BEING A REFLECTIVE TEACHER EDUCATOR

Developing reflective practitioners is an important goal of teacher education programmes world over and that reflective practice is worth persisting with, in the field of teacher education, is un-debated. But, the extent to which we, teacher educators, are reflective, remains a taken for granted aspect. With a presentation of a conceptual framework of reflection and reflective practice of teachers, referring to primarily to the theories of reflection by Dewey and Schon, the author has attempted to share reflective accounts from her experience of many years in the field, as a mentor and facilitator in the school internship programme. Critical reflections are preceded by recognising dilemmas in one’s field of practice. The author has attempted to pose the intriguing questions that emerged from her practice as a case in point for presenting the reflective accounts. The diverse roles of a teacher educator, ranging from a mentor for initiation of a teacher-to-be, to, a facilitator of reflective practice, specifically in the School Internship Programme, have been captured to provide the context for the reflective accounts.