Reflective make‐and‐take: a talent quest reflective practice teacher model

Abstract

This article explores the efficacy of reflective practice within the context of teacher professional development. A reflective practice model and its training process are described as tools for facilitating teachers' efforts to understand and implement effective and manageable classroom instruction to effect change in classroom performance. Qualitative data were collected from elementary school teachers to gain insight into the relationship between reflective training, instructional practice, and student classroom behavior. Specific focus was on training whereby teachers were guided through a reflective make‐and‐take development of curriculum and instruction materials to use in classroom settings. Teachers engaged in critical dialogue in use of these materials. Data support four positive outcomes of the reflective model for teachers: enjoyment of collaborative engagement and reflective critical dialogue; development of curriculum materials aligned with teachers' collective classroom complexities and commonalities; positive effect of seeing and doing reflection in practice; and, positive student classroom outcomes.

Keywords:

• reflective practice model
• reflective inquiry
• teacher co‐construction
• reflective make‐and‐take