Reflection on Action: The Use of Reflective Journal Plus Video Recording

摘要

This article discusses a partial result of a study conducted to look at the implementation of reflective teaching to improve student-teachers' pedagogic competence in Micro Teaching Class and Teaching Practicum subject. The focus of this report is to describe the use of reflective journals plus video recording as tools used by the prospective teachers for reflective teaching. Thus, the emphasis will be on the extent to which the combination of these tools helps the student-teachers improve their teaching skill. This action research employs qualitative approach. The data were collected through teaching performance assessment, observation, and interview. This research was carried out in Micro Teaching class consisting of 19 students. There were three procedures implemented in this research. First, the student-teachers were asked to perform their teaching. The teaching performance of each-student teacher was video-recorded by the researchers. The student-teachers were asked to reflect upon their teaching and watch their own teaching performance and write the results of the reflection in a journal. Second, the student-teachers performed their second teaching. Again, their teaching performance was recorded. Before receiving comments from the lecturer and their peers, they were asked to articulate what they thought about their performance. Similar to the first cycle, the student-teachers were asked to reflect upon their teaching practice, watch the recording, and write the results of reflection in their journals. The same procedure was applied at the third cycle. The findings of this study regarding the use of journal and video indicate that these tools are effective in helping students improve their teaching skill. In fact, quantitatively, the students' teaching skill improved as indicated by the comparison of the scores they gained in the three teaching cycles. Based on the qualitative analysis, it was found that the student-teachers got benefits from their reflective journal plus video recording. Their writing in the journals revealed that most of them were aware of their weaknesses, and thus made improvement in the corresponding points. Furthermore, in the interview they said that watching video gave them a vivid idea how their teaching was like.