reflective practice: a case study of a beginning early childhood teacher in Hong Kong

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    Hong Kong Journal ofEarly Childhood Vol. 10 No. 1 July 2011

    Introduction Teaching has gradually become more complex

    and demanding, occurring in a complicated

    environment (Dolye, 1986; Shulman, 1987).

    Teacher education programs cannot prepare

    teachers for every situation they may encounter.It has been suggested that student-teachers and

    beginning teachers need more time to become

    thoughtful decision makers, to establish their

    teaching approaches and to consolidate their

    professional development. Many educators

    consider reective abilities desirable characteristics

    of teachers (Gore & Zeichner, 1991; Herrman &

    Sarracino, 1993). Reflective teaching has become

    a widely used term in current discussions about

    the nature of professional training. Reflectiveteaching approaches to professional training and

    Reective Practice: A Case Study of a Beginning Early

    Childhood Teacher in Hong Kong

    TSUI King Yuk Anita

    Department of Early Childhood Education

    The Hong Kong Institute of Education

    Abstract

    This study explores a beginning early childhood teachers reflective practices and looks for evidence

    of characteristics of a reective practitioner. The participant took part in a series of reective thinking

    activities over ve months. The ndings of this study revealed the participants reective practice in the

    following aspects: on students learning, teacher-students interaction and teaching behaviour. Most of her

    reections focused on technical and practical levels. The participant had the characteristic of a reective

    practitioner. Through this case study the author wishes to facilitate reective teaching by early childhood

    educators which in turn is expected to help improve the quality of their teaching, besides promoting

    reective practice among early childhood educators.

    development have been associated with notions

    of growth through critical enquiry, analysis and

    self-directed evaluation, and have sometimes

    been distinguished from behaviour, skills or craft

    apprenticeship approaches which emphasize the

    acquisition of pre-determined classroom practices(Zeichner, 1983). Thus, reection can be a tool for

    continued personal and professional development

    (Ottesen, 2007).

    Literature Review

    Reective Practice Though considerable research on reflection

    and reflective teaching among theoreticians,

    researchers and teacher educators has been

    conducted, there is no consensus with regard tothe denition of reection (Schon, 1991; Rodgers,

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    2002; Admiraal & Webbels, 2005; Ottesen, 2007).

    Reflection, as a specialized form of thinking, has

    long been recognized as an influential factor that

    helps improve the quality of teaching (Dewey,

    1933; Bowman & Stott, 1994; Hernandez, 2001).

    Dewey (1933/1997) initiated a whole new lineof thinking on reflection. He characterized it as

    (i) a state of doubt; and (ii) an act of searching.

    He proposed that reflection involves not only

    a sequence of ideas but also a consequence.

    Shulman (1987) dened the process of reection as

    reviewing, reconstructing, enacting and critically

    analyzing ones own and the class performance.

    Dirkx (1989) considered the importance of self-

    improvement rather than the importance of moral,

    ethical and political issues. Van Manen (1991)

    asserted that reflection can take place only if

    teachers in general have the time to think about

    their teaching in terms of what was done, what

    could have been done and what should the next

    step be. Moon (1999), based on the above view,

    considered that the word reection implies a form

    of mental processing with a purpose and/or an

    anticipated outcome. In this study, reflection is a

    mental activity and a chain of ideas in the mind.

    Some scholars, however, have delineateddifferent forms and types of reection. Van Manen

    (1977) proposed three forms of reective practice:

    technical reection, practical reection and critical

    reflection. Technical reflection focuses on the

    application of pedagogical knowledge and skills and

    of basic principles of the curriculum for attaining a

    given end; e.g., teaching content, teaching methods,

    management skills and subject matters. Practical

    reection involves the clarication of assumptions

    related to pedagogical goals and evaluation ofconsequences of a teaching action. This is derived

    from subjective perceptions of the situation and

    personal experience. Manen argued that critical

    reectivity is the highest and most desirable form

    of reection. Moral, ethical and political issues are

    considered together with the means and the ends. In

    this form of reection, teachers are concerned with

    the value of knowledge, educational purposes, ends

    and aims.

