To support the trainees in developing skills as a reflective practitioner, we encourage them to engage in a range of activities and tasks as detailed below. It is important that teacher mentors understand how to best support trainees to unpick the key details and understanding to develop trainees’ practice and to make a positive impact of pupil progress. With this in mind, the following cycle is useful for trainees to support them at all times within their placement. Depending on the trainee’s experience and understanding, some parts of the cycle may need more time, or support from the teacher mentor, than others.
We would expect trainees and teacher mentors to emphasise the following parts of this cycle for each phase:
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
| Observe, Deconstruct and begin to RehearseDiscuss and Analyse | Observe, Deconstruct, Rehearse and Refine | Observe, Deconstruct, Rehearse and RefineJustify Decisions |
To support teacher mentors and trainees, we have created a document to give a theoretical background to being a reflective practitioner. There are also some examples of what good reflection looks like.