Since Schön's influential work on reflective practice reflection has been prioritised in teacher education programmes internationally. The research described in this paper examined the development of postgraduate student teachers' reflective processes in their first school placement. 25 students were asked to write an account of their evolution in an area of their teaching, and how they were supported to evaluate lessons and reflect on their practice. Subsequently, a sample was interviewed to explore themes arising from the essays. In describing their development of a reflective perspective, the students identified useful feedback from three main sources: mentors, peers and pupils. Although the research took place within a Scottish context, the different roles that feedback played in the development of reflection should be of interest to teacher educators and student teachers internationally, as it could be argued that beginning teachers in every country face similar issues relating to reflection.

This paper considers student teachers as reflective practitioners and argues that reflection processes can be established in university pre-service programmes, rather than the more widely acknowledged school practicum.Results from a small-scale study into micro-teaching sessions, where student teachers taught peers, indicate that 'teachers' and 'learners' benefitted from sharing knowledge, and from reflection afterwards, evaluating teaching and learning approaches and considering strategies for future practice. Increased confidence, teamwork and appreciation of practical considerations such as organisation, planning and production of resources were all highlighted by the students as consequences of the sessions. We conclude that stimulation of reflection in the university setting through peer to peer teaching offers a helpful perspective for teacher educators, so that when students enter school practicum, they can interrogate their practice effectively, to enhance their pedagogy. We also raise questions about theory informed practice and the role it plays in reflection.

Recent policy reforms in Scotland mean that all primary teachers are expected to teach a foreign language (FL) to children from age 5, introducing a second language around age 9. This small-scale research study aimed to ascertain 38 primary teachers' perceptions of their confidence to teach a FL to primary learners and what they felt would be helpful in developing their language proficiency and language teaching pedagogy. The teachers, while enthusiastic about the thinking behind the policy, expressed concern about their ability to provide a good model of language to their classes and their own development as learners of a language while simultaneously having to teach it. FL assistants, secondary colleagues and FL development officers were seen as valuable sources of support, but questions were raised about the sustainability of the policy without long-term permanent commitment.