    Reflective practice has been one of the most

    po pular features of profession al preparation

    programmes, especially in education (Nickel et.

    al., 2010). As such, in relation to teacher education

    programme, reection has several roles. Reection

    is the focus of continued professional development

    programmes (Moore , 2001). Many educatorsconsider that reflective abilities are desirable

    characteristics of teachers (Gore and Zeichner,

    1991; Herrmann and Sarracino, 1993). A study

    (Ottesen, 2007) of in-service teachers concluded

    that reection can be a tool for continued personal

    and professional development. Pultorak (1996),

    after a three-year qualitative research, proposed that

    teacher reflection is a developmental process and

    may be characteristic of beginning teachers. Cook

    (1993), after reviewing over 170 articles and papers

    on reection, concluded that no one has completely

    addressed developmental aspects of reection.

    Characteristics of Reective Practitioner Research on effective teaching indicates

    that relatively more effective teachers are often

    reflective thinkers (Callaghan, 2002; Edwards

    & Nicoll, 2006). The cultivation of reflective

    practitioner has become a major goal of many

    teacher education programmes (Chetcuti, 2002).

    Earlier, Dewey (1933/1997) indicated three

    attitudes to be prerequisites for reflective action.

    The first is open-mindedness, an active desire

    to listen to more sides than one (p. 29), and the

    second prerequisite is responsibility, which refers

    to careful consideration of consequences of a

    part icular action. Finally, Dewey (1933/1997)

    referred to wholeheartedness, according to which

    individuals should be willing to take a risk and

    put their ideals into practice. These prerequisites

    are the cornerstones of teacher reflection.Researchers in America have begun to develop

    what they claim to be a set of critical attributes

    of reflection in an effort to distinguish reflective

    teachers from their less reflective colleagues

    (Day, 1933). Numerous scholars have highlighted

    their respective versions of characteristics of

    reflective practitioners. Calderhead (1992) said

    becoming a reflective teacher may be considered

    to be a matter of critically examining ones own

    and others educational beliefs, and developinga coherent, articulated view of teaching and

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    learning. It is expected that reective teachers take

    personal, social, ethical and political factors into

    consideration. Reflective teachers should be as

    concerned with student learning as with their own

    (Capel et al., 1995). Cruickshank, Bainer & Metcalf

    (1999) took a similar view, claiming that reectivepractitioners purposefully deliberate or reflect on

    teaching; they are open-minded, freely questioning

    their own views and reactions to their teaching

    practices; they consider and accept responsibility

    for the consequences of the decisions; and they are

    enthusiastic and eagerly focus on ways to improve

    their teaching. Laker (2001) indicated the following

    characteristics of reective teachers: (i) those who

    look back on their work, their teaching and their

    pupils learning and reconstruct what happened

    and why; and (ii) propose alternatives and take into

    account the social, moral and political contexts that

    surround their teaching and schooling. This echoes

    Deweys perception of the reective practitioner: a

    person open-minded, responsible and trustworthy.

    MethodologyThis study used a case study design, providing

    a detailed account and analysis of one single case

    (Merrian, 1988). This study adopted an interpretive

    approach to explore a beginning early childhood

    teachers reflective practice. The main purpose

    of an interpretive approach is to understand the

    participants world. Human activity in specific

    situations, from participants perspectives, is

    examined (Hatch, 2002). Interactions between

    researchers and participants create ndings usingpredominantly qualitative methods. Thick and

    detailed description is used to bring the contexts

    and meanings of participants lives and behaviours

    to readers (Patton, 1990).

