Reflecting via self-recording in class

Many ELT programs make use of teacher observations for either administrative or developmental purposes. Although observations may end up causing anxiety or an excessive dose of self-consciousness, self-reflection- as a key... [ view full abstract ]

Many ELT programs make use of teacher observations for either administrative or developmental purposes. Although observations may end up causing anxiety or an excessive dose of self-consciousness, self-reflection- as a key teaching skill- may serve as a better instrument. This study intends to share the initial findings of an ongoing project that explores whether self-recording and holding reflective seminars with a group of ELT instructors could be a good beginning to get a teacher to assess both her/his and her/his peers’ teaching without the pressure of someone else observing them. The self-recording project involves 10 ELT instructors working at Dokuz Eylul University, School of Foreign Languages during the 2016-2017 academic year. The study also attempts to investigate whether the reflective seminars can pave the way to developing teachers’ own assessment criteria of one another rather than being bound to another set of criteria imposed on them which they have not discussed or internalized before. Implications are included for professional teacher development endeavors in ELT settings.

This presentation looks into the creation of teacher-initiated reflective seminars through self-recording in class. The presentation relies on an ongoing project that intends to explore the possible contributions of the... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation looks into the creation of teacher-initiated reflective seminars through self-recording in class. The presentation relies on an ongoing project that intends to explore the possible contributions of the seminars to professional development. The significance of this project is it is teacher-initiated as opposed to imposed peer-reviews or observations.