Entrance Slip Week 2 

“Be reflective and think twice before you act!”   This is what my educational mentor always reminds me of.  However, it is not an easy task.  Reflection is a process of active thinking, evaluating, re-thinking, re-evaluating, and decision making.  When one is getting used to a daily routine (eg, teaching), one could easily lose interest in this crucial thinking and re-thinking process.  Although more than thirty years has passed, the attitudes for reflective actions mentioned in the article are still valid.  As a new teacher candidate, I agree with the author that to be open minded, responsible, and wholehearted is a continuous and growing process.

One of the arguments is that since “schools and society are constantly changing, teachers have to be reflective in order to cope effectively with changing circumstances” (p.109).   This wonderful point resonates what is happening this year. Under this unprecedented Covid-19 situation, both schools and teachers are forced to adapt new teaching and educational methods.  Online classes are now the norm.  Under this context, all teachers have to evolve, to learn and apply new technologies in order to integrate their familiar way of teaching into the new form of teaching method.  At the same time, teachers need to evaluate their effectiveness of online learning and be ready to make any adjustments to achieve the best results. Certainly, without a reflective attitude, the teacher, even a seasoned, would be much less effective.

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