program Coordinator Santa Clarita Valley Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Praise for First Edition: "Offers practitioners and preservice teachers the opportunity to individualize their professional development on the use of reflective thinking to best meet their needs."Judy Nixon, Teacher Education Fort Hays State University Create meaningful, fulfilling, and successful professional development training for your teacher! This expanded version of the original bestseller integrates the latest research and technology with tried-and-true methods for boosting practitioners' reflective thinking skills. The tasks and tools provided have been specifically designed for facilitators of pre-service and inservice teacher education, training, and development-giving them a timesaving blueprint on how to shape their adult learners into analytical and critical thinkers. Attuned to the challenges surrounding teacher training, this easy-to-use guide outlines straightforward activities and concrete assessments that serve as constructive benchmarks for facilitators and teachers alike. It delivers 50 practical strategies for helping educators move through the levels of reflective thinking-from teacher roles, styles, attributes, and observations through such far-reaching concerns as the moral and ethical considerations of teaching. New to this second edition are strategiesto: Strengthen electronic portfolios with reflective writing Optimize video as a self-assessment tool Access relevant resources on the Internet Tap into online peer mentoring Encou