The reflective diary experiences of EFL pre-service teachers

Abstract

This study investigated the use of reflective diaries by novice teachers in the teaching practicum course. In these diaries, novice teachers wrote about the activities they had undertaken during the week in detail. These novice teachers were also interviewed in order to garner rich, in-depth, and nuanced perceptions of their experiences in writing reflective diaries and ascertain whether the diaries helped or hindered their teaching. Fifty Saudi pre-service teachers who taught English in intermediate schools participated in the study. The in-service teachers in these schools were interviewed so that their voices and evaluations regarding the reflective diaries could be added to the study; this was done because they were considered as secondary supervisors for the pre-service teachers. Results revealed that the majority of pre-service teachers and all of the in-service teachers showed positive attitudes toward reflective diary use. Although most of the diaries were descriptive rather than reflective, the pre-service teachers did focus on key classroom elements such as teaching techniques, activities, teaching resources. The results also suggested that a number of participants recommended that the diaries should be mandatory and embedded in the teaching practicum course. Dedicated coaching, mentoring, and modelling could further develop their approach to professional reflection.

“Why this and not that social media?” Reasons for using technology during online practice teaching

“…As revealed in this study, schools and supervisors also influenced participants' choices of social media platforms; thus, this study suggests that TEPs should reach an agreement with partner schools to increase student teachers' flexibility in planning activities and selecting digital tools for their teaching practicum. Teaching practicum is a means of efficiently practicing teaching skills (Altalhab et al, 2021) and preservice teachers need more flexibility to apply the knowledge they obtain from TEPs in their practice teaching to develop professionalism and deepen identity as teachers (Altalhab et al, 2021;Safari, 2020).…”

A Self-Study on the Challenges a University Supervisor Faced in Online Teaching Practicum and How She Met Them

“…Reflecting on teaching practicum experiences could help the mentor teacher and the student teacher gain deeper insights into their teaching practicum experiences. For example, the pre-and in-service English-as-a-foreign teachers in Altalhab et al's (2020) research had positive attitudes towards keeping reflective diaries and believed that reflective diaries should be mandatory in the teaching practicum. Dialogic interaction, which was explained to be the coconstruction of meaning, was reported in Talbot et al's (2018) study as a means through which the university supervisor, the mentor teacher and the pre-service teacher could gain insights into each other's conceptions of teaching and learning.…”

Investigating Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Initial Motivations and Identity Formation: Evidence From an Indonesian University

“…The concept of ''mimicry and memorisation'' (Lightbown & Spada, 2021) during the teaching practice is believed to limit the student teachers' creativity in teaching. However, practicum offers the prospective teachers to apply most of the language learning theories into their teaching practice (Altalhab et al, 2021). The inclusion of practicum in teacher education programs holds a crucial position in the development of prospective teachers.…”