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Reflective Teaching:the past, present andfuture of a textbook

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Andrew Pollard writes about how this establishedtextbook for teachers first started and how he sees itmoving forward... with a little help from all of us.

I think of the textbook, ReflectiveTeaching, as ‘ours’ – by which Imean that it belongs in some way tothe UK’s teacher community in bothschools and higher education.Certainly, I’ve driven it forwardthrough numerous versions since itsfirst publication in 1987 – but thereare three reasons for considering itin more collective terms. First, a lotof students and teachers have usedit in various ways over the past twodecades. Second, many peoplehave contributed as co-authors,within successive editorial teams,through specific commissions or inUK-wide consultations. Third, andmost importantly, the essence ofthe book is that it harvests,organises and then explainsevidence-informed professionalknowledge. In other words, it triesto promote ‘good practice’ asestablished by educationalistsacross the UK and beyond.

For many years, the outcome ofsuch engagement and dialogue hasbeen assembled into a fairly stablestructure of chapters, based initiallyon my own understanding ofcontext, values, perspectives,processes and outcomes inreflective practice.

The Teaching and LearningResearch Programme

(www.tlrp.org) was the largesteducational research initiative inthe UK. With over 100investments, its projects, thematicactivities, website and publicationsremain a rich source of insightsinto teaching and learning. One ofTLRP’s aims was to maximiseimpact for practitioners. Inpartnership with userorganisations, we producedResearch Briefings,Commentaries, DVDs, PractitionerActivities and other summaries totransform academic knowledgeinto more accessible forms. TheTLRP Steering Committee waskeen to see TLRP outcomesdisseminated through theReflective Teaching textbook andwebsite.

A new TLRP Commentary isbeing produced in association withthe General Teaching Council forEngland, and with the other UKGTCs considering parallelversions. ‘Professionalism andpedagogy’ argues that teacherexpertise is poorly understoodbecause so much practicalknowledge is tacit. A framework isthen constructed to codifyeducationally powerful ideas andto offer a tentative conceptualtoolkit for description, analysis and

‘‘ ‘‘...the essence ofthe book is that itharvests, organisesand then explainsevidence-informedprofessionalknowledge.

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Source: Pollard, A. (ed) (2010) Professionalism and Pedagogy: a contemporary opportunity. A TLRP Commentary. London: TLRP.

1. Society’s educationalgoalsWhat vision of ‘education’ isthe provision designed toachieve?

2. Elements of learning What knowledge, concepts,skills, values and attitudes areto be learned in formaleducation?

3. Community context Is the educational experiencevalued and endorsed byparents, community,employers and civil society?

4. Institutional context Does the school promote acommon vision to extendeducational experiences andinspire learners?

5. Process for learners’social needs Does theeducational experience buildon social relationships, culturalunderstandings and learneridentities?

6. Processes for learners’affective needsDoes the educationalexperience take due accountof learner views, feelings andcharacteristics?

7. Processes for learners’cognitive needsDoes the educationalexperience match the learner’scognitive needs and provideappropriate challenge?

8. Outcomes forcontinuing improvementin learning Does theeducational experience lead todevelopment in knowledge,concepts, skills and attitudes?

9. Outcomes forcertification and thelifecourse Does theeducational experience equiplearners for adult and workinglife, and for an unknown future?

Breadth: does the curriculumrepresent society’s educationalaspirations for its citizens?

Balance: does thecurriculum-as-experiencedoffer everything which eachlearner has a right to expect?

Connection: does thecurriculum engage with thecultural resources and funds-of-knowledge of families and thecommunity?

Coherence: is there clarity inthe purposes, content andorganisation of the curriculumand does it provide holisticlearning experiences?

Personalisation: does thecurriculum resonate with thesocial and cultural needs ofdiverse learners and provideappropriate elements of choice?

Relevance: is the curriculumpresented in ways which aremeaningful to learners and sothat it can excite theirimagination?

Differentiation: arecurriculum tasks and activitiesstructured appropriately tomatch the intellectual needs oflearners?

Progression: does thecurriculum-as-delivered providean appropriate sequence anddepth of learning experiences?

Effectiveness: are thereimprovements in standards,in both basic skills and otherareas of curricular attainment,to satisfy society’s educationalgoals?

Principle: is the pedagogyconsistent with establishedprinciples for effective teachingand learning?

Repertoire: is thepedagogic expertisesufficiently creative, skilledand wide-ranging to teach allelements of learning?

