Improving Teaching Through Reflective Partnerships

The purpose of this paper is to explain how both experienced and inexperienced faculty can improve their teaching and their students' learning through a systematic process of reflecting on their day-to-day teaching by collaborating with a “reflective partner.” The suggestions are based on the author's experiences as a teacher, teacher educator and faculty developer, and on the belief that good teachers are those who help students to learn and to achieve their full potential as individuals. The reflective teaching techniques in this paper have a strong focus on the technical aspects of teaching. However, the techniques also provide faculty with opportunities to reflect on broader issues such as the beliefs that guide their teaching practices. By following the suggestions in this paper, faculty can identify their teaching strengths and limitations, develop the confidence to experiment with new teaching strategies to overcome these limitations, and gain a better understanding of all aspects of their teaching.