Reflective Teacher Reflection

The excellence in teacher preparation shows the excellence in the standard of education imparted. Excellence in education depends on the quality and efficiency of the teacher. An efficient teacher is the asset of an education system. The ability to reflect is one of the major qualities of a good teacher. The ability to reflect on what, why and how things are done and to adapt oneself to the process makes a good teacher. Reflection is the key to effective learning for teachers and pupils. According to Grinder (1989), teachers show rapid progress in their professional conduct during the initial three years or so after the career when they are still getting acquainted with different contours of the jobs, but once they are comfortably settled down

And in India, the teacher is considered as the least developed resource. Hardly, there is the attention and consideration to the selection of the right kind of people for teaching profession and providing them the best possible training and ensuring their status and keeping with the importance and responsibility of their work. The existing state of affairs thus invites a call for reflective teaching, which is yet to get justice in teacher education. Critically reflective teachers always think about how they stimulate the learning and teaching environment and make it effective.
Concept of Reflection
Reflection or “critical reflection” refers to an activity or process in which an experience is recalled, considered, and evaluated, usually in relation to a broader purpose. It is a reaction to past experience and involves mindful recall and assessment of the experience as a basis for evaluation and decision-making and as a source for planning and action.
According to John Dewey (1933), reflective means thinking. But the word thinking is used to mean almost any mental operation and is used in various ways like logical thinking, analytical thinking, and convergent thinking and so

 It is vital to prepare teachers who will lead as agents of socio-economic change in a democratic society.
Becoming a Critically Reflective Practitioner
A critically reflective teacher can prepare future teachers to be reflective and making the teacher preparation more meaningful and effective. So, it is essential to become reflective in the part of teachers. Bartlett (1990) points out that becoming a reflective teacher involves moving beyond a primary concern with instructional techniques and “how to” questions and asking “what” and “why” questions that regard instructions and managerial techniques not as ends in themselves, but as part of larger educational purposes.
Asking “what and why” questions give us a certain power over our teaching. We could claim that the degree of autonomy and responsibility we have in our work as teachers is determined by the level of control we can exercise over our actions. In reflecting on the above kind of questions, we begin to exercise control and open up the possibility of renovating our everyday classroom