Aerial view of Washington Square Park at sunset

Reflective Teaching

Taken together with Peer Review of Teaching and Student Feedback, Reflective Teaching forms a key component of NYU’s Teaching Quality commitment to define, support, measure, and honor teaching excellence at NYU, and to develop those mechanisms which will enhance teaching and improve student learning outcomes.

What is Reflective Teaching?

Even a century ago, education scholars like John Dewey identified reflective teaching – that process through which teachers review their efforts to improve their effectiveness – as a crucial element for learning. 

What we mean by that reflection, however, is not a singular activity, but instead a variety of pedagogical practices, all of which involve thinking about and then capturing the otherwise often fleeting activity of our classroom. Reflective teaching can involve keeping a journal, recording and reviewing our classroom activity, or gathering student and peer feedback. It also usually involves some sort of iterative and experimental change based on that reflection. 

When we reflect on teaching, we actively revisit our and our students’ experiences. Over time, this process allows us to identify areas for improvement and to understand the impact that our teaching has on students. The process then benefits the students, ourselves and, if we share those reflections with others, our colleagues and teaching at the university as a whole. 

To discuss reflective teaching (or any pedagogical practice) with an LED consultant, contact us anytime at teaching@nyu.edu 

Reference:

Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co Publishers.

Why is reflective teaching important?

Reflective teaching is especially important in higher education settings because it: 

  • “Underpins our professional judgements; 
  • Provides a vehicle for learning and professional development and thereby promotes our independence and integrity as teachers in higher education; 
  • Is a means to improve our teaching, to enhance our students’ learning and to further develop the quality of higher education” (p. ix, Ashwin et al., 2020)

It is especially important to note that reflective teaching doesn’t just improve our own classroom, but with dissemination allows an opportunity to improve classrooms across NYU. Taken together with peer and student feedback, this set of activities (like the others in this website) will help NYU meet its Teaching Quality goals, its commitment to equity and excellence, and move toward its larger aspirations. 

Reference:

Ashwin, P., Boud, D., Calkins, S., Coate, K., Hallett, F., Light, G., … & Tooher, M. (2020). Reflective teaching in higher education. Bloomsbury Academic.

Barriers to Reflection

In addition to recognizing the benefits of reflective teaching, to become a more reflective teacher, it is important to identify barriers to reflection in your teaching. These barriers might be related to your work or personal reasons. Here are some common barriers to reflection:

  • No time
    • It can be hard to find time to complete your existing to-do list, so why add another thing? Doing proper reflection takes time, but you need to think of this as an investment in your professional development.
  • Lack of Skills
    • Many people who are new to reflection are worried that they are doing it wrong or don’t know where to start. Some of the popular models of reflection set unrealistic expectations that the process needs to be undertaken in a certain way. It is important to remember that reflection is a very individual process and there is no one ‘right’ way of doing it. You can follow whichever method suits you. It may take some experimentation before you find the way that works for you but half the fun is trying!
  • Environments
    • For some people, finding a physical location to be reflective can be a challenge. You will need to be in a certain mindset in order to practice reflection and it can be difficult to find an available place for this. Some people need a busy environment whilst others will need somewhere quiet and empty. If you are new to reflection then you may find that you need to experiment to find the right environment for you but once you have then you can work to find somewhere to practice your reflection.
  • Motivation
    • A lack of time and support can take a toll on your ability to reflect, especially if you are reflecting on something you have been doing all day. The last thing you will want to do is to go home at night and think about it! Even the best reflective practitioners experience this feeling at some point so don’t worry.
  • Yourself
    • Perhaps one of the biggest barriers to reflection is you! Unfortunately this is one of the hardest to overcome but it can be done. Being reflective takes a certain level of self-insight which can be uncomfortable for some people, especially if you are not used to it. The good news is that this can be achieved with some practice. If you are new to reflection, you might need to try lots of different methods before you find the one(s) which works for you so don’t get disheartened if something doesn’t work the first time – you can reflect on why and move on to something else!

Adapted from University of Cambridge

Types of Reflection

There are several different types of reflections that you can engage in for your teaching. For example, you can reflect on the pedagogy that you utilized in your classes or you can reflect on a wide range of teaching concerns that you encountered during your classes. Machost and Stains (2023) categorized reflections based on timing, depth, and content (Machost & Stains, 2023) as follows:

  • Timing of reflection
    • Anticipatory
    • Reflection-in-action or contemporaneous
    • Reflection-on-action or retrospective
  • Depth of Reflection
    • Pre-Reflection
    • Surface Reflection
    • Pedagogical Reflection
    • Critical Reflection
  • Content of Reflection
    • Technical Reflection
    • Reflection-in and on-action
    • Deliberative Reflection
    • Personalized Reflection
    • Critical Reflection

If you want to explore the examples of each type of reflection, please review this handout.

Reflective Teaching Practices

It is important to develop reflective teaching practices. These practices can be broadly categorized into two main groups: individual and collaborative. Within these categories, you will discover essential tools and techniques that can assist you in cultivating your reflective teaching skills. 

  • Individual reflective teaching practice
    • Individual reflective teaching practice involves a dedicated process of self-assessment and self-improvement. Using a reflective checklist and journal can help you establish a daily reflective practice routine. 
  • Reflective checklist
    • It provides a concrete way for regular self-assessment of your teaching. It also offers a structured framework for you to effectively reflect on your teaching. Here is an example of a reflective teaching checklist. By completing it right after your classes, you can easily identify what was working well in your class and uncover opportunities for enhancing your teaching. 
  • Reflective journal
    • You might consider capturing a few details of their teaching in a journal to create an ongoing narrative of their teaching across terms and years. Scheduling a dedicated time during the 5 or so minutes after class to write their entries will ensure continual engagement, rather than hoping to find a moment throughout the day. For more detailed guidance on how to write a reflective journal, please review a reflective teaching journal handout. 
    • Adapted from Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale University 
  • Collaborative reflective teaching practice
    • Collaborative reflective teaching practice is a dynamic process that fosters professional growth and development among teachers. By engaging in collaborative reflection, teachers have the opportunity to see aspects of their teaching practice that may not be visible to them during individual reflection. The most common collaborative reflective teaching practices are peer review of teaching and classroom observations.  
  • Peer Review of Teaching
    • Peer review of teaching involves observing each other’s classes and providing constructive feedback to colleagues. For a deeper dive, please visit our Peer Review of Teaching page. 
  • Classroom Observations
    • Our consultants can observe a session of your teaching. NYU faculty can request classroom observations by completing and submitting this form, indicating their interest in being observed. For more information, please visit our teaching observations page. 

To discuss reflective teaching (or any pedagogical practice) with an LED consultant, contact us anytime at teaching@nyu.edu.

Resources

Ashwin, P., Boud, D., Calkins, S., Coate, K., Hallett, F., Light, G., … & Tooher, M. (2020). Reflective teaching in higher education. Bloomsbury Academic.

Kuit, J. A., Reay, G., & Freeman, R. (2001). Experiences of reflective teaching. Active learning in higher education, 2(2), 128-142.

Machost, H., & Stains, M. (2023). Reflective Practices in Education: A Primer for Practitioners. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 22(2), 1-11.

Next: Student Feedback >