Connecting Educators Through Equitable and Reflective Practice

Abstract

Educators in all contexts—formal and informal teaching environments—constantly reflect on professional practices. We reflect on how students respond to lessons, on the implementation of hands-on and field-based interactions, on how assessments are designed, and on why some laboratory activities support engagement in science when others do not. It is fair to say that teachers constantly examine and think critically about effective strategies, content, and students’ needs. An abundance of tools and question prompts are available to guide educators in the process of reflective teaching. These strategies help teachers understand how to adjust lessons so that they support student sense making more deeply. They ultimately bring attention to complex details of everyday teaching—the relationships, interactions, and moments of understanding. Reflective practice is about being present in teaching so that we can fully understand how students are learning (Rodgers 2020).

Keywords:

• Equity
• Professional Learning
• STEM
• Teacher Preparation
• Teaching Strategies

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen A. Woodruff

Karen A. Woodruff, PhD, ([email protected]) is Director of the Endeavor STEM Teaching Certificate Project in Rye Brooke, New York.