How to Reflect on Your Teaching
Reflective teaching is a purposeful, ongoing process of self-assessment and adaptation that enhances instructional effectiveness. By thoughtfully engaging with feedback from students, peers, and personal observations, instructors can refine their teaching strategies, course design, and approaches to student engagement.
Effective reflective practice is evidence-based—it draws on data and feedback to inform immediate adjustments and long-term improvements. Reflection happens in action, as instructors adapt in real time to meet student needs, and on action, they analyze past experiences to identify strengths and areas for growth.
This dual approach deepens self-awareness, sharpens instructional skills, and strengthens one’s teaching philosophy. Integrating reflection throughout the teaching process fosters continual professional growth and a sustained commitment to high-quality, student-centered learning.
Guiding Reflective Practice
The university’s Framework for Effective Teaching serves as a foundational guide, aligning reflective practice with recognized standards of instructional quality. The Framework supports your reflective practice by clearly defining benchmarks for high-quality instruction, enabling you to identify meaningful goals for ongoing improvement. Using this framework, you can create targeted action plans to enhance teaching effectiveness and demonstrate progress clearly to stakeholders systematically.
Guiding Questions:
- Which elements of my teaching align with the benchmarks defined by the Framework?
- How does student feedback relate to specific domains such as Course Design or Instructional Practices?
- What common themes emerge from feedback provided by peers and students?
- Which adjustments can improve alignment between my instructional strategies and desired student outcomes?
- How will I measure and document the impact of improvements and changes I implement?