This paper examines how reflective practice (RP) in teaching can be promoted through lesson study (LS) in a 1-year post-graduate course (PGCE) of initial teacher education (ITE) in England. It assumes that LS involves key elements of a reflective model of teaching and draws on LS literature, analysis of the English ITE context and from ...
This paper examines how reflective practice (RP) in teaching can be promoted through lesson study (LS) in a 1-year post-graduate course (PGCE) of initial teacher education (ITE) in England. It assumes that LS involves key elements of a reflective model of teaching and draws on LS literature, analysis of the English ITE context and from two small-scale enquiries using a two-cycle exploratory action research strategy. The two cycles involved: 1. the evaluation of PGCE students piloting LS in two primary schools and 2. two in-depth interviews as part of a small-scale survey with students about reflective practice in their secondary PGCE. The first cycle identifies the benefits and issues in using LS in a PGCE course within its existing framework and the national requirements in England for 1-year ITE courses. The second cycle illustrates the benefits of participating in LS for learning to teach underpinned by a broader and expanded notion of reflective practice. The research strategy results in a practical plan for how LS can be introduced as an enrichment activity for the PGCE. The paper illustrates how an active and critical version of reflective practice through LS, involving a Bildung-oriented teacher education, can address some problems with the current English standards-based ITE programmes.