Warrant: are the teachingstrategies evidence-informed,convincing and justifiable tostakeholders?

Culture: does the schoolsupport expansive learning byaffirming learner contributions,engaging partners andproviding attractiveopportunities?

Relationships: are teacher-pupil relationships nurtured asthe foundation of goodbehaviour, mutual wellbeingand high standards?

Engagement: do theteaching strategies, classroomorganisation and consultationenable learners to activelyparticipate in and enjoy theirlearning?

Dialogue: does teacher-learner talk scaffoldunderstanding to build onexisting knowledge and tostrengthen dispositions tolearn?

Reflection: is classroompractice based on incremental,evidence-informed andcollaborative improvementstrategies?

Empowerment: is thepedagogic repertoiresuccessful in enhancingwellbeing, learning disposition,capabilities and agency?

Congruence: are forms ofassessment fit-for-purpose interms of overall educationalobjectives?

Validity: in terms of learning,do the forms of assessmentused really measure what theyare intended to measure?

Dependability: areassessment processesunderstood and accepted asbeing robust and reliable?

Expectation: does theschool support high staff andstudent expectations andaspire to excellence?

Inclusion: are all learnerstreated respectfully and fairlyin both formal and informalinteraction?

Authenticity: do learnersrecognise routine processesof assessment and feedbackas being of personal value?

Feed-back: is there a routineflow of constructive, specific,diagnostic feedback fromteacher to learners?

Development: doesformative feedback andsupport enable learners toachieve personal learninggoals?

Consequence: doassessment outcomes leadtowards recognisedqualifications and a confidentsense of personal identity?

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not only clear and accessibleaccounts of research evidenceand support for teacherenquiry, but also the mostpowerful conceptual toolsavailable for talking about,thinking about and publiclyrepresenting teacher expertise.Can the established structureof practical guidance beenhanced by a deeper level oftheorised understanding? Howcould new editions of ReflectiveTeaching be developed toincorporate such layeredthinking, whilst maintainingpracticality and accessibility?Over the next year, I hope togather opinions on thisquestion.

In the long term, it isintended to form a Trust orestablish some otherarrangement which will protectthe intellectual property rightsand copyright of thesematerials and enable them tobe sustained and developed byothers. Although I’m stillenjoying the creative buzz rightnow, when I move on,Reflective Teaching will remainwithin our community.

Comments or expressionsof interest in discussing theseideas would be most welcome- a.pollard@ioe.ac.uk

A former school teacher, teacher

educator and researcher, Andrew Pollard

was Director of the ESRC’s Teaching and

Learning Research Programme from

2002-09. His interests include teaching-

learning processes and learner

perspectives, as well as the development

of evidence-informed classroom practice.

ReferencesPollard, A. with Anderson, J.,Maddock, M., Swaffield, S., Warin, J.and Warwick, P. (2008) ReflectiveTeaching. (3rd Edition) London:Continuum.

Pollard, A. (Ed) (2002) Readings forReflective Teaching. London:Continuum.

www.RTweb.info is an independentwebsite, offering free material on aCreative Commons license andcurrently drawing on the expertise ofJo Warin, Paul Warwick, SueSwaffield, Mandy Swann and myself.

The TLRP Commentary is: Pollard, A.(ed) (2010) Professionalism andPedagogy. London: TLRP. FromMay, this is expected to bedownloadable from www.tlrp.org,www.RTweb.info andwww.gtce.org.uk. Discussionfacilities are in preparation atwww.cloudworks.ac.uk.

discussion of practice (seeopposite).

The core proposition is that‘enduring educational issues’ relateto the aims, contexts, processesand outcomes of education. So,the argument is that teachersinevitably face these issues in oneway or another through their day-to-day work in curriculum,pedagogy and assessment.Juggling with such issues requireshigh levels of reflective expertise –whether this draws on teaching asart, science or craft. Such work, itis suggested, is manifestedthrough the practical dilemmasteachers face as they seek to solveroutine classroom problems.

For many years, the ReflectiveTeaching texts have promoted theuse of evidence to informprofessional judgement. However,the power of the concepts whichare used to think about anddiscuss such evidence isabsolutely vital too. Without suchanalytic capacity, neitherclassroom enquiry nor discussionwith colleagues can buildsustainable professional expertise.

As contemporary educationpolicy changes, opportunities fornew forms of professionalismappear to be opening up. I hopethat new editions of ReflectiveTeaching can be developed to offer

Andrew PollardInstitute of Education,University of London