    Participant A beginning early childhood teacher with less

    than three years teaching experience was invited

    to take part in this study (Table 1). The participant

    completed a 3-Year (Full-time) Teacher Certicatein Early Childhood Education Programme. After

    graduation she taught in a non-profit making

    kindergarten. The researcher extended an invitation

    to recent Teacher Certificate graduates, briefly

    describing the study and soliciting volunteers. The

    background, purposes and procedures of the project

    were explained to the volunteers. All participants

    were required to sign an informed consent form

    indicating that they had agreed to participate in

    and been informed about the study. All participants

    were informed of their right to withdraw their

    Table 1: Background of the Selected Beginning Teacher

    Selected Teachers Name Teacher C

    Sex Female

    Years of teaching experience 2.5

    Qualications3-years (Full-time) Teacher Certicate in Early Childhood

    Education Course

    Teachers daily reectivity beforeparticipating in this study

    Sometimes reects

    Teachers attitude towards participating in

    this study and availabilityWilling to participate and available

    School locationA newly developed town in the New Territories in a lower

    & middle class area

    School history 11 years

    Type of school Non-prot

    Students background Low and middle class families

    School support towards reective activity Moderate

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    consent and discontinue participation at any time,

    and it was guaranteed that all findings would be

    condential.

    Data GatheringA series of reective thinking activities were

    conducted in this study (Table 2). These reective

    thinking activities took the form of journal writing,

    interviews and workshops. Three objectives were

    achieved: (1) to enable participant to become a

    (more) reflective early childhood teacher; (2) to

    enhance participants reection; and (3) to provide

    time and opportunity for the participant to reflect

    on her teaching. Each interview lasted for about an

    hour and was audio-taped. The interviews were the

    sources of information for analysis of data. Journal

    writing was used to enhance student teachers

    reflection during field experience placements

    (Bain et al., 1999). Reflective journals allowed

    participants time to stop and think about practising

    (Regan, 2008). In this study, the participant

    wrote a reflective journal and then the researcher

    interviewed the participant based on the journal she

    wrote. In this way, the chance of imposing personalviews of the researcher was minimized.

    Analysis of DataFirst, all the raw data (words, documents

    and transcripts) were transcribed and translatedinto English. Second, the researcher went through

    transcripts and texts and made comments in the

    margins alongside the data. Findings were merged

    in the form of themes and patterns.

    Further Reections on Methodology For pragmatic reasons, the data collection

    took place over a relatively short period of time

    (5 months). Yet, the participant, Teacher C,

    suggested that following further reflection, she

    wished to implement changes into her teaching in

    the following academic year. Thus, the duration

    of data collection was not sufcient for observing

    development of the deep change. Another

    limitation in data collection that must be noted

    was that the researcher should have collected as

    much information as possible from the participants

    colleagues and the principal in order to register

    other representations and interpretations of the

    situation, to avoid bias.

    Empirical evidence about reflection in early

    Table 2: Summary of the Data Gathering Process

    Interventions / Activities

    from March to JulyAims

    An Interview for Personal and School Information Background Information about the participants

    personal and professional development Submitted a piece of monthly Reective Journal

    (5 pieces)

    Encouraged teacher to reect on her teaching

    Monthly Reflective Thinking Interview (5

    interviews) with researcher

    Participant wrote a reflective journal before

    interview and the researcher then interviews the

    participant based on the journal she wrote

    Encouraged to reflect on understanding of her

    teaching

    Reflect ive Thinking Workshop (a total of 4

    workshops, including participant sharing after

    video lesson observation, view about reectionand teaching, etc.)

    Enhanced participants reflective ability and

    knowledge;

    To see whether participant was becoming morereective

    A Final In-depth Interview

    To explore participants reflect ive practice

    and look for evidence of characteristics of the

    reective practitioner

    Overall aims were to encourage and understand the teachers reection.

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    childhood education for beginning teachers is

    seriously underplayed in Hong Kong. The effects

    of reflective thinking activities used in this study

    deserve further discussion. School life is a busy

    life in Hong Kong and the participant was pre-

    occupied with various duties and further studies.It is suggested that the duration of data collection

    be at least one year. Also the effects of reflective

    thinking activities (journal writing, interview and

    workshop) used in this study also deserve further

    investigations and discussions in future studies.

