"On Becoming a Reflective Teacher" is certainly an interesting article that feels more personal than as if I'm reading from a textbook that is filled with facts. The article speaks to me because I feel that teaching is a profession that may be changing in the ways teachers teach over time. Although the fundamental goal of teaching remains fixed: to educate students and to provide support in their learning, but the ways to achieve this goal can vary from teacher to teacher, and in different academic settings. In fact, just by looking at our debate on relational vs. instrumental ways of learning among students, I can clearly see how teacher candidates like us are distinguished. As Grant and Zeichner first stated in the article, "teachers differ substantially according to their goals and priorities [...] that they employ." (103)
An insight that made me question myself as a teacher candidate is being mindful of the "teaching procedures and strategies" (106). It does seem easy to do, as teachers should be open-minded of students' learning, and it helps the teacher to be engaged with and care for his or her students. However, I'm just unsure when and how, if such opportunity rise, should I - a teacher candidate - should address issues that may be hidden from the "standard" or the teaching "tradition". Perhaps I don't have enough experience as a teacher in a classroom setting, and I can't say if it is ideal to question the standard way of teaching in the curriculum... Of course, one way of being open-minded is to be flexible and adapt to student learning styles.
As seen in the example in the article, I can't say if boys are registering in more science/math/technology classes than girls now since all genders are assigned the same class, so they are receiving equal amount of knowledge in those subject areas. In fact, we are now pushing more young people towards these field of study with the growing resources to fulfill our curiosity!
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The article's concept on being a reflective teacher has definitely made me open my eyes on ways to improve myself and what I do passionately. The fact that we are all in this teaching program together, a professional development program, makes us reflect on ourselves, our experiences, and our attitudes towards professionalism. As I was reading through this article, my mind was constantly thinking back of my examples when I was a student teacher and a tutor, and in what ways I could have done better or improved. For example, when I was volunteering as a teacher's assistant years back, I had always stuck to responsibilities and did things that were told by my homeroom teacher. I had also assumed that every student is paying attention and being engaged in the lessons. However, I should have been more open-minded to everyone in the class, and not just making assumptions. I needed to take active control as a student teacher by putting my mind and heart out there. As Grant and Zeichner points out, the reflective teacher is "dedicated and committed to teaching all students, not just certain students." (107)
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