Reflection as a professional development tool based on experience of Georgian teachers of English

Abstract

The role of a teacher and teachers’ professional development have become more important than ever. Nowadays, when a student-centered approach is prioritized, a successful teacher is student-oriented, and professional development helps teachers to be inline with the priority. Professional development of teachers is facilitated by reflection. For years based on various initiatives and laws, teachers not only received information about reflection /self-evaluation, but also have written it. Thus, teachers' reflections were written, but the effectiveness of reflection and the attitude of teachers have not yet become the subject of thorough study. The purpose of the given paper is to conceptualize the concept and meaning of reflection by English language teachers and to study the critical evaluation of the reflection process carried out by them. The article is a part of the  big research that is being conducted for a PhD thesis, and is based on the previous desk research and acquired results. The article focuses on the teachers’ subjective identification of the purpose of reflection and the challenges that teachers face during reflection. We also tried to determine the attitude of teachers towards reflection writing and to determine the extent to which they consider it as a necessary and important component for teacher's professional development.