My job is to act as a guide, not as a distributor of knowledge. Like Paulo Freire, I believe that students learn more from solving their own problems and finding their own answers rather than from passively accepting deposits of knowledge as is illustrated in his banker's model of instruction. Therefore, when I teach, I set up frameworks for learning and give students guidelines. I encourage them to pose their own opinions, and to question the opinions of others. Although I believe students should be responsible for their own learning and that they should find their own sources of knowledge, I do not believe that they should always do so alone.
Students often learn from each other since they have strengths in different areas.
Vygotsky recommends that students work within their ZPD's with a more capable peer in order to have an optimal learning experience. The instructional methods I describe above foster an environment of a community of learners, and I am one of those learners. My reflections occur through writing, reading, discussing my profession with my peers, or simply thinking about my work in my car on the way to or from work. Through my reflections, I expect to learn more about myself, my students, and my profession. However, my learning experiences occur in other ways besides reflection.