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Being an effective educator involves more than content expertise, it requires the ability to regularly reflect on your teaching, respond to learner feedback, and intentionally adapt your approach. Critically reflective facilitators engage in continuous learning by analyzing their classroom practices, questioning their assumptions, and using evidence to improve learner experiences and outcomes.

Below are strategies and reflection prompts to help you develop as a critically reflective instructor.

Ongoing Reflection Practices

• Gather and analyze feedback from students throughout the semester (e.g., Classroom Assessment Techniques [CATs], mid-semester evaluations, surveys).
• Use learner data to thoughtfully adjust your teaching practices, activities, and assessments.
• Close the feedback loop by sharing with your students the changes you plan to make and explaining when changes aren't possible.
• Leverage your FCQs and other feedback sources (such as peer reviews and student reflections) to identify strengths and growth areas.
• Maintain a teaching journal or log to track what you’d like to revise in your course, and revisit it next semester to evaluate the impact of those changes.

Evaluate Your Own Rationale

Use the questions below to reflect deeply on your facilitation techniques:

• How do you present content so that it is meaningful for learners?
  Do you incorporate a variety of philosophical orientations or rely on just one or two?
• In what ways are you creating inclusive environments for diverse learners?
• How do you perceive your learners, and how do you learn more about them?
• How do you know your learners are learning?
• Which facilitation techniques are working well?
• What kinds of activities are you designing?
  Do they follow a particular model, and do they respect your learners’ existing knowledge?
• What can you do to be a more effective facilitator/instructor?
  List three strengths and three areas for improvement.
• How might your own assumptions about teaching affect how your learners perceive your methods?

Keep Evolving Your Teaching Philosophy

Your teaching philosophy is not a one-time statement—it should evolve alongside your practice. Regularly reflect on your values, approaches, and goals, and revise your teaching statement to align with your current beliefs and experience.

For further reading: Brookfield, S. D. (1995).Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Jossey-Bass.