Reflective Practice with E-Portfolio

Abstract

Increasing workload has led teachers to ignore the significance of reflective practice in classrooms. This research aims to discover the influence of reflective teaching in enhancing teaching practices in English as a Second Language Teaching (ESL). It also reveals the role of an e-portfolio in supporting reflective practices. Primary data were collected among a group of B.Ed TESL student teachers through interviews, focus group sessions, and also through the analysis of the selected reflections of English lessons which were observed. Student teachers are expected to practise observational reflection that allows the teachers to gain insights on various ways of handling lessons, to be open minded when teaching different types of students, and to be critical instead of judgmental when encountering classroom issues. Nevertheless, their ability to execute these in their teaching is uncertain as they did not have the opportunity to reflect upon their own teaching practices. The e-portfolio system managed to support and assist the B.Ed TESL undergraduates’ reflective practice. Personal documentation, personal space to reflect, and the development of peer reflection were conducted conveniently with the existence of this e-portfolio paltform. Nonetheless, features, such as synchronous chat and receiving instant feedback from the teacher educator, which are unavailable in this e-portfolio are factors that could improve the ability of an e-portfolio to support reflective practice.