Using Goal-Directed Reflection to Make Reflection More Meaningful

The role of a physical education teacher education (PETE) program is to develop high-quality teachers, and quality refl ection lies at the heart of good teaching. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) beginning teacher standards (2003) suggest that a good reflective cycle involves a description of teaching, a critique of teaching performance, and the setting of teaching goals in order to produce thoughtful teachers who continue to develop their craft throughout their career. Different refl ective teaching strategies— such as writings, observation logs, action research, curriculum inquiries, and supervisory approaches—have been used to develop thoughtful and refl ective physical education teachers (Tsangaridou & Siedentop, 1995). Despite this, many teacher educators fi nd it diffi cult to prompt and encourage their teacher candidates to engage in a thoughtful refl ective cycle about their teaching. Common concerns voiced by teacher educators are that teacher candidates only describe the day’s events, do not connect their teaching behaviors to student responses, fail to identify the critical aspects of a teaching situation, and are unable to prioritize personal teaching goals. Goal-directed reflection (GDR) is another refl ective strategy that aims to address these concerns and link systematic supervision with reflection and goal-setting.