by Terry heck
Reflection is one of the basic principles of learning; Therefore, it is also an essential part of teaching.
Why this happens is a matter of modesty. But how and when it happens – and with whom – is less clear. This is partly because there are multiple sides to the reflection – length, width and depth. Z axis.
It’s complete.
As a kind of definition, To think It means to look back at how something ‘works’, and see all its available parts and patterns: causes and effects; Comparisons and contrasts. Strengths and weaknesses. Its characteristics: how close it is to what you expected; Your emotions.
I planned this, it went like this, and now I think about this.
Thinking, then, is the bridge between what we do and what we can do better. It is the pause that allows improvement, the silence that precedes understanding. Although it may seem like an abstract example, its effects are not.
What does the reflection look like?
Reflection in teaching might look like this:
The teacher pauses at the end of the lesson to make a quick note: What went well? What didn’t he do? How did the students react?
Collaborative conversations during professional learning communities (PLCs): Share successes, analyze failures, and consider alternative strategies.
Review student work with curiosity rather than judgment: What does this tell me about their way of thinking? What gaps do I see? What strengths can I build on?
Mental replay at the end of the day: Reflect on the special moments—the successes, the struggles, the surprises—and explain why they are important.
Meditation doesn’t always require structure, but structure can help. It’s a way to make thinking a habit rather than an afterthought. Reflection can occur alone or with others, formally or informally, in writing or intellectually.
Tools for meditation
To make thinking practical and actionable, consider tools like:
memoirs: Keep a simple learning journal. At the end of each day, write down three things: what worked, what didn’t work, and what you’re curious about for tomorrow.
Checklists or headings: They can be used to evaluate lessons or teaching strategies against specific criteria.
Student feedback: Regularly ask for input from students on what helps them learn. This can be done through surveys, open-ended questions or informal discussions.
Video recording: Recording and reviewing your lesson can provide an objective view of your teaching in action.
Meditation as a shared practice
Reflection does not have to happen in isolation. Collaborating with peers adds new perspectives and exposes blind spots. When teachers share their ideas, it normalizes practice and creates a culture of growth within the school.
Ask colleagues: What strategy have you used that has worked recently? What challenge were you thinking of?
Participate in reflective protocols: Structured discussions such as the Critical Friends protocol provide a framework for sharing and analyzing teaching practices.
Benefits of meditation
The benefits of reflective teaching ripple outward. For teachers, it fosters professional growth, sharpens self-awareness, and reignites purpose. For students, it creates better learning experiences and models the lifelong learning process.
Thinking is not about achieving perfection, it is about continuous improvement. It is the practice of aligning your actions with your beliefs, ensuring that your teaching reflects your core values and best intentions.
Meditation seems like an abstract idea, something indefinite, even a bit vague. Something we do in the shower on our way home when no one is around and we are free to wander with our minds. It is certain that thinking comes effortlessly, and in its purest and clearest form, in those circumstances in which we – our minds – are not otherwise engaged.
Meditation is not one thing, it is a box to check off some oval learning cycle. It is a matter of self-awareness, humility, and affection as much as it is a matter of timing, sequencing, and procedures.
I can see the craft of teaching as a series of steps and an accomplishment of design. It is parts and whole. Science and art. Professional and people.
I know nothing is ever perfect, so I strive to improve. I also know what is improveable within my capabilities, and what paths there are to get there.
I believe in the power of knowledge and understanding, and I will use everything I know in my craft.
With this kind of examination, the practice of meditation becomes more fruitful, a kind of tilling the ground to reap the crops. This is where the non-abstract things come in—the concrete tools, processes, and reflection partners that allow us to socially integrate ourselves and our teaching, and draw upon the concrete practice of meditation.
The role of reflection in teacher improvement
When I use social media, I do so as a matter of practice and reflection. Mechanical actions lead to thinking, and vice versa. I scroll through social channels, check mentions and messages, and respond if it makes sense. These are the inputs. The output, if I understand it correctly, is the reflection.
If I read a tweet, interpret what I think its meaning is, find a connection to its message, and think – even briefly – about how I relate to it and my relationship to it, then I am approaching reflection.
Tweet: Growing momentum behind social emotional learning
My reaction: What is the “big idea” of social-emotional learning? What do I know – and don’t know? What tools do I know that can work here? Do I need a widget – is this worth clicking on? Should I save to Pocket without clicking? Click and read? RT without reading? Read, then RT? Favorite with or without reading? How do I spend my time on social media now? Am I floundering or should I be more intentional – this tool or idea for this need I will have tomorrow.
If thinking on social media happens—and it does—it is both a matter of practice and habit—a tendency toward the kind of thinking that promotes change in your teaching. But this has nothing to do with Twitter; This is just an easy example that many of you can relate to. It is about the dimensions of meditation: how, when and who.
How does reflection happen?
You could start with Demands reflective teaching. These – or others – can relate to looking at the ins and outs of teaching as long as they build your ability and tendency to think for yourself.
There is, of course, the vulnerability that comes with thinking. Be honest and transparent and then stand on your own.
In fact, the thinking starts early, on your own, in your mind after something happens. Then it often happens with someone – a friend, colleague or loved one. Maybe even a student. After that, you’ll probably think again on your own, now that your thinking has pushed you further through the “together” part. Writing about it again and then sharing it with others makes the reflection more complex and more personal.
Sequence: Alone->Together->Alone
Reversal often occurs, among other patterns, alone (which is slow and passive), together (which is more immediate and effective), and then alone again (again, slow and passive).
Sequence: During teaching -> after teaching -> after school
Thinking is also a matter of timing. Reflection can happen at any time, but not before the event begins: the lesson, the assessment, the meeting, the Socratic discussion.
While teaching, How is it going truly? What modifications seem necessary? What is most important here? Then immediately after that, how did (the evaluation) go, and how do I know (the data)? After school, now that I’ve had a chance to “step away” from the action, what do I think now? What’s left? What should I do differently next time? What would the students say if they were here next to me?
Sequence: Students->Colleagues->PLN
And then, Who should I think with? students? peers? Professional learning networks? my wife? How is each episode different? What is worth talking about and what is worth forgetting?
How can I see meditation as a way of teaching that is impossible to separate and articulate, but instead is moment by moment? something Who is always with me like a heartbeat?
What it means to be a reflective teacher