Reflective Practice for Teachers

Maura Sellars trained initially at the Froebel Institute in London (now part of the University of Roehampton) before completing B. Ed (Hons) at the London Institute of Education. She has worked in primary schools in the UK and Australia for 28 years, teaching all the primary grades at one time or another. She gained a Dip.Ed. in Religious Education from ACU′s Queensland campus before graduating from ACU (Strathfield) with M.Ed. (Research). On completion of her PhD she has focussed on investigating new and creative ways of accommodating student difference and inclusivity in the courses she presents to preservice teachers and others. She is also committed to the importance of reflective practice for teachers and students of all ages, the needs of 21st century learners and establishing strong links between theory and practice (praxis) in order to promote strong, accurate self-knowledge that supports increased personal and academic success in relation to learning outcomes. She is currently investigating numeracy as social practice and how reflective practitioners might interpret the mandatory curriculum documents in numeracy and mathematics in order to make learning in these areas more accessible to diverse groups of learners.

The revised Reflective practice for teachers will be valuable resource for final year preservice teachers. It brings together 12 key topics for discussion in a highly accessible format. The updated materials and thoughtful provocations are well designed to help final year preservice teachers to reflect on several levels in their own journey to becoming a teacher. The scenarios in this book provide excellent conversation starters in seminars and it is great to see more of these in the new edition.

• Chapter 1: Reflective PracticeChapter 2: Teaching as Professional PracticeChapter 3: Education in the Twenty-First CenturyChapter 4: The Learning ProcessChapter 5: Teaching for LearningChapter 6: Theories on the Nature of IntelligenceChapter 7: The Importance of Positive ThinkingChapter 8: Self-directed LearningChapter 9 Understanding Student DiversityChapter 10: Skills and Strategies for DifferentiationChapter 11: EvaluationChapter 12: Beginning Your Teaching Career