Reflective Models inLanguage Education:
Practice andEvaluation
Supong Tangkiengsirisin, PhD
Language InstituteThammasat University• RP has received wider attention because
teaching experience itself does not guarantee
improved practices (Nguyen, 2017; Widodo &Ferdiansyah, 2018).

ReflectivePractice• RP has been enacted in classroom action
research, lesson study projects, criticalfriendship networks, and peer observation(Widodo, 2018).
• RP has been used in CPD for in-service English
language teachers to help them apply theory topractice, improve classroom practice, and growprofessionally by learning from classroomrelated experience (Cirocki & Farrell, 2017)

(Cirocki &Widodo, 2019)• A four-component typology ofreflection• Reflection-before-lesson• Reflection-during-lesson• Reflection-after-lesson• Reflection-beyond-lesson

Reflection-beforelesson• Teachers should think critically about thelesson they plan.
• Teachers should focus on the objectives ofa lesson, learning outcomes, teachingapproaches and methods, materials,activities, and classroom management.
• Teachers can structure the lesson,anticipate challenges, and consider
students’ needs and how to integratethem into the teaching-learning process.

Reflection-during-lesson

Reflection-after-lesson• Corresponds to Schon’s (1983) reflection-onaction• Helps teachers describe what they observedin the classroom• Helps teachers review the roles assumed
while teaching and justify classroom
decisions• Enables teachers to clarify what they would
do differently if they delivered that classagain

Reflection-beyond-lesson• Similar to Farrell’s (2015) concept ofbeyond practice and Mezirow’s (1991,2009) transformative learning• Teachers can explore the economic,political, and social issues affecting theirteaching practice and English language
education• Teachers are encouraged to reliveclassroom experiences and find deeper
meanings and understanding throughcollective/collaborative reflection

Activities for reflection• Reflection-before-lesson• Reflect on your next lesson and ensure that it promotes a variety of group
work. Design FOUR activities that focus on developing an English skill. Then
describe the activities and provide rationale for classroom management
decisions made.
Planned activities
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4

Description of activities and rationale for the decisions

Activities for reflection• Reflection-during-lesson• Suppose you are teaching a group of 30 students with mixed English language
abilities. You have asked them to work in groups of five and discuss the topic GoGreen. In the previous class, your students read an article titled Go Green Movement.
One of your aims is to engage students actively in today’s group discussion. It is
important that the students make links to the text read last time. While you aremonitoring the class, you observe that in one group, two students dominate and theother three have hardly any chance to express their opinions. In another group, you
notice that one student is silent while the other four are enjoying the discussion.

Activities for reflection• Look at the questions below. Talk to your fellow teacher and tell them how you aregoing to go about the problems you are facing in your lesson.
1. What is your reaction to the two critical incidents: students’ domination andsilence?
2. How are you planning to solve these problems?
3. What particular strategies are you thinking of adopting to offer students equal
opportunities to contribute to group discussions?
4. How do you know that the strategies you are going to adopt will work?

Activities for reflection• Reflection-after-lesson• Identify one of the most recent lessons you co-taught and co-write a reflective report. In thereport, address the following five points:(1) reflect on your planning and teaching(2) identify all deviations from your lesson plan, explain what happened andrationalize your decisions(3) reflect on your students’ learning(4) outline the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson from the point of view of yourstudents(5) explain what you would change if you were going to teach this lesson again.

Activities for reflection
POST-LESSON REFLECTIVE REPORTTopic:
Level:
Aims:
1. Reflection on planning and teaching
2. Description of deviations from lesson plan and rationale for decisions made3. Reflection on students’ learning and engagement
4. Strengths and weaknesses of the lesson (students’ perspective)
5. What would you change if you were going to teach this lesson again?

Activities for reflection• Reflection-beyond-lesson• Reflect on your recent teaching experience and look for innovations you
integrated into your lessons. Choose the innovation that was mostsuccessful in your opinion and volunteer to talk about it during the next
staff meeting. Before the meeting, consider the following questions:
1. What is the innovative aspect you want to present?
2. Why did you decide to use it in your teaching?

Activities for reflection
3. Can you relate this innovation to recent theory/research inTESOL?
4. Can you relate this innovation to the current curriculum andlanguage policy?
5. What did you and your students find so interesting about theinnovation?
6. To what extent do you agree that other English language teachers
should integrate this innovation into their own teaching practice?
7. How do you think English language teachers, students and theschool can benefit from implementing this innovation in English
language classes?

Conclusion• Reflective practice has been operationalized in different ways, including learning
through and from experience, evidence-based observations and examination ofcritical incidents (Farrell, 2013; Widodo, 2018).
• RP can be defined as thinking about classroom events, experiences or criticalincidents, before, during and after their occurrence, in ways that allow for deep
introspection and evaluation.
• Reflection, or reflective practice, plays a pivotal role in teacher learning andprofessional development because it gives teachers the opportunity to self-assess
their teaching knowledge (e.g., beliefs, perceptions, assumptions) and practice, as well
as share thinking and practices in informal groups or well-established communities
of practice.