    FindingsIn this study, it was found that Teacher C had

    made considerable reflection on student learning,

    made changes in her teaching behaviour, especiallyin her interactions with children. She became more

    child-centered. She reected more on her students

    abilities and interests, and was more aware of

    childrens feedback. It was claimed that Teacher

    C was an enthusiastic early childhood teacher

    eager to improve her teaching. In this study, there

    was evidence showing the participant had the

    characteristics of a reective practitioner.

    Reect on Student Learning Teacher C paid special attention to interests of

    learning, ability and responses of her students. She

    stressed that she gave her students room to express

    and learn through self-experiences and exploration.

    She said,

    Personally, it is extremely essential for

    the teacher to have a good understanding

    in knowing the interests and abilities of her

    students... (Reflective Journal II, & Reflective

    Thinking Interview II, p.4)

    In her reflection on teaching, Teacher C

    mentioned that her students were interested in

    trains. For example,

    Students were very interested in trains. One

    of the students pointed to the picture of a

    big train and said, I ride on a train before.

    Another student remarked, Trains in the old

    days were not like these. The teacher thenasked, What do you think about the trains

    that you know? Having heard this question,

    more students began to talk about different

    trains. Eventually, the teacher decided to take

    her students to visit the Railway Museum.(Reective Journal II & Reective Thinking Interview II,

    p.5)

    The above example shows that Teacher C

    considered students interests seriously. In fact, the

    Railway Museum is quite far away from the school.

    The travelling time from the school to the museum

    was about one hour.

    Furthermore, Teacher C indicated that her

    students need to learn through self-exploration. The

    following segment was recorded.

    When I talk about how to protect eggs using

    suitable methods, I provide many guidelines

    and express different views in a direct manner.

    However, the students need to learn things

    through their self experiences... However, it

    is still a good chance for them to learn if they

    could find out the reasons behind, and are

    eager to try out better protection methods.(Reflective Journal III & Reflective Thinking Interview

    III, p.5).

    Teacher C considered that she should let

    her students think of better methods. She further

    pointed out:

    Sometimes, when the students were working

    for exhibitions and competitions, or when we

    have to get their works distributed to their

    parents, I always talk too much to the students

    during these activities and the process ofproduction. This limits the creativity of my

    students because they follow instructions

    rather than using their talent. (Reective Journal

    III & Reective Thinking Interview III, p. 15-16).

    Reect on Interaction with Students Teacher C was more child centered. She

    thought about the childrens behaviours and

    reactions in the classroom.

    I didnt have time to chat with them in

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    order to know more about what they think.

    Recently, because of this reason, I had caused

    a student to be heart-broken and it also

    affected the relationship between us. One day,

    a girl brought me some photos after nishing

    her homework. She walked towards me andshowed me some photos. She wanted to share

    her happiest moment on a day she had fun in a

    park with her parents. At that time, I said, Im

    now teaching children to write characters. Can

    I see them later? She then went back to her

    seat and she did come again and again. She

    approached me three times but I gave her the

    same answer by refusing to see the pictures(Reflective Journal III & Reflective Thinking Interview

    III, p. 9).

    She further shared:

    Eventually, she did not come again and then

    shared those photos with other classmates... I

    walked next to her and asked her to share the

    pictures with me. And she replied, its fine.

    You dont have time. You dont want to see

    it. At that moment, I knew that she felt upset.

    Then, I tried my best to explain everything to

    her. I really wanted to take a look at thosephotos. But I was busy with your classmates

    at that time. After a while, she shared her

    feelings about the pictures with me. (Reective

    Journal III & Reective Thinking Interview III, p. 11).

    Teacher C quoted another example.

