Preparing Reflective ELT Practitioners Through Teacher Education: Insights From India

The importance of reflective practice has been well-established around the world, and India is no exception. Reflective practice allows teachers to examine their own actions, beliefs, and professional identity in order to respond to challenging situations and develop their teaching practice. In accordance with changes to the National Curriculum Framework (National Council of Educational Research and Training in National curriculum framework. Government of India, 2005), efforts have been made to incorporate reflective practice into teacher training programmes in India. This chapter explores the role of reflective practice in a teacher training programme, the BA/BEd at a university in Chandigarh, India. While strengths were identified within the programme, including a wide variety of courses and assignments with potential for reflective practice, it is also clear that there remain opportunities for further development of reflective practice on this programme. A greater emphasis on reflective practice throughout the programme would help achieve the goal of spreading reflective teaching into Indian classrooms, creating a new generation of reflective learners.