Using Student Data for Teacher Reflection

Abstract

Current models of teacher reflection focus on teachers and their actions. Although useful to effect practical changes in teacher pedagogy, teacher-focused reflection does not necessarily support transformative change in which teachers challenge implicit intentions and move toward an emancipatory educational system. A practitioner-based research project conducted in a nonacademic secondary mathematics classroom pointed toward the possibility of a learning-focused approach to teacher reflection by using the voices of students. Student data in the form of interactive writings, portfolios, and narrative interviews, framed within a pedagogical relationship, affected the evolution of a teacher’s practice. Narrative inquiry amplified the voices of disenfranchised students and demonstrated a growing metacognitive awareness. Van Manen’s (1977) reflective framework provides support for the use of student data to move teachers toward higher forms of teacher reflection. This article suggests that by listening to and learning from their students, teachers can transform their practice in significant and effective ways.