In My Classroom: A Guide to Reflective Practice

Introduction

The development of In My Classroom: A Guide to Reflective Practice is the result of an urgent need in many countries for relevant and practical materials that help teachers and teacher educators understand and implement learner centered teaching in the primary grades. The materials have brought together ideas from countries all over the world to provide teachers and other educators with up-to-date practices and examples.

In My Classroom encourages teachers to work in small groups in peer learning and support activities as a way of promoting professional development among a group of colleagues. Sharing ideas, successes, and challenges with colleagues is a practical way to strengthen the teamwork at each school.

For teachers with little teaching experience and limited training, In My Classroom provides some basic information for getting started in some of the teaching skills. For those teachers with greater experience and training, In My Classroom will help to develop skills further.

A teacher at any stage of development in his or her career can use In My Classroom in a meaningful way. Although the materials focus on teaching and learning in the primary grades (1-8), secondary teachers may also find them useful. In addition to teaching strategies, the materials provide background information that may further extend teachers’ knowledge.

Because In My Classroom is designed to be used in different countries and in different situations within a country, there is an emphasis on adapting the activities to the local context. The In My Classroom materials are not meant to replace existing Ministry of Education training or curriculum materials or to override ministry policies or directives. In My Classroom is meant to support Ministry of Education policies by helping teachers and other educators with practical suggestions for carrying out the ministry’s policies. In My Classroom can be seen as a tool to assist in the understanding and implementation of local and national policies and curriculum materials.

Teachers are asked to use their own syllabus, teachers’ guides, and other curriculum materials in working with In My Classroom materials to develop tasks, materials, and practices that are relevant to their own situation. The In My Classroom ideas and examples may not be appropriate for every educational or cultural context. In My Classroom provides teachers with opportunities to examine the ideas and examples, discuss them with colleagues and others, and guides them through adapting tasks, practices, and materials that may be used effectively in their own context.