Reflection
is a powerful medium for promoting professional growth and improvement. In an
educational setting, reflective practice enables teachers to become aware of
their core beliefs and assumptions about teaching and learning. The underlying
premise of attending to teacher’s dispositional characteristics is the
development of attitudes and beliefs essential for ensuring the social and
emotional well-being of all students. Given the ever-changing demographics in
schools and society, it is critical that teacher education programs consider
strategies, which expose pre-service teachers to experiences that challenge
existing beliefs about those who are culturally different from themselves.
Attitudes and beliefs about diversity have profound influences on teacher’s
judgments and actions. The purpose of this article to provide a conceptual
framework for using reflective writing as a tool towards the development of
dispositions needed to support the complexity and diversity of students that
pre-service teachers will encounter in their future classrooms. Reflective
writing samples from 15 students enrolled in a college multicultural education
class detail the reflective writing process and offer insights on how the
practice contributes to the development of dispositions and skills, which
promote culturally responsive and equity-oriented pedagogy.
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