Analysing practice as a gateway towards developing various desirable characteristics of innovative teachers

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the professional development of teachers and how this could strengthen teachers' ability to be analytical and reflective; as these, amongst other characteristics, have emerged prominently and repeatedly as a requirement for innovative practice throughout this study. Teachers, leaders, as well as teacher educators participating in this study have identified analysis of pedagogical practice, analysis of students' needs, and analysis of new pedagogical ideas and tools as an integral part of being innovative. Such an ability to analyse, reflect, and learn from professional experiences, together with teacher agency (as strongly argued in Chapter 3) are necessary for innovative teachers to take informed decisions about their pedagogical practices and their impact upon students' learning needs. Being agentic without basing decisions on evidence-based learning could lead to innovation attempts that are ineffective in dealing with students' learning needs. Therefore, for teachers to be reflective and innovative, one must first understand what is meant by innovation in education. This chapter will thus commence with an analysis of the role of innovation in education, since this forms the foundation and reason why innovative teachers engage in reflective analysis, while also having an impact on their world view and educational aims. A brief section on methodology will follow together with a subsequent analysis on the role of the reflective practitioner in 21st-century education. Finally; a discussion on the contribution of teacher education towards the development of innovative teachers is presented.