    I had mentioned that the time for activities

    was so tight every day. We had to finish

    everything in a rush One day, a parentbrought her child to me because the child had

    got a few bruises on his arm I asked him,

    Why didnt you tell your teacher that you fell

    down somewhere? The child replied, No, I

    didnt tell my teacher about that. His mum

    then asked her, Why didnt you? In class,

    children like to report and yell for teachers

    over minor problems. The child spoke in a

    mature tone. Teacher is very busy. She has

    got lots of things to do. And I didnt interrupt

    her. (Reflective Journal IV & Reflective Thinking

    Interview IV, p. 6).

    Teacher C said,

    I will not say Im now busy now anymore.

    But I will tell them, Please wait for a fewseconds. (Reective Journal IV & Reective Thinking

    Interview IV, p 8).

    I always say Please wait when the children

    ask for my attention. They have also learned

    to say Please wait When some children

    put up their hands, signalling that they have

    finished their homework, another child will

    say, Please wait In reality, they signal other

    things. Do I say Please wait so many times

    to the children in class? (Reflective Journal IV &

    Reective Thinking Interview IV, p. 9).

    As is evident from the above reflection,

    Teacher C treasured the sharing and interaction

    with her students.

    Reect on Teaching Performance In addition, Teacher C was more aware of her

    teaching performance and behaviour. She pointed

    out that there were changes in her teaching. She

    highlighted an example.

    Today, I praised student A and I said, You

    drew a wonderful picture. And I never

    imagined that student B would say. I dont

    understand why it is wonderful! At that time,

    I thought, Student B was very impolite by

    saying something like this. (Reective Journal V

    & Reective Thinking Interview V, p.3).

    Thinking it careful ly again and again,

    I partially agreed that his comment was

    reasonable. When I made my comment on

    Student As picture, my words were not

    concrete enough. I just generally said that his

    picture was wonderful. But I did not mention

    why I thought his picture was wonderful. For

    example, I should have said the picture is

    wonderful for its overall structure, colour or

    creativity. (Reective Journal V & Reective ThinkingInterview V, p. 4)

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    This incident leads me to recall how I praised

    the children before. Sometimes, my praise was

    not clear and detailed enough... if teachers can

    point out their praises more precisely, children

    will definitely know more about their own

    merits. (Reective Journal IV & Reective ThinkingInterview V, p. 8).

    At the end of the project, Teacher C emphasized

    that reflection is very significant to her and fellow

    teachers:

    Reection is certainly very signicant to us.

    As for a teacher, no matter what stages he/

    she is in, or whether he/she is a beginning

    or experienced teacher, he/she also has to

    improve himself/herself in different stages

    in his/her time Personally, teachers need

    reection, and I have mentioned it. I need to

    improve myself. (Final In-depth Interview, p. 3).

    Teacher C commented that there were some

    impacts on her reection after participating in this

    project.

    In her own words:

    The reason why I have to change myself

    is that the reflection I did before was

    not as precise as the one I did during the

    participation in this project. In the past, I

    remembered part by part what I had done. Or

    I just freely wrote down the key points in my

    note book. To me, at that time, this was called

    reection. However, after participating in this

    project, I have to write all the things in detail.

    I have to write and think at the same time. Soeverything makes a deeper impression on my

    mind we do observe children closely. (Final

    In-depth Interview, p. 8).

    Having participated in this study, Teacher C

    amended her teaching and learning skills to the best

    of her ability, and has become more professional

    due to her personal reection.

    Yes, I do see something bad in my teaching

    sometimes, and I remind myself not to have

    it happen again. During the lessons, the tone

    I use to chat with children, or the vocabulary

    I use in questions and answers, or the way I

    handle the conictor the way they take care

    of lifeor arrange each of these aspects in

    a better way. (Final In-depth Interview, p. 5).

    Finally, Teacher C suggested that more sharing

    with others (partner / colleagues) could improve

    their teaching.

    I would like to talk about this with other

    people. When doing the reflec tion on my

    own, if there is another one denitely. My

    partner in the classroom will tell me about his/

    her ideas. We may have different views on an

    issue, and in some cases our views may be

    very different. She will think of it in one way,

    and I will think of it in another way. When

    having different ideas, we will try to think

    thoroughly to work for the best of it. (Final In-

    depth Interview, p. 15).

