Reflective Practice in TESOL: An Introduction

In recent decades, the concept of reflective practice has grown in popularity and importance in the fields of education and TESOL. Evidence suggests that teachers who systematically engage in this kind of practice gain new insights into their teaching and are able to improve the teaching–learning process in their classrooms. Indeed, in some contexts, including North America and Europe, a vast body of empirical literature is available which reveals that reflective practice is beneficial because it empowers teachers and transforms them into agents of change. However, in multiple settings in the Global South, the concept of reflective practice has either been proposed just recently or is only now being introduced. This means that in this region, it remains relatively underexplored and enigmatic; hence, considerable information is required about the opportunities that reflective teaching creates for practitioners and the challenges they may encounter while engaging in such practice. This introductory chapter thus sets the stage for the chapters to follow. It conceptualizes the notion of reflective practice, emphasizing the importance of teacher learning and professional growth. Different types of reflection and models of reflective practice are presented, and their significance for the effectiveness of teacher education programmes is discussed. This is followed by a synopsis of emerging research on reflective teaching in Asian contexts. Next, a principled approach to reflective practice is proposed. The chapter closes with a brief description of the purpose, structure, and readership of the present volume.