Transforming Teaching Practice: becoming the critically re ̄ective teacher

This article proposes a framework for conceptualizing developing as a critically re ̄ective teacher. The author posits that critical re ̄ection is the distinguishing attribute of re ̄ective practitioners. The term critical re ̄ection as developed here merges critical inquiry, the conscious consideration of the ethical implications and consequences of teaching practice, with self-re ̄ection, deep examination of personal beliefs, and assumptions about human potential and learning. Essential practices for developing critical re ̄ection are discussed. This article de®nes processes fundamental to re ̄ective practice. Teacher beliefs are self-generating, and often unchallenged. Unless teachers develop the practice of critical re ̄ection, they stay trapped in unexamined judgments, interpretations, assumptions, and expectations. Approaching teaching as a re ̄ective practitioner involves infusing personal beliefs and values into a professional identity, resulting in developing a deliberate code of conduct.