| Education is an ever-evolving field, but true change in educational practice tends to happen slowly. The practices of novice and experienced teachers must keep pace for our students to be competitive in today's market. Yet it can be challenging for teachers to shift their practice. Teacher preparation programs work to keep pace with the changing needs of students in areas such as technology and diversity, and the globaliiation of the economy, and practicing teachers continually receive professional development. In this study, eight teachers studied the concept of reflection about the provision of feedback to students, then videotaped themselves to look for instructional areas in need of improvement. Participants also analyzed videotapes of one peer and provided feedback to the peer. All participants were actively involved in focus group discussion following each videotaping cycle. Data were collected through journal entries, feedback given to peers and through transcribed focus group interviews. The researcher was the principal of the school and facilitated group discussions making efforts to eliminate the impact of the positional authority posed by position held at the school.;Teachers observed numerous non-instructional and instructional behaviors identified as needing improvement. All participants expressed making change in practice based on participation in project. Even so, there was minimal evidence of deep reflection or of critical analysis of their teaching. Identified barriers to teacher reflection included lack of sufficient professional development on how to provide feedback to peers, teacher reticence to be critical of peers, and possible impact of power issues between principal and teachers. Additionally, it is important to note that research is not yet clear about whether reflective practices result in better teaching and improved educational outcomes. |