    Teacher C also recommended that reflection

    should be done at a regular time.

    It seems that reflection should be doneregularly at a certain time....a teacher who

    does everything that she promises to do can

    reect at any time. However, if her workload

    is increased, her mind will then be slightly

    affected. Shortly afterwards, she will gradually

    decrease the time spent for reflection if her

    work has not been running so smoothly. She

    will do her reflection only if she encounters

    difculties that are hard to tackle. As for me,

    everyone knows the way of thinking and islikely to nd out where the problem is. (Final

    In-depth Interview, p. 20)

    Discussions Before this study, Teacher C would and

    could reflect only occasionally. It was shown that

    her reflective thinking changed gradually as she

    participated in the study. The scope of her reection

    broadened and she reected in greater detail on her

    students learning, relationships with and betweenstudents and her teaching performance. Most of her

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    reflective thinking functioned at a technical level,

    on the application of pedagogical knowledge and

    skills for attaining a given end (Van Manen, 1977).

    For example: teaching content, teaching behaviours

    and students abilities and needs. Furthermore, she

    reected on clarications of assumptions related toteaching goals and evaluation of consequences of a

    teaching action.

    As the study proceeded, Teacher C was not

    confined to a technical level anymore; she also

    reflected on a practical level. She analyzed her

    lessons related to teaching goals and evaluation

    of consequences of a teaching action (more aware

    of her teaching behaviour and its significance).

    This level derives from subjective perceptions of

    the situation and personal experience. Previous

    studies (Lawson, 1989; Baptiste & Sheerer, 1997)

    have suggested that beginning teachers focus

    their reflection on technical level as they need to

    survive the transition from being students to being

    teachers; many beginning teachers fail in the course

    of transition. However, it is of interest to note that

    teacher C had a significant part of her reflection

    at the practical level. It is worthwhile to further

    investigate the factors that helped her to advance in

    the hierarchy of reective thinking.

    It was interpreted that Teacher Cs past

    learning experience in primary and secondary

    studies was with a noticeable emphasis. She wanted

    her students to be able to think. This study revealed

    that Teacher C had a clear and specific teaching

    goal, to help her students become persons who

    could think. She wanted to achieve this teaching

    goal. The goal propelled her to use reflective

    teaching to accomplish this goal. Through reectionto achieve the goal is one of the characteristics of

    a reflective teacher. Moon (1999) and Rodgens

    (2002) have emphasized that we reflect for a

    purpose. The participant had a passion that came

    from deep inside her heart. She gave herself a clear

    direction and she knew the goal she wanted to

    achieve; to learn how to think through encouraging

    and helping her students to think and giving them a

    sense of self-initiation. She wished to train them to

    become persons who could think. Her role was to

    impact knowledge but to scaffold students in their

    learning and facilitating their growth. She was not

    a knowledge reproducer, rather a scaffold person

    and a promoter to help the students learn and grow.

    She used reflective teaching to achieve this goal.

    Teacher C had met teachers she considered good

    at different times in her preschool and these goodteachers had greatly inuenced her attitude towards

    early childhood teaching, nudging her in the

    positive directions. She admired her teachers and

    consciously or unconsciously wanted to become a

    good teacher like them. These teachers had become

    role models for her to follow. This was her common

    goal and achieving this became a driving force that

    pressed her to improve.

    The study indicated that Teacher C accepted

    suggestions and criticism from her students.

