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2. Literature Review
2.1 Definitions of Teaching Reflection
Based on different research focuses, definitions are different. In the foreign research field,Dewey (1910, cited in Rodgers 2002) points out that teaching reflection is to constantlyrethink the teaching problems so as to improve the teaching practice. It is a kind of thinkingactivity in mind. Following him is Schon (1983), who moves forward by stressing that theteachers should build their own teaching theory on the real teaching practice instead of justthinking in mind. Thus the importance of teaching practice is added to. Besides, some criticaltheory scholars, for example Kenneth and Daniel (1996) point out that teaching reflectionshould pay more attention to the teaching moral and teaching environment, which means theteaching background and the society factors should be taken into consideration.While in the research field at home, according to the different research subjects andfocuses, definitions are different. The most authoritative definition comes from XiongChuanwu (2007) who proposes that teaching reflection based on action research, is to exploreand solve the teaching problems appearing in the teaching goals or teaching tools. In this way,teachers can become teacher researchers and cultivate the students’ autonomous learningability. In his definition, the research action as the reflective method, is proposed for the firsttime and the practical characteristic is also mentioned. Equally, this point is also stressed byYang Mingquan (2002) who points out that teaching reflection is an activity which starts outfrom teaching practice itself instead of applying the received teaching theory straightly intoteaching practice or teaching by one’s teaching experience blindly. It is a totally contrastiveteaching way compared with traditional teaching way in which teachers are a craft-teacherrather than a researcher-teacher. Based on studies, more detailed teaching reflectiondefinitions are given after surveying the high school in-service teachers.
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2.2 Studies on Teaching Reflection
In this part, studies related to teaching reflection are reviewed. It includes originalstudies, modern studies, such as reflective contents, reflective level, influencing factors,reflective methods and reflective functions. These reviews are the basic studies of this thesis.Study on teaching reflection is a developing process. In order to better understand it, thehistorical origins are necessary to know. Here, only the typical representatives are introduced.As an early important educator, Dewey (1910, cited in Rodgers 2002) is the first one toregard the teachers as the reflectors. He believes that teachers themselves can make adifference in the curriculum reform or the education reform. He tries to explain the definitionof reflection. In his opinion, the teachers’ reflection starts from the teaching trouble or thedifficult problems appearing in the teaching practice. With the uncertain and anxiety, theteachers begin to reflect and analyze their teaching experience. Furthermore, he divides thereflective process into several stages: first, the teachers will find some teaching problems inthe regular teaching practice, and then they will try to give some hypothesis to explain theproblems and try to find the way to solve it. Meantime, the teachers may observe the class ordiscuss with his partners to infer the problems. The la
