Supporting health education pre-service teachers' reflective thinking through systematic observation

BACKGROUND: Effective teaching requires that teachers possess various pedagogical and didactical skills as well as a high level of responsiveness to diverse teaching situations. Teacher development and resolving challenging situations require teachers to have good communication and interaction skills, and the skill to reflect on their teaching behaviour. The ability to reflect on teaching behaviour serves as a bench-mark for professional development, and also speaks to a teacher’s level of self-efficacy (Van Manen, 1977). AIM: The aim of this study was to examine how health education pre-service teachers reflect on their own teaching behaviour and interaction, and how systematic observation can support the development of reflective thinking. METHODS: The modified Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS, Pianta ym. 2008; Itäranta, 2020) was used to systematically observe pre-service teachers’ interaction and communication in health education micro teaching lessons. Participants were 18 second-year students in a physical and health education teacher education master’s programme. A mixed methods methodological approach was employed. The preservice teachers’ level of reflection was examined by analysing the reflective journals students wrote at the end of the course. RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that when provided with concrete observation materials preservice teachers are better positioned to observe and reflect upon their teaching behaviour and teacher-student interaction. Pre-service teachers demonstrate an ability to reflect on their teaching at both technical and practical levels (Van Manen, 1977). Reflecting upon teaching situations afterwards also increased their awareness of the teacher-student interaction but also of the interaction between teacher behaviour and student learning. CONCLUSION: In summary, the preliminary findings of this study suggest systematic observational tools offer various possibilities for the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education and for fostering the professional development of health education teachers.