A Study On The Present Situation Of Reflective Teaching For English Teachers In High Schools

With the deepening of EFL education reform and teaching research, people have gradually realizedthat teachers’ professional development is the key factor to improve the quality of foreign languageteaching. The reflective teaching, which is a process to facilitate the comprehensive development ofteachers, promotes teachers from “craftsmen” growing into teaching researchers, accordingly responses tothe requirements of professional development of teachers. With the deepening of China’s curriculumreform, the role of reflective teaching to promote teachers’ own development and optimize teachingpractice has attracted more and more scholars’ attention both domestically and abroad. Reflective teachingis considered to be a more positive means to attain the actual teaching effectiveness and to promoteinitiative and active teaching.This thesis first describes the background, purpose, significance and structure of the study, andpresents a historical overview of the studies both abroad and at home; then states the theoretical foundation:constructivism theory, teacher professional development theory and teacher reflection and reflectiveteaching theory, elaborates on the research design, including participants, research questions, instrumentsand data collection and analysis. The research questions of this study are:1) What is the general situation ofreflective teaching practiced among high school English teachers?2) What are the factors affectingreflective teaching among high school English teachers?3) How do high school English teachers doreflective thinking in their teaching to facilitate their professional development? Data were collected fromquestionnaire, interview and teaching journals. The results of the present study were drawn withquantitative and qualitative research methods, Independent-Samples T Test and one-way ANOVA wereperformed on the answers to examine whether there are significant differences about English teachers’ withdifferent length of service as a teacher, academic credentials, professional title and school type in terms ofthe awareness, content, and strategies of reflective teaching.The results of this study are as follows:1) The present situation of reflective teaching applied amonghigh school English teachers is not so satisfactory, and many aspects in this field need to be furtherimproved. Most teachers realized the importance and function of the awareness of reflective teaching, butsome held one-sided view to the understanding of reflective teaching and lacked the consciousness andhabit to apply the sense of reflective teaching to teaching practice; some teachers also held one-sided viewtoward teaching values. Some novice teachers might have some shortcomings on reflection of ways of teaching; it is significantly different to the teachers with different length of service as a teacher, academiccredentials, professional title and school type in terms of the awareness, content, strategies of reflectiveteaching, which indicate that teachers’ individual background can influence all the various aspects ofreflective teaching.2) Factors that affect teachers’ reflective teaching include subjective factors andobjective factors. In terms of subjective factors, some teachers’ attitude toward reflection is not positive,relevant knowledge and strategies of reflective teaching were not conducted well; at the aspect of objectivefactors, the atmosphere of the school for reflective teaching should be enhanced, institutions of the schoolstill need strengthening.3) Classroom observation and evaluation and case study are the most commonlyused methods by high school English teachers, while discussions and conversation and teaching diary areless used, moreover, action research, audio-visual method and interview are seldom used by high schoolEnglish teachers.In view of this, some tentative measures for high school English teachers to carry out reflectiveteaching are put forward as follows: Firstly, teachers should systematically study the theory of reflectiveteaching, and improve the awareness of reflection; Secondly, environment and atmosphere of reflection forteachers to put reflective teaching into effect should be established by school and society, such as effectiveteaching activities are more carried out, teachers are encouraged to use audio and video recording, andBlog, etc.; to establish a regular basis system to observe and exchange activities, and system of reflectionfor all members should be established, the leadership should push forward the backbone and the backbonegive an impetus to teachers to carry out reflective teaching smoothly; school ought to perfect evaluationsystem of reflective teaching. Last but not least, to carry out effective teacher training. Only when traininginstitutions, schools, teachers actively cooperate, can we ensure teachers get effective training, and to carryout reflective teaching better so as to promote individual professional development.