    Calderhead (1992) said becoming a reflective

    teacher is considered to be a matter of critically

    examining ones own and others educational

    beliefs, and developing a coherent, articulated

    view of teaching and learning. In other words,

    the characteristics of a reflective teacher are self-

    criticize ones teaching, actively and consistently

    review, in detail, ones own teaching behaviour,

    and accept the views of her students. From the

    interaction between the teacher and the students,as well as her teaching behaviour, it can be seen

    that the teacher cared for learning and development

    of her students. Reflective teachers should be as

    concerned with learning of students as with their

    own (Capel, Leask and Turner, 1995). Researchers

    (Cruickshank, Bainer & Metcalf, 1999; Laker

    2001) take a similar view, claiming that reective

    practitioners share certain characteristics. They

    purposefully deliberate or reect on teaching; they

    are open-minded, freely questioning their ownviews and reactions to their teaching practices;

    they consider and accept responsibility for the

    consequences of their decisions; and they are

    enthusiastic and eagerly focus on ways to improve

    their teaching.

    Based on the literature and research in

    this field, it is generally agreed that reflective

    teachers are those who are able to analyze their

    own practice and the contexts in which it occurs.

    They are expected to be able to stand back from

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    their own teaching, evaluate their situations,

    and take responsibility for their own actions.

    This study concluded that Teacher C possesses

    a reflective practitioners characteristics. She

    could reflect on her teaching, ultimately for self-

    improvement. She could reflect on or review heractions. She displayed self-awareness and strives

    towards self-improvement. She possesses open-

    mindedness, responsibility and whole-heartedness.

    All these should be enduring characteristics of

    the behaviour rather than simply surface level

    attitudes of mind. Being reflective practitioners,

    teachers should comfortably engage in the mental

    activity of reflection and relate more strongly to

    the characteristics of reective persons, rather than

    to habitual use of reection as a mental tool. This

    echoes Dewey (1933/1997): reective teachers look

    at classroom problems from many perspectives and

    especially from those of their students.

    Conclusions and Implications From the study, it was observed that Teacher

    C displayed reflective thinking in her teaching.

    Most of the reection mainly focused at technical

    level and a few functioned at practical level. Some

    changes in her teaching performance were revealed

    after a series of reflective thinking activities.

    She could analyze her teaching activities and the

    details of what had happened, and looked back on

    her teaching and evaluated her own situation and

    learning of her students. These had positive effects

    on her teaching and her students learning. Teacher

    C was an eager learner, and this was the driving

    force behind her continuous self-improvement in

    teaching. This study indicated that Teacher C had

    the characteristics of a reective practitioner. Thesecharacteristics included having passion in teaching

    aiming at improving the quality of teaching and

    learning.

    Reective abilities are desirable characteristics

    of teachers (Herrmann and Sarracino, 1993;

    Chetcuti, 2002); reflection can be a tool for

    continued personal and professional development

    (Ottesen, 2007). Early childhood educators and

    school administrators should take further actions

    to allow teachers to engage in regular reflections.

    Even though early childhood teachers in Hong

    Kong are very busy in their daily working

    schedules and duties, it is of importance for them

    to have a regular time for reflection and sharing

    with others (colleagues). The researcher concurs

    with Dewey (1964, 1977) in that reection does not

    occur naturally. Thus, it is suggested that reection

    should be explicitly taught in teacher education

    programmes and school staff development

    programmes. If reection is used properly, it leadsto learning, more critical inquiry, intelligent living

    and fruitful living.

    Appendix 1: List out some Questions and Sharings from Reective Thinking Workshops

    1. From your point of view, what does reection mean to you?

    2. In your teaching experience, do you know when you reect on your teaching or anything related to

    your teaching?3. Did you engage in any reection after class?

    4. The researcher shares with the participant about reection: denitions of reection,

    5. What do you think about your teaching after observation of your lesson through video-taping?

    6. Do you have anything more you want to share with me?

    Appendix 2: List out some Interview Questions from Final In-depth Interview

    1. Do you think reection is important to you? If important, why? If not, why and how?

    2. Are there any changes in your teaching after participating in this research project?

    3. Have you ever thought that you will revise or change your teaching methods or strategies in the

    coming year?

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    4. Apart from reective teaching, what other things or factors help or improve your teaching?

    5. Do you think that this project has enhanced your teaching?

    6. What is an ideal and satisfying lesson?

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