Promoting Reflective Practice in Initial English Language Teacher Education: Reflective Microteaching

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Asian Journal of English Language Teaching ›› 2008, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (1) : 1-16.

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Promoting Reflective Practice in Initial English Language Teacher Education: Reflective Microteaching

Thomas S. C. FARRELL

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Reflective practice is based on the belief that teachers can improve their understanding of their own teaching by consciously reflecting on their teaching experiences. One way of promoting such reflective practice among preservice language teachers is to have them engage in reflective microteaching. Microteaching has as its main purpose the practice of specific skills of teaching during short simulated lessons. Over the years within the field of Education, microteaching has evolved from a training view of teacher education to a reflective approach, and this relatively new stance has been reviewed as having a favorable impact on the development of preservice teachers' teaching skills. However, within the field of TESOL, although there has been agreement that this reflective microteaching is desirable, not many studies have been reported on the impact of this reflective approach to microteaching. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of a reflective microteaching assignment in an initial English language teacher education program. Results indicate that if the purpose and requirements of the microteaching assignment are clearly articulated to the preservice teachers, they can have a positive impact, both real and perceived, on the development of English language teachers.

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Thomas S. C. FARRELL. Promoting Reflective Practice in Initial English Language Teacher Education: Reflective Microteaching[J]. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2008, 18(1): 1-16

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