The level of reflection in the professional development of pre-primary teachers

Abstract

The presented study brings to the professional discourse a view on the reflection of pre-primary teachers in two phases of their professional development. The level of reflection was ascertained in the period of their study at the Faculty of Education (24) and then after a year of work in a kindergarten (6). The author first considers the necessity to develop reflective thinking among pre-primary teachers, which she has based on existing findings in the area. She presents the reflective model (Korthagen, 2011; Píšová, 2005), which she used in her research. The remaining part of the text deals with the methodology of the research and the findings that resulted from the data analysis. The results show that aimed support directed at reflection helps to develop higher levels of cognitive thinking and also points to the connection with using more effective strategies in pre-primary education.