A Study Of Reflective Teacher Education

Teacher professionalization, a key issue in teacher education, is the starting point and destination for teacher education. There are three perspectives in teacher professional development: the first one is intellectual perspective, the second one is practical-reflective perspective, the third one is ecological perspective. There are studies revealing that practical-reflective perspective is the best route towards teacher professional development. So far reflective teacher education has already become a trend of internation teacher education and a direction of teacher education reforms in China. Therefore educating teachers to be reflective teachers, as the key of teacher professionalization, has great theoretical and practical significances. The dissertation, starting by examining the backgrounds of the reflective teacher education movement which emerged in 1980s, makes a deep probe into the traits of reflective teachers and various views of reflective teachers, analyzes the value orientations of reflective teacher education abroad, and summarizes paradigms and routes of reflective teacher education. On the basis of the studies above, the dissertation puts forward some constructive proposals against the status quo of teacher education in our country.The dissertation consists of an introduction and six Chapters of main text:In the Introduction, the significances and current situations of the research , the train of thoughts and research methods of the dissertation are introduced and the key concepts concerned are explained.In Chapter One, the backgrounds of the reflective teacher education movement are examined from five aspects, which are views of knowledge and education reform, views of teacher and model transformation of teacher education, teacher professtionalizaton movement and teachers'action research, the break-through and development of psychology, criticism theory and the rising postmodernism.In Chapter Two, the connotations and characteristics of reflection, essential elements and criteria of reflection, theories of reflective teaching and reflective teacher education are analyzed deeply, in which the viewpoints and main contributions of John Dewey, Schon and Handal & Lauvas are emphasized.In Chapter Three, the five value orientations of reflective teacher education are emphatically analyzed. Five models of reflective teacher education are summarized and congnitive development levels of reflective teacher are analyzed. Two cases are also introduced in this chapter: one is the experience of using case methods in training reflective teachers in Mills College in America, the other is the experience of using method courses to upgrade the abilities to reflect and inquiry of pre-service teachers in Indiana University in America.In Chapter Four the relationship between the teacher career development theory and teacher reflection is analyzed, and the life courses of reflection teachers are also analyzed from within and without. That is, Stephen D. Brookfield and Michael Connelly& Jean Clandinin's views on the routes and methods for teacher reflection and the methods to create the cultural atmosphere for reflective teachers'growth.In Chapter Five, the issues such as'for what do teachers reflect? How should we understand reflection? What is the value of reflection and how should we evaluate it?'are discussed philosophically. The advantages and disadvantages of reflective teachers are analyzed meantime. Finally, the methods for reflective teachers to exceed themselves are probed into.In Chapter Six, based on the researches about reflective teachers and reflective teacher education abroad, four revelations for teacher education reforms and development in our country are put forward, which are: it is beneficial to teacher professional development and the actualization of teacher professionalization; it is helpful for the organic combination of theories and practices in teacher education and integration of teacher education; it is helpful for educating the reflective abilities and creative spirits of teachers and students and upgrading teaching quality; it is helpful for the enrichment and development of teacher education models in our country and broadening our thinking.Based on the questionnaire survey on reflective teachers, the dissertation puts forward four suggestions for the implementation of reflection teacher education in China:the first one is to change educational ideas and cultivate reflective consciousness; the second one is to develop personal practiccal knowledge and promote reflective abilities; the third one is to broaden the routes to reflection based on action research; the fourth one is to create communicative climate and advance reflection and collaboration.