Reflective Practice As Professional Development ─ Experiences of Teachers of English in Japan

This book presents a researcher’s work on reflective practice with a group of high school teachers of English in Japan. Beginning with a series of uncomfortable teacher training sessions delivered to unwilling participants, the book charts the author’s development of new methods of engaging her participants and making use of their own experiences and knowledge. Both an in-depth examination of reflective practice in the context of Japanese cultural conventions and a narrative account of the researcher’s reflexivity in her engagement with the study, the book introduces the concept of ‘the reflective continuum’ – a non-linear journey that mirrors the way reflection develops in unpredictable and individual ways.

Atsuko Watanabe is a teacher of English for Liberal Arts at the International Christian University, Japan. She has over 20 years’ experience as an English teacher. Her research interests include teacher development, teacher cognition and reflective practice.