Developing Critical Reflection in Teaching Practice
In Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, Brookfield (2017) argues that teachers often rely too heavily on their own interpretation of classroom events, which can lead to unexamined assumptions about what works in teaching. To address this, he proposes four lenses for critical reflection: our autobiographical experience as teachers, students’ perspectives, colleagues’ insights, and theoretical literature. Considering teaching through these different lenses can reveal aspects of practice that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
This idea resonates with my experience teaching large postgraduate cohorts in fashion business education. When delivering lectures on topics such as retail strategy or digital fashion innovation, I typically focus on structuring content clearly and linking theoretical frameworks with industry case studies. From my own perspective, a session may feel successful when the lecture flows smoothly, and students appear attentive. However, Brookfield’s framework highlights that this interpretation may not fully capture students’ learning experiences.
One example arises during whole-class discussions. In some sessions, I encourage students to respond to questions about fashion brands or retail trends. While a few students readily contribute, many remain quiet. Initially, I interpreted this as limited engagement. However, considering the student lens has encouraged me to rethink this assumption. In a highly international classroom, silence may reflect language processing time, cultural differences in classroom participation, or uncertainty about academic expectations.
The colleague lens has also influenced my practice through peer observations during the PgCert programme. Feedback from colleagues has helped me notice elements of my teaching that I previously overlooked, such as how movement around the classroom or the framing of questions can influence student participation.
Finally, engaging with pedagogical literature provides an additional framework for interpreting teaching experiences. Rather than relying purely on intuition, these readings offer conceptual tools for analysing classroom dynamics and exploring alternative strategies.
Applying Brookfield’s reflective lenses has encouraged me to approach teaching more analytically. Instead of asking whether a session “felt successful”, I now consider how it might have been experienced differently by students or interpreted by colleagues. In future teaching sessions, I plan to apply these lenses more deliberately, for example, gathering informal student feedback during seminars and using peer observations to reflect on classroom interaction patterns. This process may help identify areas where adjustments to teaching strategies could better support participation among diverse student groups.
Reference
Brookfield, S. (2017) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.